Officials yesterday invited people to join a nationwide cycling trip on Saturday that aims to break the Guinness World Record for the most bikers riding at once.
Organized to mark the centennial of the Republic of China, the “One Bike One” tour has attracted more than 110,000 cyclists so far, organizers said at a press conference in Taipei to promote the ride.
“This event heralds the arrival of the next century in Taiwan as an energy-saving one with a focus on healthy lifestyle options,” Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) said.
Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡) called on the public to help “move Taiwan forward” by joining the ride.
Participants will set off simultaneously at 10am on Saturday from 1,000 checkpoints nationwide and will cycle in a clockwise direction around the country until they reach their designated destination points.
The event, expected to last for an hour, requires each biker to ride at least 5km on the 1,000-km route and to check in before they set off and after they arrive at their destination points — otherwise their rides will not be counted for the record.
Bikers with smartphones can check in by downloading an app from the event’s Web site and activating it to start a GPS track.
One thousand second-hand bikes were donated at yesterday’s press conference so that Aboriginal children in eastern Taiwan could take also part in the event.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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