Taiwan 2016 King of the Mountain Challenge to have 600 participants

The Taiwan 2016 King of the Mountain Challenge is not just about cycling but also about endurance. It is one of the most grueling challenge of the festival because, the 105-kilometer race features 87 kilometers of sheer uphill climbing.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 22 October 2016.

Scheduled for Oct. 28, it is needless to say tat only the toughest cyclists will be able to master the mountain. The number of participants would be around 600 - half of them would be domestic and half would be foreign professionals from all areas of the world. All of them can stake their claim atop Taiwan's famous Hehuan Mountain.
The event is organized by the Tourism Bureau and the Taiwan Cyclist Federation.
The race will start at sea level from Hualien's Qixingtan and pass through the spectacular Taroko Gorge before climbing to Taiwan's highest passable road apex atop Route 14A to reach Wuling at an altitude of 3,275 meters. A second challenge of this race is the change in temperature from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius at the start of the race to 5 to 10 degrees Celsius at the finish line.


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Cycling fad takes roots in Bengaluru

Cycling to work is gradually taking roots in Bengaluru. Using the eco-friendly bicycle instead of the automobiles tat pollute the atmosphere is gradually being embraced by a section of the youth. One individual, at his job interview two months ago had informed his bosses that he wanted to cycle to work - a practice he had followed in his two previous companies. He also added that he aims to have at least five of his hundred colleagues join him on the bicycle within the next year. His bosses admired his initiative and agreed to provide necessary facilities, including the one for riders to take shower.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 5 September 2016.

Cycling a distance of 30km - between Bannerghatta Road and Manyata Tech Park - has influenced others who reside near their work places to use the cycle to go to work. Incidentally, some of the cycles are more expensive than motorbikes and, hence, parking space for these high-end cycles matters a lot.
Infosys has taken a lead in this respect. For the past three years, it has been promoting cycling among its employees at the Electronics City campus. Apart from providing dedicated cycle parking slots and shower facilities, the company keeps organizing bicycle rides through its cycling group. The short rides are usually within a 15km radius from the campus and it has helped the group to initiate the cycling culture among their colleagues.
The long rides involving a distance of around 100km usually have destinations in Kanakapura Road, Nandi Hills and Chikkatirupathi.


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Bhubaneswar promoting cycling as a part of its Smart City initiative

Cycling is a healthy and non-polluting way of travel and Bhubaneswar is promoting this activity as a part of its Smart City initiative. One of the key initiatives among Bhubaneswar's smart city proposal include construction of dedicated cycle tracks and pedestrian footpaths along key transport corridors. The civic body has already identified spots for construction of the tracks.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 July 2016.

Such cycling tracks already exist on the stretch between AG Square and Capital Hospital Square and some more tracks would be constructed. The civic body had been promoting cycling at the weekly Raahgiri event. Here bicycle rides are offered in partnership with an NGO. People were allowed to hire bicycles against a refundable fee of Rs 100 by producing identity proof.
Moreover, there is a cycling club where members have cycled at night from Bhubaneswar to Puri to Konark and back, covering 160km. Cycling not only helps to maintain fitness but is also a great way to experience nature. It seems people of the city are no longer averse to buying high-end cycles.


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Walking is the best exercise in polluted cities

Research carried out by University of Cambridge has found that walking or cycling is good for everyone, even if one is living in polluted cities. In their opinion, the health benefit of physical activity far outweighs the harm caused to the body because of by chemicals and dust that is continuously puffed out by traffic and industry.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 6 May 2016.

Air pollution is a major problem in British cities, and this is a major factor that results in 40,000 early deaths in Britain every year. Moreover, only a handful of cities (one percent!) are so polluted that the risks start to overcome the benefits of physical activity within half an hour of cycling. As the study leader has indicated - in London health benefits of active travel always outweigh the risk from pollution.
Even in a city like Delhi which is believed to be one of the most polluted cities in the world – with pollution levels ten times those in London – people would need to cycle over five hours per week to enjoy the health benefits.
A general conception is that those who exercise in polluted areas put themselves at increased risk since they take deeper breaths, thus inhaling more of the toxic pollution and particles that do such damage. But, a new study suggests that the act of exercising outweighs this risk - physical activity reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and several cancers.
The bottom line is - invest in infrastructure to get people out of their cars and onto their feet or their bikes – such a double pronged attack would reduce pollution levels and simultaneously, support physical activity.


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British not as enthusiastic about cycling as compared to the Dutch

It has been predicted by a leading UK cycling charity that Britain will not reach the current Dutch levels of cycling facilities and investment until the 23rd century. The government has drawn up a blueprint to get more people cycling and walking in Britain and there are plans to spend £316m over the next five years, but the CTC says the current rate of spending is simply not enough.
The Dutch spend £24 per person per year on cycling, whereas in the UK, the figure invested outside London is just £1.39 per person. The benefits from cycling are there for all to see because it results in less congestion, better quality of air as well as all the health benefits that come from exercise.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 3 April 2016.

The Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC) have said that the government has got a great ambition for cycling and they want to change the whole way of how one looks at cycling as a way of getting about but the numbers do not add up because much more investment id necessary.
The CTC estimates that to reach the levels of the Dutch, it is going to take until the 23rd century at the existing rate of spending. In the Netherlands a total of 27% of journeys are made by bike, and, in contrast, in the UK that figures drops to just 2%.
The Dutch implemented its very first cycling plan for Amsterdam in 1978 and the popularity of the bike is such that nowadays cyclists often joke it is easier to park a car in the center than find a space to leave your bike. The council has an answer for that - it has an ambitious plan to create an extra 40,000 spaces by the end of the year.


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Walk to work or go by cycle and shed those kilos to ensure a long healthy life

Walking to work or going by bicycle and even taking public transport are all good habits when one needs to shed the kilos and live a long life - scrapping the car can reap huge health benefits to those who usually drive to work. These are the findings of a new research conducted on more than 150,000 British adults in the age group 40 to 69.
It was found that the average male cyclist weighed 5kg (11lbs) less than men who took their car. As for the women, those who cycled were typically 4.4kg (9.7lbs) lighter than their motoring counterparts. Cyclists also benefited from reduced body fat - male bikers had 2.75% less fat as compared to those who traveled by car, and women 3.26% less.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 17 March 2016.

The study was carried out by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who also discovered that drivers were more likely to have a higher Body Mass Index than cyclists. As one of the researchers have indicated - many people live too far from their workplace for walking or cycling to be feasible. For them, physical activity involved in public transport can have an important effect.
In England and Wales, nearly two-thirds of the 23.7 million people regularly commute to work by car. And, in England, two-thirds of adults do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity. Incidentally, out of those who took part in the massive study, only 4% of men and 2% of women cycled to their office - or combined cycling and walking.
It has been recommended that those in mid-life should be encouraging to use public transport and go in for active commuting because mid-life is the period when obesity becomes an increasing problem.


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