With flowers in bloom, willows green, and a gentle breeze blowing, it’s the perfect time for a cycling tour. To date, a total of 5,000 cycling enthusiasts have signed up for the 2013 Beijing Tongzhou Canal Greenway Cycling Festival.
The 2013 Beijing Tongzhou Canal Greenway Cycling Festival is set to take place on May 18th. The starting point is the Caoyun Wharf in the Grand Canal Forest Park, and the finish line is the Canal Culture Square. The route passes through the forest park, the Caoyun Wharf, the Chaobai River, and more. The festival is divided into two main categories: the Sightseeing & Leisure Cycling Group (20 km) and the Fitness & Leisure Cycling Group (60 km).
Unlike the first edition, this year’s registration is available both on-site and online. In just five days, the number of registrants exceeded one thousand. Among the many applicants, the author noticed families cycling together, friends signing up on behalf of others, and numerous cyclists from Yanjiao, Tianjin, and Langfang registering online. Even cyclists from as far as Ordos called to inquire and then decisively signed up, planning to travel to Tongzhou from their hometowns to join the cycling festival and experience the charm of the Grand Canal Greenway. To date, the number of registered participants has surpassed five thousand.
The author learned that the preliminary preparations for the cycling festival are progressing smoothly. Event facilities such as banners and road signs are being installed, and the riverside greenway is also being cleaned up.
The North Canal New Embankment Road, designated as a dedicated cycling path, is divided into a motor vehicle lane and a non-motorized vehicle lane by a green belt. The green isolation belt is planted with trees and shrubs such as ginkgo, Chinese pine, and boxwood, combining both tall trees and bushes, as well as flowers and plants. Additionally, cyclists can enjoy scenic views along the way, such as the Silver Maple Autumn Harvest area and the Elevated Plains Forest area on the left bank of the Grand Canal Forest Park, immersing themselves in Tongzhou’s green ecological atmosphere.