Over the half-term break, Mr Bob from our Primary PE Department participated in a charity bike ride from Khon Khen to Surin following the Mekong River, a gruelling ride of over 900 kms and 34 and a half hours in the saddle.
Ten years ago, the Old Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club was involved in a programme coaching rugby to underprivileged children around Thailand. On one of these road trips, Bob was coaching kids from the Asia Center Foundation (ACF) from Phuket. He was struck by the enthusiasm of the kids, the sheer poverty that some of the children came from, the dedication of the staff and the objectives of the ACF Center. While talking to Roelien Muller, Director of ACF, it became glaringly obvious that the ACF really needed funding and so Bob came up with the idea of doing a cycle charity ride from Bangkok to Phuket. And just like that concept of the Bangers on Bikes charity ride was born. Nine years on and the Bangers on Bikes are still helping underprivileged children. More than 25 riders have participated over the years and have raised in excess of 5.2 million baht. As well as supporting ACF in Phuket, the Bangers on Bikes also donate to the Nak Suu Tigers Rugby Academy in Bangkok which is a charity for underprivileged children in the Kloeng Toey region.
The riders began their epic journey at 08.00 a.m. on Monday morning, thankful for the slightly cooler weather. The heat didn’t stay away for long though. Their journey took them through some beautiful countryside and and they cycled with two groups of Thai riders some of whom were in their 80s.
The Bangers on Bikes had to face their fair share of challenges during the week ranging from punctures to total bike changes - with spare bikes not necessarily being the right size for some of the taller riders in the group. The heat was probably the greatest challenge though with the riders having to make sure they stayed hydrated throughout the day. The roads were not always in the best condition for cycling which only added another degree of difficulty to the ride.
The Bangers made their triumphant arrival in Surin on Friday, rewarded with the knowledge that they had successfully completed the challenge and raised money for some extremely worthy causes.
If you would like to make a donation, then please either talk directly to Mr Bob in the PE Office, or send him an email at bob.pe@standrews.ac.th. Alternatively, you can make a transfer to the Bangers on Bikes bank account. Details are:
Old Bangkok Banger's
Bangkok Bank
Account number: 0313006926
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