TAIPEI, Jan 29: A documentary on an inspiring bicycle trip around Taiwan in November by 10 blind people, each accompanied by a sighted coach, will be released soon after the Lunar New Year holiday.

The cyclists, dubbed the "Knights in the Darkness," embarked on their counterclockwise journey around the island on tandem bicycles from Taipei on Nov. 19, and returned to the capital on Nov. 29 after completing the 11-day 1,050-kilometer trip.

"In the beginning, we all thought it was a mission impossible," Sandy Peng, secretary-general of the Taiwan Ah Gan Spiritual Development Association that organized the trip, told CNA. "We never thought we could achieve it, but we actually made it."

The riders, aged between 20 and 68, rode through towns and villages in all types of weather conditions and enjoyed a journey that they described as "not possible without each other's help," said Peng, who was among the 44 staff members accompanying the riders throughout the trip.

"Without my sighted coach's help, I wouldn't have been able to complete the trip," said rider Zano Huang, one of the four female participants.

During their journey, the cyclists experienced local customs and culture, tried many kinds of foods, visited scenic sites and, most important of all, received hearty cheers from people along the route, they recalled.

The association decided to release a documentary on the journey to encourage more visually impaired people to get out instead of staying indoors, but details on the movie itself remain sketchy because it is still being edited.

"But I'm sure it will be no shorter than 45 minutes," Peng said, adding that there was a possibility it would have both Chinese and English subtitles.

Meanwhile, the association said it plans to make the nationwide bike trip an annual event in Taiwan and also bring a similar event to China this year.

Source: http://focustaiwan.tw