The young girl and her brother were asked if they wanted to join the race, surprisingly, what with no cycling competition experience. Both immediately agreed to join.
It was at the finish line that the real shock occurred. The young girl had won the first stage of the 1.2 kilometres race, with her brother crossing the line in third.
That was the start of an ongoing cycling future for Jutatip ‘Beaze’ Maneephan, who now at 27 years old, has won a number of medals in regional competitions including the South East Asia (SEA) and the Asian Games, and is now set to rock the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.
The team at Thanyapura, where Jutatip recently come to train in preparation for the games, had a chance to talk with her and learn more about her exciting and inspiring cycling career.
“I ended up winning the first stage in that first ever race of mine. That’s when I got a bicycle from my father. It was a second-hand Japanese mountain bike,” she recalled.
“My father was my first coach. He took me out for daily training of between 10-20 kilometres, but at that time we didn’t have any idea even about how to pedal properly; we only read from a textbook,” she said.
She started off competing in mountain biking and won a number of races locally before getting selected for the Thai National Cycling Team at the age of 18.
“Soon after, I had a chance to compete nationally and started to win the Isan (Northeastern Thailand) Championship and the Thai championship in mountain biking.”
Later, Jutatip moved to Bangkok and continued with her studies at the Institute of Physical Education, and it was here that she had the chance to practice with all types of bikes: mountain, road, and track.
“My first big competition was Youth Asia Championship. I won gold medal in the 500-metresprint. Then I competed in the SEA Games when Thailand was the host country. I won three silvers on the track,” she said.
“It was then that I realised I was good at track cycling, so I started to focus on that. But two years later I was chosen by the team coach to try a road sprint event during a competition in Laos. I won gold and that was the point where I changed to my focus to road competitions,” she added.
Jutatip's most memorable race to date, however, was the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in 2014.
“It was the biggest race I have competed in so far. I did not expect a gold medal at all, I only wished I could be one of the top three and just did the best I could; I clearly underestimated myself,” she said.
She also said that being chosen to represent Thailand in the Olympics was an amazing opportunity for her, for which she will do her best.
“I am training hard, which I always do to get ready for competitions. It’s not just for me, but also for my family and the whole country. I will really do the best I can.”
Before taking off to Rio, Jutatip had short, yet intensive training at Thanyapura from June 9-12 and she explained that it has been an amazing experience.
“It’s been fun. The place is very well organised and provides plenty of interesting courses. I had a great time attending classes. The cycle training was intense but very helpful. The coaches are very professional and they guided me through many things that I never knew before,” she said.
Though reaching this mark as an athlete is no easy task, Jutatip said that goal-setting and self-determination got her to where she is today.
“It is not easy but also not so difficult to reach this point. Being a woman, of course, many will be worried about destroying their face and skin when cycling under all weather types, but what’s more important for me is my goal to get better and better at what I do,” Jutatip said.
She also said that being a woman is not an obstacle in her career and that she routinely trains alongside men who are physically stronger and faster but encourage her to set an even better standard for herself.
“My coach makes me train with men cyclists so I can improve my speed and times. It’s challenging, but I like it.”
The ever increasing number of women cyclists in Thailand is a good sign of thing to come for Thai cycling, and Jutatip said she expects to see more concrete support from the sectors involved.
“The number of women cyclists in Thailand continues to increase. I am happy to see a growing interest in cycling among Thai women as it is very tiring and requires a lot of endurance.
“However, compared to other countries, Thailand hasn’t gone very far. There are now a lot more cyclists in Thailand, but the national team still has almost the same number of team members.
“The relevant government departments and also the Thai cycling associations should give more opportunities for the new team members to shine at a national level,” she said.
In conclusion, Jutatip noted that for her cycling is not just a sport or career, it’s her life.
“This sport has given me a lot. I can make a living and take care of my family. I can open a cycle shop in my home town for my brother. I have earned a lot of victories, which I am very proud of.
In addition, cycling keeps me healthy and physically strong, it also gives me goals to reach, but not only in the sport, but every aspect of my life,” she said.
“If you want to achieve a career as an athlete, continue gradually, step by step. Ensure your goals are set and go for them. On the way, you’ll possibly face things that will bring you down, but always remember to change it to a great power that pushes you forward to victory” she added