Marco Rossi

Marco grew up riding the Italian Alps and led tours for a major European motorcycle tour company from 2007 to 2017 - 250 completed Alps loops, 80 Pyrenees crossings, 40 Balkans tours - before relocating to Chiang Mai in 2018 to specialise in Thailand's mountain country. He took on a Thai motorcycle tour licence in 2019, completed his IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) RoadSmart Trainer certification in 2020, and added California Superbike School Level 4 in 2021. In 2022 he completed Wilderness First Aid certification with TUSK Trauma Training, after three tour incidents over the previous two years reminded him that the nearest hospital from a Mae Hong Son ridge can be 90 minutes by ambulance.

Since opening his Chiang Mai operation he has led 200+ completed tours: 50+ full Mae Hong Son Loops on Highways 1095 and 108, 30+ Pai-and-beyond loops, 25+ Phuket-Krabi mountain runs, and 20+ Chiang Rai-Nan northern-frontier expeditions including the Doi Phu Kha 1256 ridge. He runs an annual Loy Krathong Bangkok-to-Chiang Mai overland every November, finished Rally Thailand 2023 in the 1,200 km amateur class, and is a regular at the Khao Yai Off-Road Festival. He rode the 2022 Bangkok-Chiang Mai Brotherhood Ride, a 700 km charity event that raised 1.4 million baht for a Thai road-safety NGO. For three years he has been a recurring guest on Adventure Rider Radio's 'Riding in Asia' series, has been quoted in BikeSocial UK on Thai touring routes, and was profiled in Cycle World's 'Rider of the Month' feature in October 2021.

He owns and rides three personal bikes that double as test mules for his recommendations: a Yamaha Tenere 700 (the upcountry workhorse, 80,000 km), a KTM 690 Adventure (the technical-terrain bike, 35,000 km), and a Honda CRF 300L Rally - the same model he most recommends to first-time Thailand renters. He speaks Italian (native), English (fluent), and intermediate Thai - enough to negotiate a roadside repair in a Mae Sariang village, which has happened more than once. His writing for Thai Bike is grounded in three rules: never recommend a bike he has not personally led a tour on, never prescribe a route he has not currently ridden, and never write the comfortable answer when the honest one matters more.