Red Bull Local Hero Tour brings ‘King of the Air’ to Sri Lanka

Visiting the North Western Province of Sri Lanka this July, the Red Bull Local Hero Tour along with professional kitesurfer Ruben Lenten “Len10”, the founder of the Red Bull Megaloop Challenge, will embark on a week-long kite camp in Kalpitiya in pursuit of the best local kitesurfing talent.

Between 13 and 17 July, Ruben will visit Kappalady Lagoon, Donkey’s Point, Kalpitiya Lagoon, Puttalam Lagoon and end in Vela Island where he will coach 25 of Sri Lanka’s most talented young kitesurfers with an end goal to inspire, educate, push, and promote the kitesurfing scene in Sri Lanka. The week will end in a culmination of a free kite surf exhibition session where the local talent will get to showcase all they have learnt during the workshops from the week. The workshops will up level the local knowledge on several fronts such as; kitesurfing, kiting gear, workouts, and the business of the sport, yoga and meditation, travelling and finally enjoying life.

Starting at the age of 12, this young Dutchman, who grew up near the sea, fell deeply in love with kitesurfing. Armed with a kite and a board, Ruben knew what he wanted, to ride hard and fly high. Following his heart and guided by the wind Ruben uses all of his passion to realise his dream. From ranking at the top of the world’s kiteboarding elite, to flying off a 100-metre high cliff, Ruben now explores the world and the seven seas have become his playground. However, Ruben’s story has not always been about extreme riding and impossible kite acrobatics. In August 2015, Ruben faced the biggest battle of his life: beating cancer. After a tough battle with cancer that kept him off the water for a little over a year, Ruben is now back at full strength and showing the world just what he loves to do.

Making it to the top of kitesurfing is anything but easy, and the help of a mentor is extremely valuable. These 25 Sri Lankan kitesurfers, whom Ruben is about to take under his wing, will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from a kiting legend. Ruben had this to say about the upcoming project: “I am very excited to be visiting Sri Lanka for the first time and to share kite and life experiences with the local kiting community and check out the local talent.”

To find out more about what’s going on visit redbull.com/int-en/events/local-hero-sri-lanka and progress can be tracked with daily reports on the official Facebook event page: Red Bull Local Hero Tour — Kitesurfing.