With all the Zhuifeng Hanma Cycling Club's hard work, more and more people – especially expats – are now eager to participate in the sport. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A humble bicycle club in Qidong – a county-level city administered by Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province – is proving to be a hit with local expats.

Established there on Oct 1 in 2008, the Zhuifeng Hanma Cycling Club has created waves in the sport by establishing a big annual event, the 168-kilometer Tour of Qidong invitational tournament.

As the event has grown in stature in the Yangtze River Delta region, more and more cycling enthusiasts from Qidong and surrounding cities have swarmed there each year to participate in the competition.

Many are expats working or living in Qidong. One of them is John Sofield, from the United Kingdom, a former employee of COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore Co Ltd – a company specializing in the manufacturing, reconstruction and maintenance of ocean engineering equipment.

By chance, back in 2014, John met the head of the Zhuifeng Hanma club – Ji Changchun – and joined it to become its first expat member. He then took part in the Tour of Qidong competition from 2014 to 2016 until he left China.

With all the hard work of the Zhuifeng Hanma club, cycling has now become a calling card of Qidong city.