2008 Tour de Taiwan, TaiSPO, and Taipei Cycle: 3-in-1 preview

Friday, March 7, 2008 

Will the 2008 Tour de Taiwan play a key role on Olympic qualification and basic sport promotion?
Image: Rico Shen.

Prior to the main race of 2008 Tour de Taiwan, the 2008 Taipei Cycle (Taipei International Cycle Show, located at TWTC Nangang) and TaiSPO (Taipei International Sporting Goods show, located at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1) will not only exhibit from next Tuesday to Sunday (March 13-16) but it will also bring multiple opportunities for sporting goods, athletic sports, bicycle, and MICE (meeting, incentive, convention, and exhibition) industries after the TWTC Nangang stage was firmly included into 2008 Tour de Taiwan and its race will be start next Saturday (March 15).

2008 Tour de Taiwan: Not only for 2008 Summer Olympics, but also for basic sport.

Without cross-division races in this tournament, and the TWTC Nangang will be launched with the starting of 2008 Taipei Cycle, this race will enroll 2 stages for Taipei City after the joining of TWTC Nangang Stage.

Besides of the international competition, if the 3rd Taipei Citizen Elimination Road Race could expand its scale on local racing clubs' participation, this special event will be a best creation for promoting basic bicycle sports in Taiwan.

On the other hand, this international race, classified as 2.2 class race by UCI, will determine the qualifications of 2008 Summer Olympics especially long-distance road races at Pingtung County, Changhua County, Hsinchu City, and Taipei County stages.

Taipei Cycle & TaiSPO: A reunion with convergence effects for bicycle & sporting good industries

With a reunion of Taipei Cycle of TaiSPO, there will have several convergence effects for different industries this year.
Image: Rico Shen.

Since the Taipei Cycle was independent from TaiSPO in 1988, the TaiSPO and Taipei Cycle showcased significant differences from different industrial nature.

Originally, Taiwan was notable in the export market and was stable in the bicycle industry since its industry was decayed in United States, several OBMs like Merida and Giant were on the rise, and the bicycle industry was transformed from OEM to OBM with high extra values and "Taiwan Bicycle Three 'New' Movements: New materials, New functions, and New purposes", proposed by Giant in 2001.

On the other hand of TaiSPO, with several past incidents on exhibition hall moving, operational rights between organizations and associations, and construction of TWTC, this sporting good show witnessed some histories as what TAITRA underwent and became a senior and a key trade show in Asia with technology inventions, creative conceptions, market transformations.

Though the fitness and leisure industries were improving with various changes for the modern lifestyles in the sporting goods industry, after the reunion of TaiSPO and Taipei Cycle, those two shows will bring opportunities and convergences for bicycle, sporting goods, and leisure sport industries.

TWTC Nangang: A key show venue with multiple opportunities

TWTC Nangang will grasp the future of MICE industry after its launch.
Image: Rico Shen.

Will the newly-released "New Chung-hsiao Main Line" improve its traffic condition?
Image: Rico Shen.

Since the TWTC Nangang, twice larger than the current TWTC and its upper hall has a feature with column-free, was constructed last November, several companies from varied industries including MICE focused on this venue.

To evaluate some conditions on international trade shows, the Taipei Cycle, Taipei PLAS, TAITRONICS, Food Taipei, and Foodtech Taipei were earlier scheduled by TAITRA into TWTC Nangang this year. Not only the extensions of COMPUTEX Taipei, but also some similar industry shows will be exhibited at the TWTC during the show hours of Taipei Cycle and Taipei AMPA.

Even though the construction of Neihu Line of Taipei Metro is still in progress, but Chung-shing Bus Co., Ltd. and Kwang-hua Bus Co., Ltd. were approved to operate the "New Chung-hsiao Main Line" for solutions on current traffic condition. After the launch of TWTC Nangang, the "New Chung-hsiao Main Line" will temporarily improve traffic condition of TWTC Nangang.