Friday morning, Natooke was present at the first bike stroll of the World Health Organization with its 12 new Natooke bikes. After the delivery of seven more white and blue Natooke bicycles, Ines decided to ride together with the 12 representatives of the World Health Organization to the Great Hall of People in downtown Beijing. Leaving from the WHO offices’ location, the bikers went all the way to the Great Hall of People, passing through the famous Tiananmen Square. Once at destination some of the WHO representatives went to their important meeting, while the rest and Ines went back to their respective offices.
It was a long way to the Great Hall of People, but the World Health Organization representatives were definitely catching everybody’s attention on their beautiful Natooke bikes!
The Rotary Club of Beijing was celebrating with the annual Rotary ball and asked Ines to come along with a plus one. Not only was she to sit back and enjoy the night but she was also asked to perform for the guests.
She put on a show along with all the other performers who graced the stage that night
Natooke was at the Danish Embassy this weekend in support of the Climate Race which took place on Saturday. The weather wasn’t perfect but that didn’t stop the Danish and Canadian Ambassadors, as well as the President of the China Cycle Association, along with other important figures, like Ines, from getting on their bikes for a pre-race ride around Beijing.
Then, just before everyone was loaded up in the busses for the race up the mountains of Yanqing, Ines performed an acrobatics performance for those that attended the pre-race speeches and ride. The weather was not exactly on our side but that did not stop Ines from amazing the crowd.
With everything said and done it was a fantastic day that was for a fantastic cause!
Ines was taking part at a workshop at the Goethe Institute on Sunday. The theme was Urban mobility and sustainability and Ines was there giving a presentation on the differences between life in Germany and that of China, she also devoted a bit of time to Natooke and our recent event with the World Health Organisation.
The students really enjoyed themselves as they plan their trip over to Europe in order to foster German-Chinese interactions.
Ines was out of Beijing and in the Chinese countryside of Dawang, taking part in a variety show. The CCTV cameras were rolling as Ines stepped up to the stage to perform one of her acrobatic performances. Ines wasn’t the only one who was amazing the crowd at the CCTV Farmers Performance there was an act where a man was blowing up a large rubber tube through a long firehose with his nose!
The heat was almost as incredible as some of the performances with cameramen wearing damp cloths on their head to stay cool.
On Saturday Ines was at the Shimano Bikers Festival taking part in a road bike race. The Shimano Bikers Festival is a two day event with one day focusing on mountain bike races and the other on road bike races. What was exciting was seeing more and more Chinese picking up cycling as a sport and participating in races.
In this race Ines was held off a podium position by three fantastic female Chinese riders.
In recent years more and more bike races have been popping up, not just in Beijing but all over China, with races for beginners anyone interested should check online for upcoming events. You don’t have to be a professional to compete and the thrill of being on the course with other riders is worth experiencing at least once!
The Going Green Event took place last Friday with the World Health Organization coming down to the Beijing Store for the official handover of 5 beautiful custom built Natooke Bicycles, these bikes will be used for staff to ride around down at the WHO China office and with the handy front carriage they can easily go and grab lunch and take it back to the office hassle free.
If you live or work in Beijing and see WHO staff out and about on the WHO bikes, feel free to give them a wave!
It wasn’t just about making lunch easy as Dr Schwartländer, WHO representative in China, explains “we also believe in doing our bit to protect the environment. We’re firm believers that even the smallest step makes a difference. In this case it’s not a step – but a pedal on a bike to get around town to meetings and events where possible”. The event was caped off with a ride back to the WHO office along the 2nd ring canal which the perfect weather made all the more pleseant.
Ines was practising her German down at the German Embassy School late last week where she was teaching the school children a thing or two about bike polo.
It was nice getting out of the office and down to the courts getting young children passionate about a sport that is so dear to Natookes heart. But before everyone headed on to the field for a bash around the basics needed to be learnt and the students had to first get used to riding around one handed with the other holding a mallet. This wasn’t as easy as first thought but soon the ball was added and things were taken up a notch. As the week went on the competition heated up with everyone becoming decidedly more aggresive in their playing style.
Underneath it all though was a sense of enjoyement and fun as everyone there was just starting out and learning the ropes.
The week culminated in a performance by those students involved in the training. Playing a match infront of the German Embassy School for parents, teachers, and students alike to show off their new found skills and to hopefully get others interested in the great sport that is bike polo!
This year Ines performed at the X Games that was taking place during the China Cycle Exhibition. The X Games in Shanghai were an opportunity for local riders to see some of the skills on offer around the world and was well placed at such a great exhibition.
Ines took a break from maning the Natooke booth and put on a show.
Unsurprisingly her performance went down well, amazing the crowd with acrobatic feets that even impressed the other athletes in attendance!
China Cycle is the leading exhibition in the two wheel market and is the largest of its type in Asia. Taking place in Shanghai annually it has become a trade show that is a must attend for cycle companies and interested consumer groups who are looking for innovative and cutting edge products to stock and distribute.
Ines Bike Company has had a presence at this exhibition for the last five years.
We were there again showing off all the great brands that Ines Bike Company distributes and Natooke stock! We are happy to report that we had another stand out year at the exhibition hall with our place smack bang in the center attracting large amounts of foot traffic.
