This year’s Bike Day has a new mission: turning Taiwan, the bicycle manufacturing giant, into a “cycling paradise.”
Thousands of cyclists attended a morning event yesterday in which participants took part in an 11km round-trip ride from the Presidential Office to Taipei City Hall.
Since the Executive Yuan designated Bike Day in 2007, the country’s 25 counties and cities have held different events to promote cycling to environmentally aware and budget-conscious consumers.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said the country, known as the bicycle kingdom, sold 5.4 million bicycles on the global market last year. Taiwan is home to some of the world’s biggest bicycle manufacturers, which supply a wide array of finished bikes, components and accessories.
Last year, Ma initiated a “three-stage bicycle rites of passage” for youth to cycle into adulthood. The program encourages youngsters to ride 100km when they are 16 years old, 500km when they turn 18 and 1,000km when they reach 20.
Over 4,000 people have participated in the 100km program and several hundred each in the 500km and 1,000km rides. Ma said he would like to see more people partake in the initiative.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said that with the joint effort between the public and private sectors, he hoped Taiwan would develop into a “cycling paradise” within two or three years.
“We hope that when the international community thinks of bicycles, they think of Taiwan’s bicycle manufacturers such a Giant and Merida, and think of Taiwan when it comes to cycling,” he said.
Meanwhile, King Liu (劉金標), the chairman and co-founder of Giant Manufacturing Co, the world’s largest bicycle maker, said he would set off on May 9 for a cycling tour from Beijing to Shanghai.
The 75-year-old said he expected to complete the 1,668km trip in 20 days. Liu completed a 927km ride around Taiwan in 17 days in 2007.
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