One of this year’s Velo-city Global events organized by the Taipei City Government ran from Saturday to today. During the event, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) rode a bicycle from the nation’s northernmost Fuguijiao Lighthouse (富貴角燈塔) in Keelung to the southernmost Oluanpi Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔) in Pingtung County, covering 520km in 28 hours.
Ko, 56, should be admired for having the determination and physical strength to complete the ride, despite the pressure of his busy day job, and for inspiring people to challenge their own limits. By setting an example through his actions in this way, he has challenged the saying: “If you do not do it now, you might never get another chance” — which many people use to justify taking time to ride around Taiwan on a bicycle — by adopting a mind-set that says: “If you are determined to do something, it is never too late.”
Taipei has exerted a lot of time and energy to win the right to host this year’s Velo-city Global Conference, arranging a bicycle exhibition and a bicycle festival, and it has also improved the city’s bicycle environment by creating bicycle paths and repairing ring roads around the city. Ko has also contributed to elevating the visibility of bicycle events by participating in several of them.
It cannot be denied that Ko is a conscientious and hardworking mayor, but he has fallen short in that his own cycling activities were not coordinated with the Velo-city Global event, and thus he has failed to maximize their impact.
In each of the events in which he has participated, Ko cycled between 230km and 520km. This is extreme biking that requires toughness, and without the prerequisite physical training, regular exercise, the right equipment and sufficient support, people attempting such challenges often fail or end up in accidents and even sustain injuries.
The theme of Taipei’s bicycle events cover several activities, from leisure riding to commuting to and from work. However, while Ko’s extreme cycling has been in response to these events, they go significantly beyond the scope of leisurely cycling or as a way to commute to and from work. In fact, Ko’s 520km, 28-hour ride stole the limelight from the cycling festival that took place on the same day, resulting in the events not amounting to much more than the sum of their parts, which is a pity.
Taipei worked hard to win its status as host of the Velo-city Global Conference, and Ko had to work hard to accomplish a difficult athletic feat that few other politicians would be able to complete, but in the end, the two events failed to fully complement each other.
Had Ko scheduled his bicycle ride for an earlier date and used it as a means to publicize and build enthusiasm for the Velo-city Global event, he would have been able to hop on a bicycle and take an active role in the event in his capacity as mayor of the host city, which would have helped increase interest in activities that were part of the main event, enhancing its impact.
Perhaps the lessons learned from this experience could serve as reference when Taipei hosts its next large international event, the Universiade, next year.
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