Taipei Fine Arts Museum

【Release Date: March 19, 2010】
【Subject：2010 International Bicycle Tour in Taiwan－The Event begins in front of Taipei City Hall on March 20th】

【Taipei Report】
　　The final round of the 2010 International Bicycle Tour in Taiwan begins in Taipei City Hall Square at 9:30 a.m., March 20th. There are total of 20 teams and 100 participants in the event. The game is divided into 7 rounds. The initial six rounds were completed in Kaohusing, Chiayi, Changhua, Taichung, Miaoli and Taipei County from March 14th. Taipei City was selected for the last round.

The event which began in 2006, follows the trend of energy saving and carbon reduction. People are encouraged to use the riverside bicycle route, or to attend the event that day to cheer on participants.

This Taiwan Tour is comprised of 2 long distance competitions, 1 speed competition, 3 hill and mountain endurance competitions and 1 city tour. The event in Taipei is a cross country race in the Taipei City Hall area totaling 60 kilometers. The first player is expected to arrive at the finish line at 10:53am.

It has been 22 years since the initial game in 1978. Since 2005, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has upgraded this competition to level 2.2 (accumulative score competition in the Asian Olympic Games) and the most important event in spring. Awards include the Individual Overall Champion, Asian Champion, King of Speed Racing, King of the Mountain and Overall Group Champion.

To improve public relations, the HSBC Carbon Reduction Joy Ride in Taipei and Kaohsiung will be held at Renai Road prior to the bicycle tour this year. It is hoped that enthusiasts will join this annual festival to experience the beauty of the city on bikes and support participating teams and international guests.