Giant Group, parent company of the Giant, Liv, Momentum and CADEX brands, has again partnered with World Bicycle Relief and Zwift for its annual Ride Like King event. Now in its 13th year, this celebration of Giant Group founder King Liu’s contributions to cycling will take place May 14-16. “RLK13” invites riders everywhere to participate in virtual group events and outdoor rides within their communities.
RLK13 includes special contests, product giveaways and opportunities to get involved with advocacy through World Bicycle Relief, a global charity group that helps mobilize people in developing countries. “For this year’s Ride Like King celebration, we are expanding on our ‘Ride for a Better World’ theme with our partners World Bicycle Relief and Zwift,” said Giant Group Chief Branding Officer Phoebe Liu. “The virtual rides, contests and charitable donations make it easy and fun for everyone to get involved.”
World Bicycle Relief
To honor 13 years of Ride Like King, one Buffalo Bicycle from World Bicycle Relief will be donated for every 1300 km ridden collectively during RLK13 Zwift rides. Giant Group will also match the total number of bikes unlocked by the community, doubling the impact. Last year more than 2700 people participated, accumulating nearly 120,000 km to provide 100 Buffalo Bicycles to people in need. These purpose-built bikes are engineered for heavy loads, long distances and rugged terrain. They are manufactured by Giant Group and assembled by World Bicycle Relief employees in local regions around the world.
“For over 10 years, Giant Group has been a fantastic partner of WBR’s in the innovative design and manufacturing of our Buffalo Bicycle,” said World Bicycle Relief CEO Dave Neiswander. “We are inspired and extremely grateful for their generous support through the Ride Like King event that brings people together and will transform the lives of families and communities in developing regions of the world with improved mobility.”
Why We Ride Like King
Ride Like King started in 2009 as a small event within the Giant Group family to celebrate King Liu’s passion for cycling. In 2007, at age 73, King prepared for and completed a 15-day, 927 km ride around Taiwan. That ride sparked a renewed interest in King’s own cycling lifestyle, and the benefits that cycling can have on health and fitness. In the following years King dedicated himself to 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. King retired from his position as chairman of Giant in 2016, but the event continues to grow each year. The outdoor rides are organized by Giant and Liv employees, retailers, ambassadors and fans.
Events and Contests
This year there are six Zwift ride events with an open or women’s-only option for each event. The Zwift rides will be led by Giant and Liv ambassadors, athletes and employees. All participants will be assigned RLK13 kits during their rides and will be able to unlock the kits upon completion of a ride. Riders will be assigned Giant TCR Advanced SL Disc bikes for the open rides or Liv Langma Advanced SL bikes for the women’s rides. Participants will also earn a chance to win limited edition RLK13 jerseys, signed by King Liu, during each ride. Five jerseys will be given away during each of the six scheduled rides through a random drawing.
“We can all take inspiration from King Liu’s passion for cycling,” said Zwift CEO and co-founder Eric Min. “I look forward to joining thousands of more riders this year on the Ride Like King Zwift rides as we collectively unlock Buffalo Bicycle donations and help hundreds more discover the joy and freedom that a bike can bring.”
More jerseys 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 are encouraged to ride May 14-16, sharing stories and photos on social media channels. To be eligible for prizes, riders can simply post photos from their rides to Facebook or Instagram with the #RideLikeKing hashtag on those dates.
To learn more about this year’s Ride Like King events, go to the RLK13 event page at https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/events/ride-like-king-13/9069.
Donations can be made to World Bicycle Relief at https://give.worldbicyclerelief.org/campaign/ride-like-king-13/c336245.
And for more details on all of the Ride Like King events on Zwift, go to https://www.zwift.com/events/series/ride-like-king-13.
About Giant Group
Giant Group was established in 1972. With the Brand Purpose “Raise The Bar,” it is committed to advancing the entire cycling world and actively promoting a new cycling culture worldwide. Today Giant Group is the world's largest bicycle manufacturer and operates four major product brands: Giant, Liv, momentum and CADEX.
