Interview by Joana Melo, photo by Judy Zhou

The car may be king on the roads of Beijing, but for Tom Lanhove nothing beats two-wheel motion. Just about every weekend since 2006 this Beijinger-by-way-of-Belgium has led a hardcore tribe of biking enthusiasts called The Peloton on enthralling countryside rides in the outskirts of Beijing. Agenda recently caught up with him to talk bikes, books, routes and business.

What is your first bike-related memory?
I’ve always suspected that cycling is a modern interpretation of our Medieval chivalry tournaments. The horses or bikes, the helmets, the colorful attire, the man versus man combat … it made a huge impression on me as a kid.
Above all, the sport has a tremendously epic and visual nature that really sets it apart from ball or indoor sports. A big bike race has all of the following: human suffering against the background of big Alpine mountains, crazy fans running along right next to the champions, the national flags high in the air, the drama and speed of action, the endless scenery along the 200-plus km scenery, the crashes and the danger.

How do you think a Peloton rider benefits from these rides and how do you deal with pollution while biking?
Pollution is a concern, no doubt. But you have to put it into context. We don’t ride in Beijing as much. We ride 100km outside of the city, or more, on several high mountain chains. I doubt if pollution is a grave concern over there. I worry far more about my daily commute to work than about my weekly Peloton rides.
My bigger concerns are bike accidents, UV radiation and sunburns. These are clear and present dangers. Pollution in downtown Beijing has, overall, little influence since our club usually rides in the mountains and that gives our lungs some respite from the smog over the city.
The mental health benefits of our club are huge. For a few hours a week, our riders are completely away from the metropolis of Beijing. No smog, no car horns, no nothing – except nature. We ride along mountain ridges, canyons, valleys, farmland, rural hamlets … This really feels like unplugging yourself from the grid. All mountain sports experience this, but cycling has the benefit of allowing riders to really cover vast areas along the way. It combines the best of endurance sports, with gentle meditation and good old fashioned tourism.
It’s easy for long-term residents to become jaded about life in the city and about the fakeness of so many things. Yet, when you are in a remote corner of the province, way out there, you remember how exciting it is to be a traveler in this vast land and you realize how little you actually know about the place. Having this type of regular getaway does wonders for your frame of mind.

What’s your take on the fitness market in China?
China has a peculiar attitude towards bicycles. It seems that to get rich is glorious but to be seen on a bike is ignominious. If you look around in the morning on your way to work, the ones cycling are mostly laowai or those at the lowest levels of society. This stigma on cycling is hard to understand when you realize that Beijing is ideal for cycling. Strip away the pollution and what remains? A pancake flat city with wide cycling boulevards, separated from the cars, everyone riding at low speeds and rarely any rain. It hardly gets any better than that!
My two cents are that the future of the city will be on two wheels. The climate, the city infrastructure and the car immobility inside the city all point to cycling and electric bikes as the way to go about. The more cars drive around in Beijing, the more people will see all those cyclists zipping past the deadlocks, and that makes people think: what am I doing in my car, bus or subway, bumper to bumper for one hour, when I could be at my destination in 20 minutes without breaking much of a sweat. And parking is free too. Common sense will prevail eventually.

Are there any great books about biking that have inspired you?
The Lance Armstrong biographies are a big hit. He has several books out about his battle with cancer and his cycling career. He is an enigmatic but controversial figure in the sport. On one hand, he is larger than life and exemplifies the consummate professional; on the other hand, his dominance of the sport arouses deep suspicions. He is currently battling a federal investigation into fraud and doping in the US. His story of battling cancer and his spectacular comebacks remain inspiring but his – as of yet unproven – murky side detract from his heroic status. Be it as it may, anyone interested in modern cycling will be baffled by his exploits and his charisma.

Do you see any competitors to The Peloton coming up?
Our Peloton is as much a sports club as it is a social club. This is because a big part of the ride is about building a network of friends around a shared hobby. De facto we are all on the same page. Our club consists mostly of European, Southeast Asian, North American, Australian and Japanese riders. Only English makes fluent communication possible, so we don’t really register on the Chinese radar. Cycling is a niche sport and therefore interesting to a small community. There is no real space for a copy cat I think. The club is a known quantity. We’re all friends, we mostly live in the same areas and that works for a majority of the riders timing-wise. There is not much sense in another bike club doing the same thing as it would undermine the community vibe.

Do you have any favorite biking routes around Beijing?
There are too many to mention. Basically, Beijing has four mountain sectors where you can find certain types of terrain. Do you like big mountains, or do you prefer lots of smaller hills, or lots of historical scenery or a mix of them all? The choice is there.
If I must choose one or two favorites, the districts of Miyun and Pinggu come to mind. These districts see fairly little traffic and that makes cycling more safe and relaxing. The scenery in either district is simply superb, but you will never learn of them in any expat guide books. Every trip I discover something: a new pagoda, a Daoist temple, a historical tomb, etc. It never gets boring.

If someone wants to start biking, what’s the essential gear they need to have?
First of all, you must have a rock solid answer to the question: what type of biking do I want to do? For many people the Peloton appears to be too professional. For others, it’s a mere warm up for their triathlon training. You need to know where you stand.
From that, you will know what type of bike to buy (city bike, road bike, mountain bike) and what clothes, budget and equipment go with the bike. Whether you choose mountain bike or road bike, you must have a helmet and a repair kit on you. Pants with padding are another must-have. All the rest is secondary.

Visit beijingpeloton.com for more information.