Inspired by Giant Group founder King Liu’s passion for cycling, RLK14 brings together World Bicycle Relief, Zwift and participants to ride for a better world
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 14th year, this celebration of Giant Group founder King Liu’s belief in the power of bikes takes place May 20-22.
Ride Like King brings together people from all around the world to participate in virtual group rides online as well as in-person rides within their communities. This year’s event features special contests, product giveaways, and opportunities to get involved with advocacy through World Bicycle Relief, a global charity group that uses bikes to help mobilize people in low-income regions.
“Ride Like King began as an internal celebration of our founder’s passion for cycling among Giant employees, retailers and friends,” said Giant Group Chief Branding Officer Phoebe Liu. “Over the years it has continued to grow, and with the help of great partners like World Bicycle Relief and Zwift, we continue to expand and welcome new participants every year as we ride for a better world. This year is even more meaningful as we celebrate Giant Group’s 50th Anniversary and share our mission to help communities thrive through the power of bicycles.”
World Bicycle Relief
To honor 14 years of Ride Like King, Giant Group has made it easier for the community to earn Buffalo Bicycles for World Bicycle Relief by increasing the number of Zwift events to nine and donating a bicycle for every 1,000km ridden collectively (versus every 1,300km from the previous year). Giant Group will also match the total number of bikes donated by the community, doubling the impact.
Last year nearly 5,000 people participated, accumulating close to 200,000km and providing 300 bikes 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.
“We are thrilled to have the continued support from Giant Group through Ride Like King,” said World Bicycle Relief CEO Dave Neiswander. “The legacy of this event shows Giant Group’s longtime commitment to highlighting the power of bicycles, and the funds raised continue to help mobilize individuals and communities to thrive. Giant Group’s support for World Bicycle Relief, as the manufacturer of our rugged Buffalo Bicycle and as a donor, is helping drive WBR’s goal forward to distribute one million bikes and empower five million people by 2025.”
Why We Ride Like King
In 2007, at age 73, King Liu 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 that cycling can have on health and fitness. To celebrate that passion for cycling, members of the Giant Group started Ride Like King in 2009 as a small event within the company.
In the following years King dedicated himself to longer cycling tours as he traveled to countries near and far to inspire people 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 nine Zwift ride events over three days with an open or women’s-only option for each event. The Zwift rides will be supported by Giant and Liv pro racers from affiliated teams including Team BikeExchange-Jayco, Liv Racing Xstra, the Giant Factory Off-Road Team and Liv Racing Collective, along with other athletes and ambassadors representing the brands.
All participants will be assigned RLK14 kits during their rides and will be able to unlock those 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. Alternatively, three of the rides (one per day) will use WBR Buffalo Bicycles for both the open and women’s rides. Participants will also earn a chance to win limited edition RLK14 jerseys, signed by King Liu, during each ride. Five jerseys will be given away during each of the nine scheduled rides through a random drawing.
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 20-22, 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 RLK14 event page at www.giant-bicycles.com/RLK14 or www.liv-cycling.com/RLK14
Donations can be made to World Bicycle Relief at www.powerofbicycles.org/fundraisers/ridelikeking14/
And for more details on all the Ride Like King events on Zwift, go to www.zwift.com/events/series/ride-like-king-14
