    |
 |
|
|
|
New Zealand’s Chris Birch one again mastered the rocky conditions of Lesotho in the 2010 running of the Roof of Africa, the Mother of Hard Enduro. His third win in a row at this event, along with a 1st, 2nd and a 3rd at the Romaniacs over the last 3 years clearly marks Chris as one of the best extreme enduro riders in the world.
After winning by a matter of hours over the last 2 years, he was made to work for it this year, finishing 19 minutes ahead after running wheel to wheel with last year’s runner up Jade Gutzeit for the first two and a half days, the two being seconds apart, neither one being able to gain an advantage. Chris was finally able to pull away in the dying stages of the race as it came down to who had the most endurance and will to win.
At the start of the final day Chris was 3 seconds behind Jade with 2 other riders Marc Torlage and Lionel Seydoux less than 1 and a half minutes behind. Within minutes of the start, Chris drowned his bike in a river losing 8 minutes, so the pressure was on. Mark Torlage in 3rd had to retire soon after the start after trying to ride with 2 burst toes from the previous day. Lionel Seydoux couldn’t keep the pace he had from the previous day dropping from 4th to 8th by the day’s end, while Hard Enduro regular and last year’s Red Bull Romaniacs winner Andreas Lettenbichler, suffering from directional instability on day one (he got lost), started from 10th on the final day coming up to the final podium position.
Another rider who had an exceptional ride was Kiwi Michael Skinner. In his first attempt at this ride he finished a very creditable 10th overall, coming home ahead of some talented regulars at these extreme enduro rides. A credit to not only rider ability , but also the ability to look after man and machine in such a unforgiving environment. (See attached photo )
Another kiwi to head over for the challenge was a regular from the New Zealand enduro scene was Phil Cheater. I understand he had a bad fall on the first day sustaining some serious injuries and is still in hospital. All the best Phil for a speedy and full recovery.
