Many residents of Dan Sai in Loei believe that Dr Pakdee Suebnukarn looks much younger than his 51 years.
Dr Pakdee Suebnukarn, right, and his wife Dr Siriwan in Dan Sai, Loei.
The director of Dan Sai Crown Prince Hospital puts his youthful looks down to his love of exercising, in particular biking.
Over time, Dr Pakdee's pastime started to become popular with his colleagues and patients and then teachers, policemen and other health conscious locals, both young and old. Many of whom later became members of Dan Sai Cycling Club when it was founded in 2009.
"It started around 1992 when I biked with my wife [Dr Siriwan] around Dan Sai to explore the town. We were happy to find out how great and different things looked compared to when we drove our car around. Biking also reminded me of the green scenery of my hometown in Nontha-
buri," Dr Pakdee recalled.
Dr Pakdee Suebnakarn.
A graduate from Khon Kaen University, Dr Pakdee started his career as a doctor in Phu Rua Hospital, also in Loei. He later volunteered at Na Haeo Hospital, as the hospital needed doctors during the Thai-Laotian Border War, from Dec 1987 to Feb 1988. He worked there for two years before moving to Dan Sai and was appointed the director of Dan Sai Crown Prince Hospital in 1989, when he was just 26 years old.
Dr Pakdee has won many awards during the last 27 years, including the Outstanding Rural Doctor of 2010 from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital. The Dan Sai Crown Prince Hospital has also won several trophies, including one from the Humanised Healthcare and Healing Environment awards.
Why did you start the cycling club?
Biking has always made me happy and it is part of human nature that when we are happy, we want to tell others about it. From just two members [Dr Pakdee and his wife], it increased to a group of friends and then some colleagues. Other members of staff got used to seeing me biking to and from work over the past 13 years. At first, they might have wondered why the director stopped using his car. When they saw me riding my mountain bike, they also wanted to do the same as I looked cool to them. It is a norm of Thai society that the staff tend to like what the director likes. I like biking so it influenced my people to like it too. The staff also wanted to have mountain bikes and I also wanted them to have them so we could travel together. The biking team gradually expanded until we had the idea to form the club in 2009.
What did you choose mountain bikes over other types to ride?
The mountain bike is more durable and also has lower gear ratios, which are needed for steep roads. It is also easy to navigate along dirt roads, but the price is also high. My bike cost me about 26,000 baht when I bought it in Bangkok 20 years ago, but I am still using that same old bike. This is why when my staff are riding with me, I like them to have good bikes. So, in 2005, I decided to allocate 7 million baht of the annual budget to buy a large numbers of bikes. From then on, we have set aside 1 million baht each year to buy bikes. The bikes are not free, however; my staff are required to reimburse the cost of the bikes in installments.
After receiving the bikes, they started using them more and more in their daily lives. This had a further knock-on effect that led to their husbands and wives, kids, friends and relatives also wanting mountain bikes. So, we later opened up the opportunity to have their own bikes as long as a member of the hospital staff agreed to keep up payments on their behalf. At present, the club also has a few hundred bikes available to borrow. We also have a building where bikes can be stored and a volunteer team to fix the bikes without charge.
What are the objectives of the club?
My initial motivation was to encourage people to exercise to improve their health and help with conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. Then the club established its own fund that was used to organise activities like biking competitions and biking tours for children and we also started sponsoring school and social bike activities. We also donate old, but good and functional bikes to those in need.
We want people to cycle because it always brings people together, regardless of class or age. They can all have a good time while biking together. I remember that we once organised a 100km-long biking trip from Phitsanulok to the historical town in Sukhothai. Many of the group were children and we wanted to know whether they could make it that far within a day. Our tactic was to let them lead the activity, meaning we stopped when the children wanted to rest. I am proud to say that they made it. Another lasting impression from the trip was witnessing a child with attention deficit disorder enjoying the trip, as he spent lots of time with his father, received lots of compliments and was happy to have achieved the goal.
The club also works with local hotel owners to promote biking activities in and around Dan Sai. We also received financial support from Designated Areas of Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) this year to promote biking routes to tourists, as well as other local activities. It is great because tourists can explore several communities in our town and discover their way of life at their own pace.
What do you do when chased by dogs?
I stop the bike and always talk to them politely. It always works well, believe me. I say something like 'Hello. How are you? Will it rain today? Is anyone home?'. The dog can sense our good intentions by our tone. It always stops barking. If you encounter a group of dogs, however, my suggestion is to get off your bike and put it in front of you. Do not blow a whistle or shout back at them. The dogs can sense the threatening behaviour and might just attack. Just be kind and you will be safe.
Any suggestions to new bikers?
Firstly, do not use your bicycle just as a way of showing off or for fashion. The best bike is the one that is used and the most expensive bike is the one that has never been used. Secondly, do not bike alone because it is always more fun to bike in a group. Stretch before you start cycling. If you want to have a long biking trip, prepare suitable attire to prevent getting hurt and always put a safety helmet on. Choose the right time for cycling such as in the early morning or evening when the weather is not too hot and be careful when riding on the road.
What else do you plan to do?
I'd like to have a Bike Visitor Centre at my house in Dan Sai. My retirement plan is to have a place where visitors can share their experiences. This way, when I get older, I will always have someone to talk to or to inspire them with my stories. I'd like to see myself as similar to a man named Daeng in Doi Inthanon. He ran a restaurant in Doi Inthanon for 33 years, became an expert in bird watching and turned his property into Inthanon Birds Centre. Any visitor who likes bird watching always stops there to talk to him. I visited him once 20 years ago. It inspired me and I can see myself being like that too.
