How can bicycle riding activities develop in a healthy way? Industry insiders have something to say
2024-08-22
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Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 21 (Reporters Lu Xingji, Li Chunyu, Cao Yibo) In recent years, bicycle riding activities have continued to heat up across the country, gradually becoming a new choice for national fitness and a new fashion for low-carbon travel. At the same time, safety issues related to cycling have frequently aroused social concern recently. How can cycling activities develop in a healthy way? Some cycling organizers, participants and urban transportation experts gave their views and suggestions.
On July 24, Chinese and foreign college students participating in the Peking University International Summer School course rode on the streets of Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wei MengjiaObeying the law and riding in a civilized manner is the bottom line
In late July this year, Beijing's traffic control department announced that it would strictly investigate cyclists racing on city roads, mainly targeting some cyclists who illegally "sprint speed data" on motor vehicle lanes or even city expressways, or take dangerous actions such as ignoring traffic lights, chasing each other, and snaking lane changes. Many cities followed suit.
Image from Beijing Traffic Management Department official website"Today, many cyclists have very good equipment, but they do not have a complete understanding of cycling. They are obsessed with pursuing speed, which hinders public rules and order... After the level of equipment has improved, it should be used in appropriate places instead of racing on city roads or even Chang'an Avenue, the window of the capital's civilization." Song Guoqiang, president of the Beijing Cycling Association, said.
"We have strengthened the education of the captains of the team of each club in the association, asking them to take responsibility and persuade their team members not to race on urban roads. Now it seems that our clubs should put an end to this phenomenon."
At the same time, he called on individual riders and other cycling enthusiasts outside of registered clubs to abide by the law and ride in a civilized manner.
"We absolutely do not want to see cyclists riding on viaducts or on loop roads. These places are too unsafe and illegal. This is not what we as cycling participants should do," said Wu Tianhao, founder of the "Hutong Shanye" cycling culture space, which has multiple stores in Beijing and Hainan.
Individual cases of uncivilized or even illegal behavior have also put the normal cycling exercise group under stigmatization pressure, but according to the reporter's observation, the mainstream voice is still to encourage civilized cycling activities and condemn illegal and irregular behavior.
In response to posts by some bloggers showing speed data being manipulated and red lights being run on city ring roads, many cyclists expressed their opposition and suggested that social media platforms should crack down on such misleading posts.
Cycling exercise should be tailored to the location and the people
Song Guoqiang pointed out that enthusiasts who have a need for cycling exercise or even competitive cycling training should properly find suitable roads or venues.
Specifically, he recommends that these enthusiasts go to city parks and green areas with continuous loops and few vehicles and pedestrians during the week, and follow the traffic lights to circle. On weekends, they can go to suburban roads with less traffic, fewer traffic lights, and good route continuity to practice.
"There are recommended routes in our association's official account. They are all discovered and reported by members, and then we organize and launch the more mature routes." Song Guoqiang said that the association is also committed to developing more and better routes for enthusiasts.
Cycling training should be tailored to the individual. Another controversial incident recently occurred when a minor under the age of 12 was involved in an accident while following an adult team on a cycling training exercise. As a senior cycling coach, Song Guoqiang also does not recommend that minors follow adults in a coordinated (group) cycling exercise.
As for how much riding is needed to achieve the training effect, he emphasized again that it is not necessary to ride fast, and it should be mainly maintained in the aerobic range, twice a week, about 90 minutes each time. He also suggested that enthusiasts do not blindly imitate the training methods of professional athletes, and should be especially wary of the lactic acid accumulation caused by "low cadence-high power" riding. Before and after riding, you should also fully warm up and relax.
Discover the joy of cycling from multiple angles
On social media, people who do cycling exercise are often keen on competing with each other for data. As a promoter of cycling culture, Wu Tianhao has two opinions on this: first, it is meaningless to pursue speed and power data other than safety; second, there are many ways to enjoy cycling, and everyone can do what they can. There is always a suitable one.
Therefore, he advises cycling enthusiasts to choose the appropriate method based on their physical condition, interests, and road conditions. "When people who are about to retire come to consult me, I will recommend them to ride a gravel road bike or a mountain bike... Their primary demand must be to ride farther rather than faster."
“One of the appeals of cycling is that it lasts longer than most sports,” he added.
Regarding the choice of cycling routes, he believes that in addition to competitive routes, there are also many routes that are more inclined towards urban exploration or appreciation of natural scenery. Even if it is relatively "slow", it can still benefit cyclists physically and mentally.
For example, the "From Hutongs to Mountains" cycling route jointly created by the Dongcheng District Sports Bureau and the Mentougou District Sports Bureau of Beijing condenses the cultural features of different areas of Beijing and ends with the natural scenery of the western mountainous area.
The picture comes from Mentougou Culture and Tourism Public AccountMore and more cycling enthusiasts are involved in mountain cycling, which also reflects that the important interest of this sport is to experience the ups and downs of altitude and integrate into the natural scenery. Wu Tianhao reminded that entering the mountains should be gradual, and more attention should be paid to safe driving and vehicle condition inspection. "No helmet, no riding in the mountains."
Strengthen cycling safety education
Yang Xinmiao, deputy director of the Institute of Transportation at Tsinghua University, who has long been concerned about the construction of cycling cities, believes that although the recent controversy is mainly focused on the classification of sports cycling, as long as it is legal and civilized, it is not to be blamed. The problem that needs to be solved is that the current safety education on cycling in the whole society is very scarce and the level of popularization is low. Cycling safety education should start with daily cycling, which has the widest participation.
"What we usually call daily cycling includes commuting, city sightseeing activities and so on. It cannot be governed solely by laws and regulations because the laws and regulations are not that detailed. Therefore, cycling safety education is very important." Yang Xinmiao said.
Yang Xinmiao's views can be confirmed in road traffic practice, such as riding a bicycle without wearing a helmet, playing with mobile phones while riding, taking videos, riding side by side, riding shared bicycles with passengers, and other illegal or uncivilized behaviors.
Regarding how to carry out cycling safety education, Yang Xinmiao shared with reporters the cases he admired. In the Netherlands, where bicycle culture is strong, cycling safety education runs through the school education system, and young people need to pass the cycling test before they can ride a bicycle independently.
In addition, Yang Xinmiao also called on all regions to strengthen the construction and maintenance of cycling paths and encourage the wider use of lightweight power-assisted bicycles in the market.
In the emerging field of sports cycling in China, some industry insiders, including Wu Tianhao, are also actively spreading cycling safety knowledge through posting on social media and posting posters in places where cyclists gather.
The reporter noticed that some cycling clubs have recently launched novice courses, which cover the technical essentials of handlebar grip, breathing and cadence, scientific speed change, getting on and off the bike, formation skills, standing riding, etc., and also cover the riding experience of classic routes led by coaches. However, there are still few clubs that have launched such courses.
The picture comes from the Beijing University Automobile Association official accountA sports bike dealer said: "Our customers used to be mainly professional teams, but now there is a surge in the number of ordinary consumers buying professional bikes... For example, how to stop at traffic lights, warning systems on the road, how to avoid cars, etc. Professional athletes have gained experience in training, but I think many consumers have no experience or even ignore it. They don't think it is important. As an operator, I don't want everyone to be so blind. We are also planning to invite some professionals to provide follow-up guidance."
Intern Zhang Hanjing also contributed to this article
