According to the official website of the General Administration of Sport of China, June 30 marked the third “Zhejiang Ecology Day.” Organized by the Hangzhou Tourism Commission, Hangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau, Hangzhou Sports Bureau, Hangzhou Public Bicycle Transportation Company, and other entities, the “Ride to Start” China Pulse Thousand-Person Cycling Event was held at the Huanglong Sports Center. The event attracted over 3,000 participants who promoted the concept of ecological conservation through cycling.
At the scene, reporters observed that the massive cycling group of 3,000 was divided into seven formations. Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan, dressed casually, served as the lead rider. During the opening ceremony, she read out the “Green Environmental Protection Initiative” and called on everyone to “travel green, starting with me.”
After the starting gun fired, the 3,000-strong cycling group, all clad in matching green T-shirts, set off from the Huanglong Sports Center. They passed through Shuguang Road, Baochu Road, Hubin Road, Tianmushan Road, and Shiqiao Road, covering a total distance of several kilometers.
To participate in the “Zhejiang Ecology Day” event, the organizer, Nanjing China Pulse Technology Development Co., Ltd., specially purchased over a thousand bicycles and donated them to the Hangzhou Sports Bureau to advocate for a green and healthy mode of transportation.
On the morning of June 30, the east square of the Huanglong Sports Center had transformed into a veritable sea of bicycles, filled with all kinds of bikes.
The largest number were the more than a thousand bicycles uniformly purchased by China Pulse Technology, followed by the red public bicycles easily found all over Hangzhou’s streets and alleys. In addition to these two major “groups,” a wide variety of bicycles also added a unique charm to the day’s event.
Semi-professional cycling enthusiasts rode their own tens-of-thousands-yuan “mounts”; recent college graduates brought eye-catching fixed-gear bikes; several young office workers wearing helmets pedaled stylish road bikes; while elderly folks rode the same bikes they usually use for grocery shopping or picking up their grandchildren—each was part of the environmental advocacy army for “Zhejiang Ecology Day.”
Pedaling slowly and taking in the beautiful scenery of West Lake, even for many locals, the 6-kilometer green cycling event on the 30th was a rare chance to “steal a half-day of leisure.” For some participants, it was also a pleasant way to relieve stress.
In the purple formation made up of citizens, three young men—Yu Haoran, Mao Kaiqi, and Shan Leilei—still looked distinctly like students. The trio said they were students at Hangzhou No. 2 High School Jianguo Road Branch. Yu Haoran mentioned that all three of them love cycling but had never taken part in a ride involving thousands. The June 30 event was very appealing to them.
At the finish line, reporters spotted the happy Lin Zilin family: retired Mr. Lin, his wife, their son, and daughter-in-law, each arriving at the end nearly simultaneously on their own public bicycles. “Hangzhou has a ‘Car-Free Day,’ and our family has one too—it’s every Monday,” Mr. Lin explained. Normally, he and his son drive, but ever since his son got into cycling a year ago, the car has been “neglected,” used only once or twice a week. “Mondays in Hangzhou are very congested, so our family basically doesn’t drive to work or run errands that day. It gradually became a full-on ‘Car-Free Day.’ Coming to this event today is like adding another ‘Car-Free Day,’ plus it’s an extra family gathering day.”