Riding in the wet season is never dull. Trails that are fine to ride on one day can become waterlogged overnight. It was a bit like that last Sunday. We all met up for a breakfast of rice and pork, and strong iced coffee. The perfect way to start a riding day! After filling up our bellies and petrol tanks we were soon on the road.
One of the things we’ve been trying to get going in recent months is a monthly fun ride for locals and expats. Our main crew ride regularly at the weekends, and we’re a small group of, mainly Khmer riders, and the odd expat. Dirt biking has been getting more popular, with the advent of regular off-road events held in Phnom Penh, so we at Kickstart thought it would be cool to share some of the amazing experiences that we have on a day to day basis with the local biking community.
So last Saturday we all gathered at Kickstart HQ to ride the back roads to Beng Melea. It was a good turnout with eight riders in total, including our team. Fred who had just bought himself a KTM 450 EXC was eager to get out and test it in the dirt. Alex, who hadn’t ridden off-road in seven years couldn’t contain his excitement, and he took the CRF. Richard and Thomas, whose off-road experience I believe was only red graded roads, were in for a treat.
There are many things I love about my job. For one I get to ride dirt bikes every day! Then there’s meeting like minded people who share the same passion. There is also the satisfaction of teaching people how to ride and possibly introducing them to a new way of life. I believe this may have happened with Joe & Jonas, two cousins from the UK who had absolutely no experience off-road, let alone with a clutch driven bike. After 30 minutes of driving up and down the road at Kickstart HQ and getting their heads around the bikes, we were suited and booted and ready to go.
It had been raining the night before, and in Cambodia’s wet season this can either mean the trails are completely washed out, (which is not necessarily a bad thing) or you get the perfect riding conditions. It was a bit of both this time. My customer for the morning was Arnaud from France. He was leaving that evening, and had decided to get a ride in before he got on the plane. He told me that he lived in Indonesia, and the riding and riding community were very similar to here, so I was looking forward to a good burn. I enjoy the half day tours as there are great trails around town within minutes, and you can have a good four hour ride and really go for it [depending of course on the client’s ability]. Either way it gives people a chance to get away from the mayhem of Temple town, and see what Cambodia is really about.
XR250R
