Around 150 cyclists reclaimed the roads and restored China's credibility as a "bicycle kingdom" on Saturday during the inaugural Beijing Vintage Ride (BVR). Stretching 10 kilometers from the Workers' Gymnasium to the 798 Art Zone, the event offered spectators a ride down memory lane courtesy of dozens of cyclists wearing tunic zhongshan suits in a fashionable tribute to Chairman Mao Zedong.

BVR is China's answer to London's annual Tweed Run, which invites cyclists to swap spandex for vintage plus-four suits.

Dressed for success

Xu Hu, BVR co-organizer and co-founder of Chinese cycling website 700bike.com, said the ride aimed to take cyclists back to the "good old' days of Beijing" when cars were few and the city's public transport system was a shadow of its current behemoth self.

"Beijing Vintage Ride 2013 is a form of living public art that revives the city's proud cycling history and people's fond memories of when bicycles dominated the roads," said Xu.

Aside from tempting Beijing's fixie-riding hipster population out of their hutong homes, the BVR aimed to showcase the chic appeal of vintage Chinese fashion. In addition to Mao look-alikes, riders dressed in not-so-cycle-friendly attire including tuxedos and cheongsams, the high-necked, figure-hugging dress known in Chinese as qipao. In lieu of helmets, many wore berets, fedoras or dark green army caps bearing the red Communist star insignia.

Nels Frye, editor-in-chief of fashion magazine LifeStyle and an eight-year Beijing resident, sweltered through the warm April weather in a three-piece tweed suit. A veteran cyclist no stranger to Beijing's chaotic roads, he reveled in the chance to combine fashion with one of his favorite pastimes.

"It's a pity that China has changed from a nation of bicycles into a nation of cars. Part of the reason is perhaps that Chinese think driving is more fashionable than riding," he told Metropolitan. "Cycling is vintage and stylish as long as you dress properly. I hope this event helps present the stylish aspect of cycling and attract more people to join us."

Tour de Nostalgia

Getting underway at 2 pm on Saturday, the ride lured around 100 Chinese and 50 expat cyclists who pedaled past the Sanlitun embassy district before heading north via the Agriculture Exhibition Center toward the finish line at the 798 Art Zone's Africa Center.

Ren Tong, a Chinese doctor in his 30s, combined a well-tailored, gray flax Mao suit with a vintage British bicycle in a fitting bilateral match.

"By combining history with modern life, we can make our lives more colorful and vivid," he said.

Gavin Anderson, 55, capped off a memorable first week in Beijing by participating in the ride.

"I had a wonderful day, not only because of the fine weather but also because of the beautiful city and friendly people," said the Australian tourist, who wore a dark navy zhongshan. "I'm surprised that cycling lanes in Beijing are so wide, which is better than many foreign cities."

Beijing's municipal government estimated in 2009 that the capital was home to around 13 million bicycles, but cycling has lost its dominion over roads amid soaring car ownership over the past decade.

Nevertheless, pedal power remains a convenient and eco-friendly mode of transport for many residents in the city.

Ines Brunn, a self-confessed "true cycling fan" who has lived in Beijing for eight years, turned plenty of heads on Saturday in her red qipao and second-hand Flying Pigeon, an iconic Chinese bicycle maker dating back over 60 years.

Brunn, from Germany, stumbled across her bike at the same place many people discover treasures in Beijing: an antique market.

"I love cycling in this city. It's the easiest, funniest and sometimes fastest way to get around," she told Metropolitan.

But not all cyclists at the BVR were anti-four wheels, with a few motorists quietly coming clean.

Ren admitted he owns a car, but said he only uses it for journeys "beyond the Fifth Ring Road."

"When I cycle, I don't have to worry about traffic jams. It's also a good way for me to get exercise and reminisce about the old days when we cycled freely on the roads," he said.

Future rides planned

For many Chinese born before the 1990s, cycling is a link to simpler times before the country's reform and opening-up fast tracked urbanization and transformed the urban landscape.

Until as recently as the mid-1990s, cycling was the preferred form of transport among most Chinese. However, it dropped from being the favored choice of transport among 60 percent of Beijingers in 1986 to just 20 percent in 2012, according to figures from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

Although BVR co-organizer, Shannon Bufton, noted cycling in the city could be on the comeback trail. "By holding this event Beijing will see a new boom of cycling," said Bufton.

Zhao Liman, another co-organizer of the event, told Metropolitan that the success of Saturday's ride had paved the way for future spring and autumn "vintage rides" in Beijing.

"All cyclists told us they loved [Saturday's] ride, so we are going to make it a regular event. Next time we will add more open-door activities, including catwalks," said Zhao.

"Beijing has world-class bicycle lanes, but we are still troubled by cars parking or driving in these lanes. More efforts need to be made to protect cyclists."