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 grou
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Негізгі бет Grandriders on the road again for 10-day round-the-island tour|Taiwan News
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