《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Ko Wen-je bicycles to be auctioned off

PERSEVERANCE MESSAGE: The Taipei mayor said that the difference between success and failure is often due to the power of people to dream big and persist

By Sean Lin / Staff reporter

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Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） yesterday said that the two high-end sports bicycles he used for his “twin-city” and “twin-tower” trips are to be auctioned with all the proceeds to be donated to groups promoting sports among people with disabilities.

The mayor watched a documentary of the “twin-tower” trip during a visit to the Taipei International Cycle Show at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, where he made the announcement.

The documentary covered the 520km ride from Fuguijiao Lighthouse （富貴角燈塔） at the island’s northernmost point to the Oluanpi Lighthouse （鵝鑾鼻燈塔） in Pingtung County’s Kenting （墾丁）.

“Be it ‘twin-city’ or ‘twin-tower,’ I hope that my journeys awaken Taiwan’s character as a maritime nation, which is defined by an adventurous spirit to meet challenges and resilience against failure,” Ko said.

He said that many people asked him how he managed to complete the trips, to which he replied that there were just two conditions: “Take the first step and keep going.”

“Oftentimes, it is perseverance that makes the difference between success and failure. People achieve greatness because of their power to dream big. If you have a dream and you are willing to show great persistence to realize that dream, you will likely succeed,” Ko said.

“I hope that through these trips, all Taiwanese will remember in their times of hardship the story of a middle-aged man who strove as hard as he could to make his dream come true. Hopefully, this will help boost people’s perseverance when they pursue their goals,” he said.

The mayor expressed gratitude to Giant Taiwan Co chairman King Liu （劉金標） for lending him the bicycles for the trips and for agreeing to auction them for the benefit of people with disabilities.

Ko signed both bicycles and added another item — the T-shirt he wore during the trips — to the auction.

Giant Taiwan said the bicycle Ko used on the twin-city trip is worth more than NT$160,000, while the one he used on the twin-tower trip is worth more than NT$210,000.

The auction for the three items is to begin at noon today on www.ruten.com, with the starting bid set at NT$1. It is to end on March 15.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES