Taiwan has established leadership in the global bicycle industry. Cycling is also gaining popularity in Taiwan in recent years with more than 270 cycling events held by non-government organizations in 2017. Going forward, how will cycling continue to flourish in Taiwan?
Cycling is the greenest mode of transport to get around a city and experience its charms
As cycling gains popularity worldwide, people in Taiwan are joining those around the globe in taking up bike riding as a result of promotional efforts from public and private sectors. According to Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, cycling has many benefits. It is an aerobic exercise that is easy on muscles and joints, burns calories, slows aging, improves cardio fitness and prevents bone loss. Unlike some other sports, cycling can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Furthermore, exercising releases endorphins, which put you in a good mood, make you feel happy, help you stay focused, alleviate stress from work and life, and contribute to a more positive outlook on life. Aside from these health benefits, cycling also plays a growingly important role as a transport mode and leisure activity. Particularly with increasing environmental awareness, people are making efforts to control air pollution, reduce carbon emission and cut energy consumption, so bicycles have become the best mode of transport with minimum carbon footprint for people to freely get around a city and experience its charms.
Building up hard and soft infrastructure, Taiwan is creating endless possibilities for cycling
Bicycles have a long history in Taiwan. The number of people taking up cycling has been on a continuous rise in recent years. What advantages and appeals does Taiwan have in terms of the hard and soft infrastructure for cycling? According to Sports Administration, a host of major cycling and marathon events have taken place over recent years but many of them have been held in cities where the air quality may be poor, and despite traffic control, participants often ride or run with cars still driving on the route. As a matter of fact, about 70% of Taiwan is covered with forested mountains. It is more suitable to hold these events in more natural environments, which can also promote local industry development.
There are also many cycling routes with unique features to be discovered. People bike touring in Taiwan have a myriad of choices - whether it is a relaxing ride on paths throughout riverside parks, a challenging race in the mountains or a circumnavigation around the island on Cycle Route No. 1. With these different cycling routes in place, local governments are making abundant tourism resources available including mapping out their own unique routes featuring special sceneries, cultural characteristics, eco-environment, local delicacy and other attractions. They even host their own bike tour sites for people to search for information on local B&B, restaurants, hotels and attractions. Bike tours can expand to become a sports tourism business, which holds tremendous potential. Moreover, bike rental stations throughout Taiwan offer free drinking water, tire pumping and rest areas for cyclists. Almost all riverside parks in Taiwan have bike rental stations. Bike-sharing services are also quite popular in Taiwan. All these have made cycling in Taiwan an enjoyment.
High-tech advances and social media also help with rising popularity of cycling. Widespread availability of exercise apps and mobile communication services makes it easy for bikers to keep track of heart rates, cycling speed, route and time, much like having a personal trainer at your side. Moreover, the rapid rise of social media like Facebook and Instagram allow people to share their fitness progress with family and friends, motivating one another to keep exercising. With today's hectic lifestyle, people are often isolated and disconnected. However, humans are by nature social creatures and need to engage in face-to-face activities to stay emotionally connected. Cycling can be such an activity that brings people together.
Taiwan has a complete cluster of bicycle industry. The popularity of cycling in Taiwan will continue to escalate with increasing public awareness on health and environmental protection. Sports Administration has been actively instituting programs to promote cycling as a sport for all and calls on private organizations to work together toward the goal. It will also endeavor to find additional stunning cycling routes for everyone to enjoy Taiwan's cycling culture and create a lifestyle combining sports and leisure.
Come enjoy Taiwan's cycling culture and create a lifestyle combining sports and leisure
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