The 2012 Tour of Beijing professional road cycling race concluded last week. My mother called from afar to complain, “Beijing has so many beautiful places—why haven’t you ever taken me to any of them before?”
Spanning 753.5 kilometers and passing through 10 districts and counties—from Tiananmen Square to the “Bird’s Nest,” from the CBD to picturesque landscapes—the winding and undulating course tested the riders’ determination, while audiences from over 100 countries and regions around the world enjoyed the beauty of Beijing through the live broadcast signals provided by television stations.
Top-tier events showcase the most beautiful cities. Starting with the Tour of Hainan Island at the beginning of the year, a series of internationally certified road cycling races such as the Tour of Chongming Island, the Tour of Taihu Lake, and the Tour of Qinghai Lake have been held across China, becoming a scenic highlight in many cities. The biggest difference between “spectacle sports” and regular events is that while showcasing sporting activities, they also highlight the unique charm of the city, thereby introducing the city to the world and allowing more tourists—including local residents—to enjoy themselves.
Undoubtedly, among various sports, cycling is the most accessible in China. Compared to large-scale events held in stadiums, road cycling races are more likely to serve as a window for promoting and publicizing the city. Take Qinghai as an example: in 2002, when the Tour of Qinghai Lake was first held, Qinghai’s annual tourism revenue was less than 1 billion yuan, but this year it is expected to exceed 10 billion yuan. This shows that cycling races have become a driving force for urban transformation and economic development.
Urban development needs the boost of events, but the increasing number of cycling races is more importantly due to a shift in people’s mindset. In today’s era of low-carbon and environmental awareness, many urban police forces have replaced patrol cars with bicycles; and driven by the fitness boom, bicycles have evolved from mere transportation tools into a leisure activity. Every weekend and holiday, cars with bicycles mounted on top can often be seen on roads leading from cities to the countryside, and cycling clubs have sprung up all over the country, with many people becoming cycling enthusiasts.
It is worth mentioning that the formation of this mindset is closely linked to the establishment of a social sports public service system. Nowadays, many urban parks have dedicated cycling lanes. To encourage more people to join the low-carbon cycling movement, bike-sharing pilot programs have been launched in cities such as Hangzhou and Beijing. According to reports, some bike rental stations in Beijing see over a hundred rentals and returns per day, and this number continues to grow as rental conditions become more open. In addition, local sports bureaus have widely organized cycling days, awarding prizes to participants as encouragement... These measures have greatly boosted people’s enthusiasm for cycling and laid the foundation for the development of the sport.
China is a major bicycle nation, but not yet a major cycling sports nation. Compared to Europe and America, China’s cycling sport started late and remains at a relatively low level, but it has made significant progress in the past decade—especially when cyclist Jin Cuihua achieved China’s first Olympic medal in cycling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which to some extent promoted the development of the sport in China.
According to incomplete statistics, China now has nearly 100 “Tour of…” cycling events. Renowned cyclist Wong Kam Po once said, “Compared to European and American athletes who have about 100 races each year, Chinese athletes only have 30 races annually. We hope China can host more cycling races.” Since cyclists, the public, and cities are all calling for more races, the next question we need to consider is how to organize them better—and what kind of races to hold?