Pedaling into the past

Around 150 cyclists reclaimed the roads and restored China's credibility as a "bicycle kingdom" on Saturday during the inaugural Beijing Vintage Ride (BVR). Stretching 10 kilometers from the Workers' Gymnasium to the 798 Art Zone, the event offered spectators a ride down memory lane courtesy of dozens of cyclists wearing tunic zhongshan suits in a fashionable tribute to Chairman Mao Zedong.

BVR is China's answer to London's annual Tweed Run, which invites cyclists to swap spandex for vintage plus-four suits.

Xu Hu, BVR co-organizer and co-founder of Chinese cycling website 700bike.com, said the ride aimed to take cyclists back to the "good old' days of Beijing" when cars were few and the city's public transport system was a shadow of its current behemoth self.

"Beijing Vintage Ride 2013 is a form of living public art that revives the city's proud cycling history and people's fond memories of when bicycles dominated the roads," said Xu.

Aside from tempting Beijing's fixie-riding hipster population out of their hutong homes, the BVR aimed to showcase the chic appeal of vintage Chinese fashion. In addition to Mao look-alikes, riders dressed in not-so-cycle-friendly attire including tuxedos and cheongsams, the high-necked, figure-hugging dress known in Chinese as qipao. In lieu of helmets, many wore berets, fedoras or dark green army caps bearing the red Communist star insignia.

Nels Frye, editor-in-chief of fashion magazine LifeStyle and an eight-year Beijing resident, sweltered through the warm April weather in a three-piece tweed suit. A veteran cyclist no stranger to Beijing's chaotic roads, he reveled in the chance to combine fashion with one of his favorite pastimes.

"It's a pity that China has changed from a nation of bicycles into a nation of cars. Part of the reason is perhaps that Chinese think driving is more fashionable than riding," he told Metropolitan. "Cycling is vintage and stylish as long as you dress properly. I hope this event helps present the stylish aspect of cycling and attract more people to join us."

Getting underway at 2 pm on Saturday, the ride lured around 100 Chinese and 50 expat cyclists who pedaled past the Sanlitun embassy district before heading north via the Agriculture Exhibition Center toward the finish line at the 798 Art Zone's Africa Center.

Ren Tong, a Chinese doctor in his 30s, combined a well-tailored, gray flax Mao suit with a vintage British bicycle in a fitting bilateral match.

"By combining history with modern life, we can make our lives more colorful and vivid," he said.