Off-road skills on a whole new level are what 30 Pinoy riders should expect to come home with after a whole-day session with veteran enduro and adventure rider Chris Birch.
There are a lot of great riders, but few have the aptitude to impart their knowledge and skills to others. Birch is an accomplished rider and an effective mentor who’s sought after worldwide, so it’s a rare privilege to be able to pick his brain and hear his advice. The riders he will personally coach will gain a wealth of technique and learn new drills to hone their riding skills.
KTM Philippines, Mitas Tyres Philippines, and BikerBox jointly hosted a press conference at KTM Bonifacio Global City for the two riding clinics that Birch will conduct in the country. The first one will be at Mitas-KRB Off-Road Track in Antipolo from January 24 to 26, 2019. He will then be in Cagayan de Oro from January 28 to 29, 2019, to teach riders at the Mitas-Mindanao Enduro Park of Jondi Lacson.
Both venues are emerging centers for off-road riding education, and proof of BikerBox and Norminring’s commitment to improving the knowledge and skills of off-road riders. Birch and his brand of coaching will enhance this commitment to world-class levels. This is just the start, hopefully, and it may be that spark needed to light up a burning enthusiasm for off-roading pursuits.
At the press conference, Birch appeared shy talking about his achievements, but he was excited when sharing what he had learned from his more difficult competitions. He is an intelligent rider and a smart eater. Asked about his diet, he said he’ll eat anything—the closer to being alive his food is, the better. Slim yet fit, this guy from New Zealand can ride 225kg adventure bikes as if they were tiny dirt bikes, yet he prefers the middleweight KTM 1090 Adventure R. He can even make this powerful machine hop like a pogo stick over huge rocks.
Choosing a bike that fits you, the right equipment for the planned adventure, the proper tires for the conditions, the proper setup for optimum ergonomics—Birch never ran out of sagacious advice.
“I’m looking forward to being here in the Philippines and meet all the KTM enthusiasts and adventure riders to teach you guys more skills to have even more fun with the bikes. That’s the plan!” said the Red Bull Romaniacs and Roof of Africa champion rider.
Let’s wait and see what else he has in store for Pinoy riders.
