Cyclists embark on TACAA tour across US

2014-08-11

More than 20 Taiwan riders kicked off a cross-U.S. tour Aug. 5 in Washington, according to the Taiwan Asia Cycling Adventure Association.

Aged between 11 and 76, the 22 participants will travel 6,950 kilometers and cross 14 U.S. states in the following five weeks before ending their journey Sept. 9 in Seattle.

For many of the riders, the tour forms part of a greater picture. Yen Cheng-chi and Liao Mu-wong, aged 70 and 60, respectively, have incorporated the journey as the final leg of their world tour.

The ride is part of the Cycling Around the World tour organized by the TACAA, Taiwan Cycling Travel Association and Taiwan Society of Extreme Exploration.

TACAA representative Chen Shou-jhong said the plan to tour the world in annual stages is the first of its kind. “This innovative arrangement allows bike enthusiasts to fulfill their dreams without having to take extended time off from their regular lives,” Chen said, adding that he is being joined by his 11-year-old daughter on the U.S. tour.

Beginning in July 2011, the world tour’s first leg started in Beijing and ended at the border of Kazakhstan and mainland China’s Xinjiang region. A total of 10 riders with an average age of 60 took part in a tough 6,300-kilometer, 34-day trip.

In the second stage one year later, 12 cyclists spent 42 days traveling 6,800 kilometers on the old Silk Road through six countries in Central Asia. The team was also the first from Taiwan to travel through the region.

The third leg of the ambitious endeavor started in Istanbul June 15 last year and ended in Amsterdam 44 days later. Fifteen cyclists with an average age of 64 rode 3,750 kilometers through 12 European countries.

Given the sport’s growing popularity in Taiwan, the associations said they will organize another round of world tours beginning next year so that more people can pursue their globe-trotting dreams.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=220442&CtNode=413)