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Updated Tuesday, November 27, 2007 0:00 am TWN, CNA

Senior scooter riders finish island tour

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A group of elderly scooter riders have been praised for their determination and perseverance after they finished a round-the-island tour at the last leg of the trip in Fengyuan City in central Taiwan’s Taichung County.

Taichung County Magistrate Huang Chung-sheng greeted the senior adventure seekers at a welcoming ceremony Sunday, expressing admiration for their determination to join the 13-day tour and their perseverance in finishing the tour.

“The senior citizens’ spirit of taking on challenges was worth learning by young people,” Huang said.

Tour participants, including several people in their 80s, started their journey from neighboring Taichung City Nov. 13. They returned to Taichung City Sunday afternoon after the trip.

The 20 elderly riders were chosen by the Hondao Welfare Foundation for the Elderly, from a pool of more than 100 applicants, through physical ability tests. Among those selected, 14 are aged over 80 and six are between the ages of 70-79. The eldest member Chu Miao-kuei is 89 years old.

Participants received a two-month training course in Taichung City before departure to help them prepare for obstacles and difficulties they were likely to encounter on the way.

Group leader Lai Ching-yen initiated the activity to prove that the elderly has the ability to accomplish difficult tasks.

Only one rider dropped out of the tour. Liu Shu-fa had to quit due to an injury caused from a crash with another scooter during the ride in eastern Taiwan. Despite not finishing the tour, “I had gained a lot from the experience, such as my friendships with the group’s members as well as a warm welcome from the public,” Liu said.

Other participants also praised the tour as an unforgettable experience. The only couple in the group, Chang Hung-tao, 71, and Chang Chen Ying mei, 72, said it was a very meaningful tour for them for they have fulfilled their dreams of traveling around the island.

Magistrate Huang on Sunday presented gifts to the riders and pasted the county’s map on an enlarged Taiwan map with tour leader Lai, symbolizing the completion of the tour.

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