Worldwide cycling celebration honors company founder King Liu with group rides outdoors and online with Zwift, plus special prizes for participants
This year marks the 11th annual Ride Like King event, a yearly celebration for cycling put on by Giant and Liv throughout the month of May. This year's festivities include a host of opportunities to get together with friends for group rides on roads, paths or trails, and also online with Zwift.
There are a number of premium prizes available to participants this year, including either a Model Year 2020 Giant TCR Advanced Pro 0 Disc or Model Year 2020 Liv Langma Advanced Pro 0 Disc. Participants will also have opportunities to win limited edition Ride Like King jerseys, signed by King Liu.
Ride Like King started in 2009 as a small event within the Giant family to celebrate company founder King Liu's passion for cycling. In 2007, at age 73, King prepared for and completed a 15-day, 927km ride around Taiwan. That ride sparked a renewed interest in King's own cycling lifestyle, and the benefits cycling can have on health and fitness. In the following years King dedicated himself to tackling longer cycling tours and traveling to countries near and far to inspire people, countries and governments to consider the positive impacts that cycling can create.
This marked a new phase in King's life. Since then, he has continued his mission to explore new places by bike and share his message. In the years following that first tour around Taiwan, King completed more long-distance tours and dedicated much of his time to building stronger cycling communities around the world.
Now 85, King has ridden through regions including China, Japan and Europe, bringing attention to the ways that cycling can reduce pollution and enhance quality of life. On each tour, King meets with fellow cyclists and political leaders to learn about successful cycling infrastructure and discuss ways to grow participation in the sport.
In 2016, King retired from his position as chairman of Giant. But the annual Ride Like King event continues with events happening all around the world. These rides are organized by Giant employees, retailers, ambassadors and fans. A big part of the Ride Like King movement is its online element, with stories and photographs shared through social media. The event also includes special jerseys, photo contests and grand prize giveaways.
Last year Giant expanded Ride Like King by partnering with Zwift, the online cycling and training program that enables riders to train, compete and interact with other users in a virtual setting. More than 1,300 people from around the world participated in this massive global group ride with King last year, and even more are expected to join in the fun this year.
The Zwift partnership has grown this year to include a series of training rides and three main Ride Like King rides led by regions of the world. The training rides will begin May 12, and participants will be able to unlock and use last year's exclusive 10th Anniversary Ride Like King kit for these rides. They will also be assigned a TCR or Langma bike to use for their Zwift training rides.
The three main Ride Like King Zwift events are scheduled May 24, 25 and 26. These rides will each be structured as "group rides" and will be led by Giant and Liv athletes and ambassadors from around the world. Event participants will be able to unlock the 2019 Ride Like King kits and be assigned the Giant TCR or Liv Langma for the events. For more details and the full schedule of Ride Like King Zwift events, check out: https://zwift.com/events/series/ride-like-king-11/
Participants in the Zwift rides have a chance to win valuable prizes. The grand prize is a Model Year 2020 Giant TCR Advanced Pro 0 Disc or Liv Langma Advanced Pro 0 Disc. Both of these high-performance road bikes feature the all-new SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset with wireless electronic shifting. One participant from the three main rides will be chosen as the winner through a random drawing. In addition, five second-place winners from each main event will be chosen to win special Ride Like King 11th Anniversary jerseys signed by King.
More prizes will also be awarded to participants of local outdoor Ride Like King events in their own communities. Employees, retailers and friends of Giant and Liv will host these rides May 24-26, sharing stories and photos through Giant and Liv social media channels. Ten Ride Like King jerseys will be awarded to people who post photos that best define the Ride Like King spirit as expressed by King: "Driving is too fast, walking is too slow, riding is the best way to enjoy the most beautiful scenery in life."
To be eligible for prizes, riders can simply post photos from their rides to Facebook or Instagram with the #RideLikeKing hashtag from May 24-26.
Here's a schedule of events for the 11th Annual Ride Like King:
May 12: Zwift training rides begin
May 24: Zwift Ride Like King led by Giant and Liv ambassadors in Asia/Australia
May 25: Zwift Ride Like King led by Giant and Liv ambassadors in Germany/Europe
May 26: Zwift Ride Like King led by Giant and Liv ambassadors in North America
May 24-26: Ride Like King outdoor events from around the world
To learn about this year's Ride Like King events in your area, or to organize your own ride, go to the Ride Like King Facebook event page: www.giant-bicycles.com/RLK11
