There are plenty of reasons one would bike -- some bike to work, some compete in races, and some do it for health and recreation. But for Pwinn Rujikietkhomjron, his reasons to get behind the handlebars are all of the above.
A lecturer at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang's Faculty of Architecture, Pwinn initially got in the saddle as an attempt to lose weight by biking to work every day. It has been six years since he gave cycling his first try, and tomorrow he is set to compete in the world's longest bicycle stage race, the Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme 2016. An ultra-stage bicycle race with a total distance of 9,400km, the competition will set off from Moscow and end at Russia's Vladivostok, in 14 stages passing through five different climate zones. The race is expected to take about 24 days. And Pwinn is the first Thai cyclist to ever enter this race.
"Biking, to me, is a tool that takes me to many unexpected places," said Pwinn. "I once thought it would be great if I had a chance to experience a Trans-Siberian rail trip. Who would have thought that I am actually going along that route, but by bike. Since I bike, I've met a lot of people. I've made many friends along the way. Now I have friends pretty much in every city across the country."
Pwinn started cycling when he saw people from the Bangkok Bicycle Campaign visiting his university by bike all the way from inner Bangkok to King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, located on the outskirts of the capital.
The lecturer then saw the possibility to follow them, so he started with a folding bike, which works perfectly for commuting. But when it comes to riding with friends on holidays, he found it hard to catch up with others, so he opted for a second-hand road bike and later went for a more specialised one.
When Pwinn discovered the Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme was open for registration, he was immediately drawn to sign up. At first he planned to join as a duo with another cyclist, but since the application fee for the duo category is €25,000 (970,000 baht) and he could not find sponsors in time, that never happened.
"Just a month prior to the race, I received an email from the organiser that I was invited to join for free but that offer was for a solo cyclist," he recalled. "So this time I'll survey the race first and probably next year, I'll go back in a duo."
Though it looks like the one-month heads-up would not allow him time to get in shape, Pwinn doesn't seem anxious, as biking has blended with his life. Since he has known about the upcoming race, he has maintained a regimen of 100km each day, which is the proper distance for him to exercise while keeping his heart rate in the aerobic zone without being zonked.
"The most important thing is to plan and manage well," he said. "I need to organise my diet and know when to replenish my energy, so I can remain active enough to finish the race. Last year, the winner rode with an average speed of 28.6kph, which isn't considered fast. This means the race doesn't require speed so much as endurance.
"I don't mind the ranking, but my goal is to simply finish the race and enjoy the ride," he said, adding that at last year's Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme, not all participating cyclists even made it to the finish line.
Pwinn hired master French cyclist Peter Pouly as his coach because he wanted to make sure he was biking properly.
"He taught me to comprehend my own body, and know how hard to utilise energy each time. He said if I want to do better, I need to bike slower than what I was, and my performance would improve step by step. The whole concept of biking is about listening to your body."
After the vigorous training suggested by his coach, Pwinn was a medallist in the Tour de Uttayan 2013, which made him believe that with proper training, he could perform better. Since then, his name was announced as the winner quite a few times in several racing events across the country.
Pwinn regularly competes in bike races whenever he has the chance, on both the domestic and international level. A few of his favourites include the race from Chomthong to Doi Inthanon, where he enjoyed the climb of the mountain, and Rapha Prestige Khao Yai, where he very much enjoyed the scenery.
"Of course, I haven't performed great in every single race, but I've never had the feeling of wanting to quit. That's because I enjoy every ride. Whenever I feel too exhausted, I stop competing but keep biking in a way that I'm not forcing myself."
The result of this upcoming lengthy race is unforeseen, but here is what Pwinn has learned from biking, which he will definitely apply in the race.
"To know my own capabilities and accept changes, as there will be many uncontrollable factors. So I will do my best with what I can. Even though I'm not the strongest one, I believe attitude has something to do with performance."
Asked how much longer he would bike, he replied: "At least until I'm 70. I take biking seriously, but I do it with joy. I try to be happy every time I pedal.
"My biking goal remains the same from the very first day. I bike for health benefits -- other things I get are counted as bonuses."
Speed Challenge at Visetchaichan, Ang Thong.
