Ride like King on Zwift and support World Bicycle Relief with Giant
86-year-old King Liu rides to raise awareness of cycling's benefits. The Zwift rides will raise money for WBR Buffalo bikes.
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Ride Like King is a tradition at Giant Bicycles, dating back to 2007 when company founder King Liu — at age 73 — did a two-week cycling tour around Taiwan, and rekindled his love of the bike. That Giant tradition has since grown to include Zwift rides, and this year Giant is going to donate one Buffalo bike to World Bicycle Relief for every 1,200km ridden in Ride Like Giant events from Friday through Sunday.
Ride Like King 12 is August 14-16 with various celebrities leading the various rides. While this is the event’s third year on Zwift, it’s the first year the event has been a fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief, which provides sturdy bikes to people in rural areas around the world who need them for transportation.
Now 86, King has ridden through China, Japan and Europe. On his tours, King often meets with politicians and other cyclists to talk about how cycling can reduce pollution and improve quality of life.
“We are excited to have great partners like Zwift and World Bicycle Relief to help us extend the reach of King Liu’s message all around the world,” Giant global marketing director An Le said. “This event has long been a celebration of cycling within the Giant Group community. This year’s theme is ‘Ride for a Better World,’ and the Zwift online platform makes it a fun and easy way for anyone to join this great cause.”
Celebrity ride leaders on Zwift Ride Like King 12 events
There are four days of Zwift events, August 14-16, with an open or women’s-only option for each event.
The first two open rides, August 14-15, will be led by Australian Tim Searle, founder of the Aussie Hump Day Ride (AHDR), one of the largest weekly group rides on Zwift that typically draws up to 500 participants.
Paddy Bevin, a pro racer for the Giant-sponsored CCC Team, will lead the third open ride on August 15, and multi-time U.S. national champion Rahsaan Bahati will lead the fourth open ride on August 16.
Four women’s rides will be led by riders affiliated with Liv, the women’s bicycle brand that’s part of the Giant Group. Krystle Simpson, a Zwift leader who has raced more than 400 events, will lead the first women’s ride on August 14. Two additional women’s rides will take place August 14-15, with Liv Racing athlete Serena Bishop Gordon leading one ride. The second ride on August 15 will be led by Liv founder Bonnie Tu and CCC-Liv Team pro Ashleigh Moolman Pasio. The final women’s ride is scheduled for August 16 and will be led by Liv Racing athlete Ayesha McGowan.
The rides will each take place on different Zwift courses, and all of them will have a social pace of around 2 watts per kilo.
In addition to virtual swag like RLK12 kits and Giant TCR Advanced SL and Liv Langma Advanced SL bikes inside Zwift, those who join the rides will have the chance to win actual RLK12 jerseys signed by King Liu.
You can check out the rides here.