• Society

Pho Phalla Cycles Through Europe for Cambodian Children

• By Ung Chamroeun
• July 26, 2023 2:10 PM

PARIS – Pho Phalla, a Cambodian expatriate in France, will spend 41 days cycling for 3,000 kilometers over eight European countries as part of a fundraising event to help the Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap.

“I don’t have too high expectations because I’m only an ordinary person, but I will try to be a part of helping Cambodian children,” said the cyclist, a few days before starting his challenge.

The 41-day charity event, called “Cycling 3,000km for Cambodia Children”, will travel through France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany. It will begin on July 25 and end on September 3.

Pho Phalla, who is a spouse of staff at the Cambodian Embassy in Paris, received support from the Embassy, which helps promote his charity adventure in the diplomatic networks of the countries he will cycle through.

“I hope that a lot of people will join me in my fundraising and make donations to the Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap. Every donor will contribute to the hospital's mission to improve the healthcare of Cambodian children,” he said.

Born and raised in Kampong Chhnang province, Pho Phalla, who is now in his 40s, said he has loved cycling since 1998. He sees three main benefits to it: in addition to being a fairly cheap activity, cycling is good for health and it preserves the environment.

As many reasons that made him decide to use his bike for humanitarian purposes.

But Phalla doesn’t come from nowhere. The cycle addict already rode more than 2,300 kilometers in 40 days to celebrate the launch of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), which were hosted by Cambodia for the first time last May.

“This experience was a good test. I feel confident enough that I’ll complete the 3,000 kilometers in 41 days,” he said.

Tour de France style

Due to family responsibilities, Phalla won’t be able to ride from start to finish in a row. He will instead cycle in ‘Tour de France’ style, which is a combination of distances.

After his first day on July 25, when he will cycle from Lausanne to Geneva (Switzerland), he will then go to Colmar (France) to join Basel at the Swiss border.

As per his schedule, and because he is the only person in charge of the project, he will either cycle from one city to another or ride around the same city for logistical reasons.

“I had to prepare everything on my own, whether or not I would receive sponsorship,” he said. “I didn’t reach out to the companies because I thought they would not believe in my project as I’m not a well-known person. But some of my relatives and Cambodians from the diaspora in Europe offered me accommodation when I reach the city where they live.”

He also said that he decorated his bike with Khmer flags, Khmer letters, and other foreign alphabets to help him spread the word about his charity.

Phalla has already cycled in numerous charitable events in Cambodia, including one from Phnom Penh to Kampot. But this is the first time he had to organize the entire project on his own, especially in a foreign country.

“It was challenging, for sure. But I didn’t want to give up,” he said.

In a statement dated July 4, Nguon Chanpheaktra, director of the Angkor Hospital for Children, thanked Phalla for his philanthropic.

“The Angkor Children's Hospital Fundraising Office will work together to make this event run smoothly and successfully,” the statement said.

“We extend our great appreciation to you for the initiative and the organization of the charity cycling adventure. It will raise much-needed funds to enable our work to continue to benefit Cambodian children, and help improve the healthcare system in Cambodia,” it added.

Bicycle paths everywhere

Phalla moved to France in early 2022 and has since cycled more than 10,000 kilometers. He makes 95 percent of his daily commutes on his bicycle, which he also uses to transport his two children.

For long-distance journeys though, he still relies on the metro, trains or buses.

“I ride an average of 30 kilometers a day, and my kids love to ride as well,” he said. “When I want to go out for lunch while my wife is busy, I simply take my bike and carry my two children on it. It goes faster than being stuck in the Parisian traffic.”

Phalla, who has previously studied in Paris, has seen remarkable development in this world-class tourist city. He recalls that, a few years ago, Paris barely had any bicycle paths whereas they are now ubiquitous in the city. The French government also supports people to buy e-bikes.

“I hope that Cambodia, especially in Phnom Penh, will have separate lanes for bicycles, as more and more Cambodians now ride bicycles,” he said.

While using his bicycle daily as a means of transportation helped him discover France’s capital city, he said his favorite cycling cities are Copenhagen in Denmark and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

 

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Te Chhaysinh for Cambodianess.