Photos by: Quinton Spaulding

Report by: Quinton Spaulding

The East Coast has always intrigued me, things are so different from the West. People talk different, they seem a little more tense, yet they try to come across as relaxed and laid back. Flying into Albany, New York is probably what really leaves me feeling tense, but hey, gas was a little cheaper, and the jerky is “Damn Good”.

This guy had a great setup, a cup holder and a rocking stereo with one of my favorite Foghat tracks blaring – Slow Ride! Click the link and listen to it while you read my report http://www.foghat.com/ it will give you a little bit of a feel of our trip.

KHS Factory racer Matt Johnston showed up sporting a serious mustache, he was farming this beauty for a mustache competition being held in Salvista, Colorado! He is going to enter via email from MT-ST Anne, Canada. He told me if he wins he would split the purse with me!

Things got off to a great start at Mount Snow Friday evening, Buhl qulified 1st in the Pro women’s slalom and was being confused for one of the Elite Men…she would have placed 18th in a field of 32 qualifying Pro Men.

Binggeli also did well in qualifying. He seeded 7th, showing a HUGE improvement in his gate starts, (something he has been working really hard on). Both Binggeli and Buhl chose to race their hard-tails over full suspension bikes, being as the track had a pretty good “straight away” sprint out the gate.

OAKLEY spared no expense when they bought their rig, this thing could pull a train if needed!

The matching trailer was an unbelievable sight. The word was they spent $125K on it before they even started putting graphics on it. It had huge flat screen TV’s and a sound system that a rock star would be impressed by.

SOBE also showed up in style, they had free samples of every drink they made throughout the entire weekend. It is sights like this that reassure the industry everything is going to be OK!

Kenda Tires…what can I say about Jim Wannamaker? Not only is Jim an industry icon, but he is also the hardest working man in the industry. There is absolutely “no shame” in Jim’s game, if he has to sleep in the trailer to make his quota then he gets it done! Thanks for everything you have done for us this season Jimbo!

Saturday mornings XC start was a wet one! It dumped buckets in the early hours of the morning, the storm was so fierce I sat up in bed and watched and listened as waves of lighting and thunder passed through…it was AWESOME!

Potassium is an essential part of any athletes diet, this banana was there to feed a XC racer and looked great whilst doing it. The lady in the background with her finger pointed at him was not happy about something the banana did, but how can you blame a fruit for anything?!

KHS had racers in just about every group at the US Nationals, and we were there with intentions of winning. Winning is not everything but it sure does mean a lot to the psyche of a racer, nothing boosts your confidence and pushes you to the next level like winning does.

This is Andy Johnston in the KHS gear, he is the coach and team manager of www.cycleyouth.com racers on the East Coast. Andy was kind enough to allow the KHS Factory Team to pit with him for the Nationals. He has a fantastic program that gets young cyclists ready for the “big time”.

Downhill JR. X winner and KHS Co Factory rider Ethan Quail had an enormous win at Vermont. He managed to take the top step on the podium beating the race favorite from the West Coast – Yeti rider, Kevin Aiello.

Ethan has been training hard and staying focused on everything it takes to be a winner…it paid off for him as well as KHS. He is a young up-and-comer and I am sure we will get to hear a lot more about him in the future.

Saturday evening was just perfect for racing! We were ready for some high speed action in the Dual Slalom finals! They added about an extra 50 yards out the gate to this years track, which meant you had to get your sprint on or you could lose the race before the first turn.

Binggeli practices a few gate starts before the finals! He faired very well with an 8th place finish overall after being eliminated by Mongoose rider and MTB legend Eric carter.

Dual Slalom Top 20 Finishers Pro Men

Buhl annihilated the field and easily rolled in for the win! That makes Melissa the 4X and Dual Slalom National Champion.

Dual Slalom Top 4 Finishers Pro Women

The Downhill on Sunday was no different for Buhl, she just edged out Luna Chics rider Marla Streb with a 0.20 differential.

Melissa Buhl has compiled a long list of titles in 2008, this could become a record breaking year for her. She is not done either, she leads the points chase in the Dual slalom and Downhill Nationals Series!

4X World Champion

Sea Otter Classic Downhill Champion

4X US National Champion

Dual Slalom US National Champion

Downhill US National Champion

The KHS / Kenda – Cycle Youth juniors also had a fantastic showing at the Championship’s in Vermont! They went home with 3 Championship Titles and 4 podiums amongst them. The future looks really bright for these guy’s.

Every event must end, no matter how hard you try to avoid the trip back home…it just has to be done! Flying back to Vegas was a lot easier this year. KHS went home with 7 National Titles, and nobody was injured. It is this type of performance that makes a Team Manager proud, and trust me I smiled the entire 8 hour trip home.

As always a HUGE thanks to all our sponsors!

Melissa Buhl and Matt Johnston are up in MT-ST Anne, Canada for the next stop on the World Cup Circuit – We wish them the best of luck!

As for the rest of the KHS Factory Team we will be up in Brian Head, Utah for some testing this weekend and then off to CrankWorx in Winter Park, Colorado early next week. Please stay tuned for more updates and photos as they become available.

All the best,

Q.

Photos by: Quinton Spaulding

Report by: Quinton Spaulding

From Vegas to Aspen! It has got to be one of the most scenic desert drives in the world, and then as you get closer to Snowmass, it gets greener, oh yeah and a lot ritzier!!

I observed a sign immediately behind all of these trinkets which read “ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING”!! Well that did not stop any of these vendors. There were about seven different vehicles with their trunks open ready to stash their goods and hightail it out of there should the authorities arrive. These people live on the edge, just like us mountain bike racers really!

A chairlift is always such a wonderful sight to see. For gravity racers it is a prelude of what’s to come…excitement, tons of fun and sometimes a little pain. The chairlift in this picture was a brand new six seater high speed lift, and the folks at Snowmass used the gravity racers as guinea pig’s to test it for the very first time…it was GREAT! This also added an additional 700 vertical feet to the DH course making it the most high speed course thus far this year!

It is normally on the track that we struggle with off-cambers, well at this event it was in the pits. We had to keep our traction to the max and focus on not twisting an ankle on the downward slope. However, It still made for a very cool pit area being that it surrounded the Mountain Cross course, allowing us to have front row seating to all the exciting 4X racing!

If you don’t believe me about the “off-cambers” please observe the tent poles and then compare their attitude to the Aspen Trees in the background…getting level ground was work. Just a little fact I learned about Aspen trees this year – they are one of the largest living organism’s on the planet! Now I found this to be an extremely interesting fact, seen as that they are just trees – but all joined at the roots!

Since the first National this year, we have built enough wheels for the entire Peloton of the Tour De France. We are serious about going fast in the rough and like our wheels to roll true whilst doing it. I would like to take this opportunity to give a “Special Thanks” to Sun Ringle for having patience with us, and supplying us with everything we need to get our job done!

Unfortunately my camera failed me during the 4X events at Snowmass…for this I apologize, our riders faired very well though!! Once again Melissa Buhl was unstoppable, (which has become a theme for her this year)and she won the Elite Ladies convincingly!

Logan Binggeli had a horrific crash during one of his heats and ended up 7th overall in the Elite Men. Luckily he did not get hurt too bad, but raced the Downhill with a very stiff neck.

There were 12 consistent World Cup racers in the top twenty at Snowmass, and this event scored huge UCI points. KHS rider Logan Binggeli had a good finish, he took 18th place overall, gaining more experience and speed every time he competes.

Matt Johnston who came in strong from his 9th place finish at the Deer Valley National was looking fast and had a good qualifier. It just wasn’t his day though, he crashed in the second to last turn and came down covered in dirt, he still placed 32nd with his crash in a field of 49 racers.

It was to be a similar fate for Keith Mott, not a crash but a mechanical. He flatted in the woods and had to roll it to the finish line for a 36th place finish. Keith was back for his first race from a recent injury (dislocated thumb) and was still looking strong on this rough, fast course. Mott also qualified well.

I felt very good during practice and qualified well too, unfortunately I strained a hamstring during my qualifier and did not start in the final. Just a couple weeks off should take care of it.

Top 20 Elite Men

This photo was taken by a monkey from a long distance without a zoom lens – sorry about the quality!

Melissa “KILLED” the women’s field by a whopping 15 seconds, I have to be honest on this one it was a forgone conclusion by racers and fans alike that she would take the win.

Top 5 Elite Women

Everywhere we go we have people in uniform paying special attention to us, making sure that in a time of need they are there for us – THANK YOU!

Next it is off to Vermont for the USA Cycling National Championships where we expect to come home with multiple titles.

All the best,

Q.

Photos: Monique & Brittany Spaulding

Report: Quinton Spaulding

Park City, Utah was the home of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The Olympics generate millions of dollars for growth and preparation before it’s arrival, and this left Park City with an infrastructure second to none! The above picture illustrates how you practice “Ski Jumping” during the summer months… and these guy’s go big!!

The NORBA trailer and crew were there upon our arrival. These guy’s work really hard to put on these races and provide the racers with a lot of satisfaction. Racing is in their blood just the same as ours and this definitely provides us with a common bond and friendship.

There is so much to do here, and it all involves a healthy lifestyle. I am a HUGE fan of this place, the town is as clean as a whistle, the stores are all so well kept and their local service is definitely above average…the best thing of all is that the air is so very clean.

KHS was one of the very first teams to arrive at Deer Valley early Monday morning, allowing us the extra time to get all our ducks in a row prior to all the madness that would follow throughout the week and weekend. We had arrived directly from Wolf Mountain in Ogden, Utah about an hour North of Salt Lake City.

We were on site no more than a couple of hours when this happened. One minute you have perfectly blue skies…no wind, nothing to worry about right?? Well no, because the next moment a change in weather moves in and there is destruction!

This left me with a 3 hour tent rebuild, however luckily for me I had spare parts from a previously destroyed E-Z Up tent which helped get it back together.

We were treated to a great show in the parking lot by these young ladies on their unicycles. They made their synchronized display look very easy, but I am sure that it has taken them many, many hours of practice to achieve their polished routine.

It did not take long to get into the mix of things. Slalom finals were Saturday evening and we were in for a real treat on what was a very well constructed track. Melissa Buhl qualified 1st for the Elite ladies and Logan Binggeli 9th for the Elite men. I was pretty excited for KHS and it’s riders to get started and lay down some fast runs.

KHS Factory racer Logan Binggeli raced well, he made quick work of eliminating riders before advancing into the round of eight.

Unfortunately Binggeli lost his chain in the round of eight and had to pump the track to the finish line. This left him with a very respectable 7th place finish and some more valuable points towards the overall Dual Slalom title chase. I definitely think he would have gone further had it not been for his chain problems. Sometimes there is no amount of preparation that can avoid a badly timed mechanical.

Top 20 Elite Men DUAL SLALOM

1 Cameron Cole (NZl) Maxxis

2 Petr Hanak (USA) Totally Wired

3 Chris Boice (USA) Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Team

4 Aaron Gwin (USA) Yeti Cycles

5 Mike Haderer (USA) Fox Shox/Yeti

6 Ryan Condrashoff (USA) X-Fusion/Santa Cruz Bicycles

7 Logan Binggeli (USA) KHS BICYCLES

8 Orlando Martinez (Cub)

9 Sam Blenkisop (NZl) Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Team

10 James Schwanke (USA) Mongoose/Ano/Oakley

11 Nick Vandine (USA) Sobe Cannondale

12 Chad Lorrain (USA) Brodie USA

13 Rudy Unrau (USA) Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Team

14 Mike Kreger (USA) The Fix/Fly/Transition Bikes/Diety

15 John Hauer (USA) X-Fusion/Mongoose Bicycles

16 Joseph Backus (USA) Staats Bicycles

17 Tommy Tokarczyk (USA) Jamis Bikes/Shark Energy Drink

18 Jd Swanguen (USA) Ms/Intense

19 Chris Van Dine (USA) Cannondale

20 Cody Wilderman (USA) Totally Wired

Newly crowned World Champion 4X racer Melissa Buhl was in great form and went through to the finals unchallenged.

Top 8 Elite Women DUAL SLALOM

1 Melissa Buhl (USA) KHS BICYCLES

2 Lisa Myklak (USA) Spyder/Fox/Black Market

3 Leana Gerrard (USA) Mona Vie Cannondale

4 Joanna Petterson (RSA)

5 Jessica Vogt (USA) Ely/Turner

6 Jackie Harmony (USA) Zumbi/Loeka/Amc/Hayes/Monster

7 Leslie Slagle (USA) Aggro Bikes

8 Darian Harvey (USA) Sobe/Cannondale

Here is a shot of Buhl adorning her rainbow stripes in preparation for the SHIMANO kids race which is a routine feature at the NMBS events. Buhl rode with the kids and was a real crowd pleaser.

Like I said before you can never prepare enough to avoid mechanicals but you still have to do your very best, and that is what the KHS crew does at every race we attend…our very best!

The track looked very inviting Sunday morning, we did however still have a nervous silence fall over the pits before the Pro Downhill qualifying and main event. This is common in Downhill racing and just goes to show how much focus racing Downhill demands. This race track was high speed, loose, rough and full of features with huge obstacles. It is the kind of track that can end your season in an instant, so we were all very happy to leave with only minor scrapes and abrasions.

All 3 of the KHS Elite men that signed up performed well. We all ended up in the top 25 amongst some of the best in the world, this was a pleasing overall result for the team.

Top 30 Elite Men DOWNHILL

1 Justin Leov (NZl) Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Team 0.03.01.41

2 Amiel Cavalier (USA) Giant 0.05.87

3 Sam Blenkisop (NZl) Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Team 0.05.92

4 Aaron Gwin (USA) Yeti Cycles 0.06.08

5 Chris Van Dine (USA) Cannondale 0.09.80

6 Kieran Bennett (NZl) Kb Racing 0.10.67

7 Nick Vandine (USA) Sobe Cannondale 0.13.59

8 Andrew Pierce (USA) Specilized/Go-Ride 0.15.61

9 Matt Johnston (USA) KHS BICYCLES 0.16.25

10 Ian Odom (USA) Brodie Cycles 0.17.73

11 Brad Benedict (USA) X-Fusion/Santa Cruz Bicycles 0.17.89

12 Chris Boice (USA) Yeti/Fox Shox Factory Team 0.19.16

13 Brad Oien (USA) Odi/Southridge/Tuner 0.19.42

14 Tim *Tj* Sharp (USA) Yeti/Fox 0.19.83

15 Szymon Kowalski (Pol) Mojo Wheels 0.22.02

16 Anthony Diaz (USA) Durango Cyclery 0.22.17

17 Mike Kreger (USA) The Fix/Fly/Transition Bikes/Diety 0.22.64

18 Quinton Spaulding (USA) KHS BICYCLES 0.22.95

20 Chris Shewmake (USA) Sol Vista Bike Park 0.22.96

21 Matt Fisher (USA) Thefixbikes.Com 0.23.12

22 William Warren (USA) Kona Bicycles 0.27.69

23 Phil Wheeler (USA) The Fix 0.27.76

24 Logan Binggeli (USA) KHS BICYCLES 0.28.35

25 Tyler Wilson (USA) Intense Cycles 0.29.35

26 Dave Ziegman (USA) Yeti Cycles 0.29.69

27 Jon Wilson (USA) Northstar/Giant 0.33.24

28 Rick Goldrup (USA) SWD/Fox Racing 0.35.56

29 John Hauer (USA) X-Fusion/Mongoose Bicycles 0.36.62

30 Ryan Condrashoff (USA) X-Fusion/Santa Cruz Bicycles 0.38.48

Melissa Buhl did not compete in Sundays Downhill race due to an injury she suffered in Italy on her thumb.

Once again our pit area was very popular after the race and we had some friendly fans with some very high dollar choppers come pay us a visit.

All that was left to do after this two week road trip was pack it all up and head home. Home is Vegas for me so it was somewhat depressing to leave this cool, beautiful green destination for the blazing hot, brown desert.

Driving off into the sunset reminded me that I only had two weeks to regroup and get ready for stop number 5 of the Mountain Cup Series in Snowmass, Colorado. That is where the KHS crew will be next…ready to take care of business.

As always we would like to give a huge thanks to our sponsors, they are the best of the best!

Please stay tuned for more pictures and updates as they become available.

All the best,

Q.

Photos: Monique Spaulding

Report: Quinton Spaulding

Utah is HUGE, full of beauty and majestic mountains! We were at Wolf Mountain in Ogden to race the Utah State Downhill Championships.

Photo : Courtesy www.mbaction.com

It was whilst setting up at Wolf Mountain that we received news that Melissa Buhl had just won a World Championship for KHS in the womens 4X at the UCI World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy…well done Buhler!!

The chairlift there is a quick ride up with some unbelievable scenery along the way. It was so green and lush even though the temperatures were close to being in the triple digits the entire weekend.

Binggeli raced Super D on Saturday and took 2nd place behind Sobe Cannondale rider Nick Van Dine. This was a good result for Binggeli in his first Pro Super D race ever.

Here is a view of the valley from near the Downhill start gate.

Binggeli tries to stay cool under the KHS cover but I really think he was missing his mommy!

On my way up to do the first of two race runs early Sunday morning.

Binggeli during one of his Downhill race runs – he placed 3rd overall with a podium finish for KHS.

Matt Johnston finished 2nd in the Pro downhill and was alongside Binggeli on the podium. This was a great result for the KHS crew and a very strong showing in the Utah State Downhill Championships. I secured a top 10 finish with a 10th place overall.

Pro Men Top 10 Downhill

As people gathered for the awards presentation, it was noticeable that KHS was pretty dominant on the podium.

This is Ron, the man behind Salamander Promotions and the Utah State Series.

This fellow challenged me to a race, him on his horse and me on my DH bike…blindfolded, I almost won! Just kidding it wasn’t even close!

Now it was time to pack it up and move on South down to Park City, Utah for the Deer Valley National. We had come to Ogden in preparation for this event and were pleased with our results thus far.

KHS Factory team Sponsors.

All the best,

Q.