On your bikes!

A second-generation member of the family that produces Siang Pure natural pain relief products in medicated oil, balm and inhaler form, Suwanna Eiampikul is now sharing her love of nature with her staff with a project she’s dubbed “Peppermint Bike”. 

“It’s good fun and there’s also a CSR (corporate social responsibility) tie in, ” says Suwanna, adding that her inspiration for “Peppermint Bike” came from the “Moving Planet: A Day to Move beyond Fossil Fuels” event in September 2011 that saw 88 countries contributing to the campaign. “Most of our staff are women and they feel safer and more riding bikes.”

“We would like working people to be happy in their lives,” says Dr Thanaporn Thanarojpradit, assistant director of the company’s organisation development. “We focus on teamwork and team spirit - how we can engage together.”

Before taking part in Moving Planet, Suwanna trawled the Internet in search of the lightest folding bicycle she could find. That netted her a Dahon Vector X10. She later added a new mountain bike, Trek 3900, after learning that folding bicycles aren’t very secure for long rides.

“But the mountain bike was too heavy for me. It made me very tired,” says Suwanna, who went back to the Internet and this time found the lighter frame Elite. “Paying more for a bicycle has nothing to do with image but everything to do with age,” she says with a smile.

“I rode my bike for the first time with more than 1,000 other cyclists and we visited lots of different places. That trip led me to love Thailand even more. I felt I had more rapport with the outside world, not to mention time to appreciate historical places and communicate with pedestrians and like-minded bikers. When you’re cycling, the masks come off. So, I organised a team with my staff for the Peppermint Bike project and we are working to make Bangkok a cycling city.

“Cycling is an interesting sport and, more importantly, it’s affordable for the staff,” says the company’s CEO, who also enjoys swimming, golf and tennis.

Under the project, staff can get a loan to buy a bike, which they then repay in monthly instalments. Siang Pure currently employs about 300 staff though only 40 join each trip. The first biking trip was to Suan Phueng in Ratchaburi and supported the Thai Cycling for Health Association.

“The objective of Peppermint Bike is to get in touch with nature and communicate with other bikers,” says Suwanna.

This weekend, the group will be heading out to Hua Hin. They’ll also visit Thung Salaeng Luang in Phitsanulok on April 23-24, an ancient market in Chachoengsao on April 27 and Sam Pan Bok in Ubon Ratchathani on May 10-11.

“I’d like to ride all around Thailand and also in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries but I will probably wait until the launch of the Asean Economic Community. I’ve also cycled in Austria with my daughters, Meena and Leena Akrapongpisak. Over there, it’s really easy to rent a bike and in Austria they even have special traffic lights for bike lanes.

“Our country has biking regulations but doesn’t enforce them. Most bikers love nature and respect the rules and other people’s rights. We need to push the BMA to enforce the regulations and connect the bike lanes,” she adds.