Cycling drug of choice for ex-addicts as they gear up for Hong Kong Cyclothon
They are also guides for biking tours under programme We-Cycle which trains former drug abusers
Tsim Sha Tsui was where Leung Kwok-man took his first sniff of paint thinner 21 years ago, but now he has come full circle to start another journey – campaigning against drug abuse.
Leung, together with six other former drug addicts from Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service’s Cheer Lutheran Centre, will join Cyclothon, a 50km biking competition in Tsim Sha Tsui next Sunday.
He and his peers are part of the first and only former drug abuser group among the 4,600 participants in the second cycling festival on September 25, organised by The Hong Kong Tourism Board.
“I want to challenge myself,” 36 year-old Leung, who stopped taking drugs seven years ago, said.
Teammate Dennis Cheung Pak-shun said they had a two-fold purpose in participating in the race. “We are joining the cycling race to promote healthy living and a bike[culture] among ourselves,” he said. “But [we also want to show] people former drug addicts can live healthy lives and be useful members of society when ... given the chance.”
Members of Leung’s group are all qualified guides for biking tours under a programme called We-Cycle, set up to train former drug addicts.