Grandriders on the road again for 10-day round-the-island tour
In 2007, a group of older adults known as the Grandriders broke onto the scene, shattering stereotypes with their scooter adventures. This year, they hit the road again for a 10-day round-the-island trip. Leading the pack is Kuo Shen-sen, a centenarian who proves that age is just a number. The youngest rider is 65-year-old Chiu Chi-hsing, who’s tackling the challenge with a prosthetic leg and a will of steel. We join them on the journey in our Sunday special report.
It’s March 2024, and 29 senior citizens are gathered here with a shared dream. Their average age is 75. Some are hard of hearing, others are cancer survivors. Some of them are living with heart stents. Despite their physical limitations, they’re ready to embark on a 10-day, 1,175-kilometer adventure that will take them around the island.
The 29 Grandriders have trained long and hard for this day, even going on a 120-kilometer test ride one month earlier.
Their helmets and scooters are numbered for easy identification. This way, volunteers can keep track of the group throughout the trip. Today, the Grandriders set off from Taichung and make their way counterclockwise around the island. But the trip starts out bumpy.
Ruan Yi-yu
Grandriders PR coordinator
The main issue was the heavy rush hour traffic. There was a left turn signal and some of our Grandriders got confused. They saw everybody turning left, and so they turned left, too. Later there was some space by the side of the road, and we regrouped there. It’s a good thing that we had our volunteers on hand. They noticed the issue right away and brought our Grandriders back here.
With a cold front pushing south, temperatures are down to about 14 degrees Celsius. The Grandriders face a rigorous test against the cold.
Kuo Shen-sen
Grandrider
The top of a scooter is my favorite place to be. On a scooter, you can ride up to the mountains. You can head down to the water. At my age, being able to ride a scooter to the mountains and the water is great.
Grandrider Kuo Shen-sen tackles life with a smile, and that’s his secret to good health. At the age of 100, Kuo is on his fifth round-the-island scooter challenge. Holding up special stickers made just for him, the centenarian is proof that it’s never too late to chase your dreams.
Kuo Ching-hui
Daughter of Grandrider Kuo Shen-sen
He’s drinking his nutritional supplement. We call his supplements “happy meals.” They keep his energy up and they’re easy to digest.
The older Kuo was assigned No. 1 for the trip. He leads the way, cruising along steadily and surely.
Kuo Ching-hui
Daughter of Grandrider Kuo Shen-sen
I can see all the effort my dad puts into these trips. He prepares the whole year, keeping up his health so that he can ride happily for 10 days. He’s setting a very important example for us kids. He’s working hard in pursuit of his own happiness, to build his own life, even at the age of 100.
Huang Yang-ming
Fu Jen Catholic University psychology professor
They’re riding scooters around the island. That’s a challenge even for a lot of young people. The fact that they can do it has a great deal of symbolic significance. It shows that not all older adults are stuck lying in bed. They can also go out and do very interesting things, very challenging things.
As a young man working for a factory, Kuo went from Taipei to Kaohsiung each week, traveling by scooter. So he’s no novice when it comes to this mode of transport. Even at the age of 100, he still has the stamina and willpower needed for long trips.
Kuo Shen-sen
Grandrider
I’m just 100 years old. I don’t feel old. For me, being 100 years old is normal. I’m no different from anyone else. You see, I’m full of vitality. I just live a normal life. I sleep at 9 o’clock, I eat three meals a day, I go out and exercise, I ride my scooter, I exercise happily. That’s it. I’m happy just doing that.
To help Kuo complete the trip, his son and daughter have both taken time off work.
Kuo Tien-feng
Son of Grandrider Kuo Shen-sen
When dad did his round-the-island trip in 2019, I joined him on a scooter. When he did it again in 2022, I went along in a coach bus. In 2023, she went along in a coach bus.
Kuo Ching-hui
Daughter of Grandrider Kuo Shen-sen
I figured that this time, it was my turn. It’s my turn. So I raised my hand and volunteered to be with him.
Kuo Tien-feng
Son of Grandrider Kuo Shen-sen
It’s a blessing for us children that dad is in such great health. Why’s that? I’m taking time off work to have fun with him. That’s better than taking time off work to be with him in a hospital, right? A lot of people ask us how we can do this. I say, this is a happy occasion.
At 65 years old, Chiu Chi-hsing is the youngest Grandrider in the group. When he was 4 years old, he lost his right leg in a gravel truck accident. Growing up, he endured bullying and ridicule.
Chiu Chi-hsing
Grandrider
People would refer to me as “the cripple.” I got used to it. You have to get used to such things. If you don’t, you end up miserable. There’s nothing in this world that you can change simply by worrying about it. No amount of worrying can make a thing better, so why worry?
With his characteristic candor, Chiu pulls off his prosthetic leg in front of the camera.
He calls himself the “One-Legged Fun Seeker.” With a prosthetic leg and a will of steel, he climbed to the top of Yushan in 2022. In 2024, he’s riding around the island to cross it off his bucket list.
Chiu Chi-hsing
Grandrider
Actually there are a lot of people like me. They can’t come out of their shells. Instead, they just hole up at home. That’s extremely bad for them. I might walk slower than other people, but I can still reach the finish line.
For one older couple, this round-the-island tour fulfills a promise they made to each other 50 years ago.
Wang Chao-ching
Grandrider
When we were young, we said to each other that our finances were the top priority. We couldn’t go out and have fun. We said that once our children were grown and our finances allowed it, we would go on a scooter trip around the island.
Several years ago, Wang Chao-ching saw his brother lose his wife. His brother could only carry a photo of her on a train, to fulfill their round-the-island dream. It was then that Wang and his own wife realized that life was unpredictable, and that they should live with no regrets. So Wang’s wife, Chi Tien-hua, learned to ride a scooter and obtained a license. Together, they signed up for the Grandriders club to make their dreams come true.
Chi Tien-hua
Grandrider
We had wanted to ride on a single scooter. But the association said no, we each had to be on our own scooter. But that’s fine, getting out here is what matters.
The 10-day trip is like the winding paths of life, bringing surprises at each turn. As new challenges arise, the Grandriders navigate the road at their own pace. This sense of mastery over one’s own fate might be the ultimate dream, for both young and old. The Grandriders press on, inspiring those around them at every stop.
During the trip, they even serve as ambassadors against fraud and scams. Smiling wide, they shout slogans in a public awareness campaign.
They cut dashing figures as they go on their way. To these small children, they’re veritable superheroes.
They set off again, bringing along the good wishes of the locals. On this particular journey, every turn is a fresh beginning, and there are many more exciting chapters yet to come.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
2024-07-14
