Players Bike To Guangzhou Challenger

With 430 million bicycle owners in China, the country is known as the biking capital of the world. This week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Guangzhou, several players have been joining the trend by biking to and from the tournament venue and hotel.

Blaz Rola, Dudi Sela and Wu Di are just a few players who are forgoing the tournament shuttle between the venue and hotel, instead choosing to ride a bike each day. Wu revealed he’s even made the bike rides an annual tradition since he first started playing in Guangzhou.

“I like the feeling of riding in this beautiful area, especially when the weather is good,” he said. Davide [his coach] will walk to the venue. Maybe because this is something for young people!”

The Landmark International Hotel has been providing bikes for all of the players to use this week. Sela explained that he’s been “borrowing a bicycle from the hotel like most of the players.” Since it’s only a short ride between the tennis center and hotel, players don’t have to worry about tiring their legs out for matches while still enjoying an experience that’s unique to the tournament.

“Almost every player will choose to ride a bike to the tennis center. It takes less than 10 minutes, so it’s convenient,” said Rola. “The air here is very fresh. When the weather is good, it’s a beautiful ride with the blue sky and the trees on the side of the road. It’s a very special experience.”

Tournament director Chen Qi explained that the Guangzhou government has made an active effort to build green space in recent years, prompting the tournament hotel to offer bikes as a way to experience it. With the overwhelming popularity of the bike rides among the players, he anticipates it will continue to be a trend at the tournament for years to come.

“I remember after Wu Di and all the Chinese players started using the bicycle, the foreign players found out and began doing the same,” said Chen. “It must be very convenient for them, so they keep doing this every year.”