Starting in 2002 a group of expatriates began gathering together on weekends to cycle on the outskirts of Guangzhou. The group has grown increasingly popular over the years, expanding its membership and enjoying more and more weekend excursions.
Now the group includes around 25 cyclists, a formation based on strong friendships and a strong passion for cycling.
Cyclists pose in front of the Guangdong Science Museum in Guangzhou University Town. (Lifeofguangzhou.com)
Group launched by staff of sporting goods company
Klaus Guenther from Germany is the president and founder of the group, called GZcycle. He now works for Adidas in the Footwear Sourcing Division.
In 2004, soon after moving to China, Guenther joined a group from his company that met every Saturday or Sunday at Long Dong for mountain bike rides.
The weekend rides rekindled his love for the sport of cycling, which he had stopped for more than 12 years. Gradually he became more active and began enrolling people to join the group, networking with other local cycling enthusiasts in Guangzhou.
The name GZcycle was suggested by a close friend of his who registered a group communication site under the name. This inspired him to register the web domain www.gzcycle.com on which the group is now given exposure globally.
Up early on weekends to ride
Wearing brightly-colored cycling suits and hats, the group certainly stands out in the peaceful town.
Cyclists on a ride (Lifeofguangzhou.com)
The cyclists usually meet up at Guangzhou University Town every Saturday and Sunday, getting up as early as 6 a.m. to make it to the gathering by 8.
Later they begin their rides with distances from 30km up to 120km until 11:00. On average it takes 20 minutes to finish a ride. After that they take a short break, and then keep riding on the middle-ring of University Town.
Robbert Lambriks from the Netherlands thinks he wouldn’t be motivated to get up so early on weekends if it wasn’t for the group ride.
A cyclist shows his emergency bracelet, heart beat monitor and route distance gauge. (Lifeofguangzhou.com)
Getting away from stressful work
What motivates these folks to get up and ride for hundreds of kilometers? Philip Richardson from the U.S. gave me his answer.
"My work is very stressful, and cycling with fellow expats lets me temporarily get away from the craziness and be in a familiar zone for a few hours. Riding with GZcycle is good therapy, and something I really look forward to on the weekends, or when time permits during mid-week.”
Friendship, fitness and positive competition
In addition to the weekend rides, the cyclists sometimes participate in amateur races and trips outside Guangzhou. They look forward to events in which they can cooperate as a team.
Hugo Gibel (L) who is a former professional cyclist, and Jarek Barc on a ride (Lifeofguangzhou.com)
Jarek Barc from the U.S. works in the field of cycling products. “I have always enjoyed cycling, and my job is about cycling products, so cycling is very important to me. Also, I have made many good friends through this group.”
Robert Teskey from the U.S., who works for a cycling equipment company, recalled his first trip in 2002 with his friends from Nike. “I was shocked that anyone would dare ride in the streets of China, but I was instantly hooked and have ridden here ever since, in places like UniTown, DaFuShan and MaoFengShan.”
Philip shared an interesting story, recalling a race against a 55-year-old man in University Town earlier this year, when the man beat him badly. The man got a better time than Philip in that particular race, but Philip beat him next time. “It's a good, healthy and competitive activity to engage in.”
New members welcome
Newcomers find out about the group mainly through word-of-mouth and friends of friends.
Cyclists of all ages, genders, nationalities and skill levels are welcome. However, although few fees are necessary, owning a bicycle is a must. It was learned that the type of well-equipped, light-weight bicycle the riders use is priced at approximately ten thousand yuan.
Nevertheless, compared with some sports, it is still quite accessible to join.
(by Jessie Hwang, Stephen Roach, Photographed by Reno)
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