Posted on 11/20/2005 12:17:43 PM PST by radar101
First, it was seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. On Sunday, hopefuls for China's Olympic mountain biking team got a chance to go pedal to pedal against President Bush in his sport of choice.
"Good day for a bike ride," Bush said as he walked toward the six Chinese bikers — three female and three male — at the Laoshan Olympic Mountain Bike Course. Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympics. "How do you say, `Take it easy on the old man?'"
After posing for pictures, Bush was given a tan, zip-up sweater with a leather "Beijing 2008" logo. And then they were off — Bush wearing loose-fitting navy bike shorts and a black windbreaker and the competition in skintight orange-and-yellow bike outfits.
Or at least Bush was.
Sunglasses, gloves and helmet on, he rode away before the other riders had even pulled their bikes off the rack. So Bush — who usually rides out of sight of reporters or cameras — made a few wide loops in front of the waiting media crowd and joked about being a showoff.
The hourlong spin around dusty trails was the second bike excursion of Bush's eight-day trip through Asia. He rode Thursday at a military base in Busan, South Korea.
About 15 minutes into the ride, the pack — with Bush at the front — emerged from around a sharp corner, riding fast down a hill on a narrow trail through scrubby, brown brush.
"Remind you of Crawford?" a reporter yelled, referring to the Texas town where Bush has a ranch. He took Armstrong for a two-hour ride there in August.
"Better than Crawford," Bush shouted back over his shoulder.
Later, the president clarified his comment.
"Compared to Crawford, this trail is a great bike trail and really difficult. It is clear I couldn't make the Chinese Olympic cycling team," he joked.
___
Before taking his two-wheeler out for a spin, Bush slipped into a church near Tiananmen Square to make a public point about religious freedom and human rights in China.
Bush and his wife, Laura, worshipped at the Gangwashi Church, one of five officially recognized Protestant churches in the Chinese capital, before meeting top leaders.
It was his first public event in China, one he hoped would send a visible message about the right to religious freedom in this nation of 1.3 billion people. The State Department recently cited China as a country of "particular concern" for denying such rights.
"It wasn't all that long ago that people were not allowed to worship openly in this society," Bush said after the hourlong service, which was conducted in Chinese and translated over headphones for the president and other guests. Bush sat in the front row.
"My hope is that the government of China will not fear the Christians who gather to worship openly," added Bush. "A healthy society is a society that welcomes all faiths."
In the church guest book, Bush wrote: "May God bless the Christians of China." Beneath that, the first lady added: "And with love and respect, Laura Bush."
___
Police detained at least 30 people who visited the church in hopes of complaining to Bush about China's government, according to one man who said he was detained. Authorities initially denied that people were taken into custody.
"Ordinary people should have democratic rights," said Tian Baocheng, a bus driver who says his Shanghai home was wrongly demolished in 2002 to make room for new construction.
A district police official reached by telephone initially denied that the detentions occurred, but then said he would look into the matter. He gave only his surname, Man.
Tian, 48, said the petitioners visited the Gangwashi Church after hearing that Bush would attend service, but arrived after he had departed. They were detained as they left, Tian said by mobile phone from a building where he said authorities were holding the group.
"They wouldn't let us pass," he said. "Why? I don't know. We were on a street that anyone can walk on. Now, they have illegally detained us."
Security has been tight in some parts of the capital because of Bush's visit.
___
Questions from the media weren't allowed when Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao appeared before reporters, so the White House — hoping to make a point about press freedom — arranged for the president to face the inquiring American press at his hotel later.
After answering six questions and eager to sit down to dinner in the Great Hall of the People, Bush turned down a reporter who asked permission for a follow-up question.
He then walked from the lectern toward a door. He jerked on the handle and came up short. The door was locked. He tried the other side. It, too, was locked.
Stymied, Bush exaggerated a look of dismay, stood at mock attention — and laughed at his foiled exit strategy.
"I was trying to escape," he said. "It obviously didn't work."
An aide then quickly appeared and escorted the president out.
Let's have some pictures!
God Bless our President.
Thanks!
I guess if you are going to be secret service for Bush you need to be in really good shape....that must the S.S. worse nightmare when he is riding bike....Great story
great article - thank you! love the pix. This is his best way of escaping the press also. Most of them are such wimps. Last year even a RIDER, sports writer could not keep up with him.
Go Dubya!
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LOL! Look at the SS guy behind him in the picture - a bouncer's body is chugging along on that little bike!
Great post, thanks! I love stories like this. Awesome picture, too!
What's that with the distinctive headgear? Is individuality now the rage in China?
what a wonderful resourse group you have compiled . I just put it on my profile page(and gave you credit!!!). Now I will be able to find the stuff when I need it w/out all the searching.
Thanks you fiddlstix (just realized I spelled your screenname wrong - will fix it!
whoa.. thanks for this. I missed this. Is there a cycling ping list/group? I now & then trip on an article but usually miss them.
appreciate it!
To see more, go to:(click on)
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/sm/events/sp/112603olympicsathens/p:29;_ylt=AoMJ472ddgEimj_81BqhewlmWscF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5bGcyMWMzBHNlYwNzc25hdg--
I've had that list on my page for several years now.
Btw, your profile page looks GREAT. Nice job J
My screen name goes back to the old days when a lot of servers allowed only 9 characters max in a name.
(LOL I've been around the 'net a while. In fact several years before I discovered FR)
Just a local story. A cycling ping list would be a good idea. Took mine out today. 60° and sunny in northern Colorado. Guess I'm just a 'fascist in spandex'.... 8~)
well I am a relative newcomer. only into the internet since just before I found FR. thanks re: profile. I fell off my bike about a month ago & have a groin sprain (yes, girls get them) and have had to lay low a lot & so have worked on a lot of HTML projects & changed my prof page into table formats. had just been along series of pix, words.
Reserve my time up & about to exercising my two energetic pups
Why can't we see and share more enjoyable and pleasant moments and insights like these?
Why is the press insistent that they have to share only their bipolar dysfunction with us?
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