Bekologist

Just watching the BBC world news US edition, they had a clip of our commander in chief leading a mountain bike ride in China.

There weren't any politicians on the bike ride.

I have a haunting suspicion that Americans look even more the consumerist fools to Chinese business and political leaders now. I wonder what the word on the streets of Shanghai says about his visit.....

Wil Davis

Rule # 1 when riding with The Leader of The Free World:

"…no one is allowed to pass The President"


I think if TLoTFW spent as much effort on his foreign policy as he does on his mountain-bike rides, the rest of the world would have much more respect for him…

- Wil

KrisPistofferson

Moved to P&R in 3...2...1...

slvoid

He's gonna fall...

Bekologist

Hey, hey, this was supossed to be apolitical!!!

I was expounding more on the portrayal of American consumerist biking culture....to the guys that are making all the bikes!

N_C

This is one rule I would not obey if it was because of a respect issue. The main reason is I do not respect or like him as president nor do I support him or his decisions that he makes as the president, but that is a politcal discussion not meant for this forum room.

As a cyclist I would not expect him to pull from the front all the time. I know the rules of a paceline &/or riding in a group, paceline or not, everyone takes their turn at the front or you ride with as many abreast as safety allows. If a person in the back wants to ride with or speak with a person in the front you kindly ask whom ever is in front of you if you can trade places. Whether a person is the president of the U.S. would make no differance to me in this case. Proper paceline/group riding ettiquette(sp) says you respect everyone else & allow them the oppurtunity to ride in the front.

Now if it is a safety issue for the president, then yes I woud obey this rule because I really don't want to be shot by the secret service. The thing is though wouldn't it be safer if the president rode in the back of the pack surrounded by secret service where he & them could keep an eye on everyone else riding with him?

One more thing I'd love to see Bush on a recumbent. Wonder how well he'd do on one?

Stevie47

It always amazes me how many "cyclists" can't even give the man the teeniest bit of respect for being an advocate for our sport. You may not like his politics but he really is a rider.

https://www.bicycling.com/article/0,3...ategory_id=381

dan828

And you haven't?

Bekologist

Hey, I want to see PSAs with George Bush being chased by Lance Armstrong in a pickup truck, throwing beer bottles at him!

I think its great George rides. I think its sad he chooses to do it during a diplomatic visit to China.

I was just envisioning the business leaders of China seeing this as an example of how easy it is to amuse westerners, 'here, just give him this cheap bike, look at the amusing western leader.'

I think its great George rides a bike, its just odd he runs into other politicians with it during diplomatic forays, or take an afternoon during a seemingly crunched trip schedule to China to ride a bike as a photo op.

I bet production on the bike factory floors went up in anticipation of greater sales to westerners emulating the leader.

michaelnel

I'd like to see Dubya race Teddy Kennedy up a gnarly hill. Teddy would die. I would laugh.

supcom

I respect him more since he took up riding. As I am nursing two sprained wrists from my last (of many) short MTB flights, I am doubly impressed that he rides hard enough to fall off occasionally.

Bekologist

you might be confusing 'hard' with 'recklessly,' supcom

supcom

No, I don't think I am. I ride hard on trails and take spills more often than what is reported for Dubya. If I had a medical team following me on the trail, I'd probably ride harder. Riding near the edge of your ability is not necessarily reckless - even if you are the President.

To be fair though, as I rcall, John Kerry took a spill or two on his road bike back during the last presidential campaign. I don't think of him being reckless either simply because he took a fall.

supcom

Ted Kennedy would have a heart attack trying to get his leg over the top tube.

slagjumper

Just following in Daddy's footsteps. And trying to get China to use less damn gas.



https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw/s2510/t222903.htm
Question from Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao's Press Conference on 22 November 2005.

Q: President Bush's visit to China may be one of his most important diplomatic visits this year. Yet Chinese media made little coverage on the visit, without any life broadcast. Did the Chinese government make restriction on the coverage? If so, why did you restrict?

A: I cannot agree with your view. If you go through yesterday's People's Daily, you will find the front page made elaborate coverage on the talks, including the talks with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, welcome ceremony and banquet during President Bush's visit. You may learn important information from the coverage. If you move to page 4, you will find the full text of the meeting with the press by President Hu Jintao and President Bush without a single word missing, which also helped meet the wish of the readers to learn China-US relations and President Bush's visit to China. Some other newspapers are more interested in President Bush's bicycle riding and the delicate gifts for him from Chinese acrobats when he enjoyed performance after dinner. I think the coverage on President Bush's visit to China by Chinese media is comprehensive and accurate.

Be great to get a picture from a Chinese Newspaper.

CyLowe97

I'd respect him more if he used his influence as president to encourage Americans to cycle more for the health, environmental, and economic benefits....

[though he's an oil man, so when will that happen? sorry... strike that comment so this doesn't get move to P&R forum]

huhenio

@supcom

It's a trick ...

PaulH

I think we are too critical of the athletic activities/misadventures of Presidents. I recall when Jimmy Carter misjudged his pace during a 10K race and would up stopping. The press made the whole thing a metaphor for the failure of the Carter presidency. It took someone in Runner's World to point out that, a few months earlier, Kipchoge Keino, then the words's leading middle distance runner, had made a similar miscaluculation with similar result, and nobody called him a bum.

Paul

Bekologist

Looks like his dad was riding a more practical steed than the fullsprung model george
Jr's got.

Cadd

He can't, he's riding a Trek tricycle. I think three 26" knobbies. I saw the picture in a Chinese newspaper yesterday.

Edit: I'll see if I still have the paper somewhere, if I do, I'll scan the pic.

dan828

Doesn't look like it:



U.S. President George W. Bush, center, rides with Chinese cyclists on the Laoshan Olympic Mountain Bike Course in Beijing, China.

picture swiped from:

https://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapc...bikeride.reut/

Cadd

Dan, the picture I was referring to isn't that one. It's a picture taken of him while he's riding a 3 wheeler bike with three 26" knobbie tires on a road. I tried searching for it on the web, but couldn't find anything.

I'll see if I can find the newspaper.....if I can, I'll scan & post the pic.

Bekologist

Wait, George Bush rode bikes twice on his trip to China?


The guy's a bikeaholic!!

dan828

If you say so. This article says he rides a Trek Fuel 98, and has some more pictures from his ride:

https://www.watchingamerica.com/peoplesdaily000023.shtml

supcom

So are the rest of us here.