VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

To welcome the 76th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesian people in the United States crossed the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco City on July 24. As many as one hundred participants from several major cities in the U.S., such as Houston, Los Angeles and cities around San Francisco, such as Richmond, Palo Alto, West Covina, were enthusiastic in the joint cycling activity organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco.

With the spirit of "Resilient Indonesia, Growing Indonesia" which is the theme of Indonesia's 76th Anniversary, the participants could choose the August 17 route, namely cycling for a distance of 17 miles (23 km) or Maju Tak Gentar route, which is cycling for 34 miles (50 km). They eagerly explored the uphill and challenging cities of San Francisco, Sausalito and Tiburon. The participants on the August 17 route crossed the Golden Gate bridge to the town of Mill Valey and returned by Sausalito ferry to San Francisco. Meanwhile, the participants of the Maju Tak Gentar route covered a distance of 34 miles with a bicycle path that crossed the hills up and down with strong wind gusts along the bay.

The activity was held in collaboration with the Gowes Indo-SF and Gowes Indo-US and Gowes Merdeka communities. This event is the first major bicycle sport event in the U.S. which was held for the Indonesian people in commemoration of the Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia. The Indonesian Consul General in San Francisco, Simon D.I Soekarno expressed his appreciation for the enthusiasm of the Indonesian riding community in the U.S., which reflects the cohesiveness of the Indonesian people in the country.

In addition to welcoming the 76th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, this event was also carried out to strengthen the sense of unity and integrity among the Indonesian people. Simon D.I. Soekarno also invited the community and the Indonesian Diasporas to jointly carry out activities that could promote Indonesia in the United States.

In addition, as a form of concern for the situation in Indonesia, the participants were also invited to lend a hand to help deal with Covid-19 in Indonesia through a fundraising activity by the Gowes community which was held on July 25, 2021. During the activity, even though the pandemic situation in the United States had improved, the participants were still asked to apply health protocols, namely wearing masks and keeping a distance.