Report by: Quinton Spaulding

Photos by: Monique Spaulding

Grand Central Station, New York City…. WOW!

After having just competed at the KHS Gravity Open in Plattekill, NY, we were headed to the US Open in New Jersey. With a couple of days to kill, we decided to support Chris Heath’s team…the NY Mets.

New York City is SPECTACULAR, and SCARY at the same time.

We were headed to Citi Field ball park stadium in New York.

The atmosphere was electric and the NY Mets spanked the Phillie’s!

Perfect evening and a good time had by all!

Back to business… Mountain Creek Ski Resort Vernon, NJ.

We got set up bright and early in anticipation of what is considered a showcase event for the world of Downhill Mountain Bike racing.

KENDA is a big player at this event and a sponsor of our team. A big thank you goes out to Jim Wannamaker for all his support!

Diablo Freeride Park has a great bike shop that can pretty much take care of any riders needs. If you are ever there, you should pay them a visit.

Binggeli skies the “finish line” jump during DH training runs. The promoters stepped up the size on this puppy for 2010… little more “awe value” for the spectators!

Blake Carney preps for Giant Slalom.

Giant Slalom was a 1 track , 1 rider at a time event. Riders raced against the clock and only the 20 fastest qualified for the “Big Show”. In the finals and representing for KHS, Buhl qualified 2nd in the woman’s  division. Binggeli qualified 7th and finished 10th and Carney qualified 12th and finished 15th . These were all really solid results.

Photo: Ian Hylands

Woman’s Giant Slalom podium (left to right):
Melissa Buhl (KHS), Jill Kintner (Redbull / Transition) and Tracey Mosely (Trek World Racing)

Buhl takes 2nd in the finals.

Heath had his game face on for the Downhill, and was in an apparent DH frame of mind!

Ulmer was also looking forward to Sundays DH… keeping his head in the game.

Photo: Ian Hylands

Buhl had a strong 3rd place finish in the DH final Sunday.

Time to party like its 1999!

Again, a consistently strong top 20 finish for Binggeli who  placed 17th in the final. (of all the pro entrants, only 50 qualified out of 139 ).

KHS pilot, Chris Heath BARRELS through the upper rock garden.

Heath was so fast through the woods… nothing but a blur! He also had another consistent top 20 finish, snatching the 19th spot.

Once again, Ulmer had all the style – he finished 42nd on the day.

A job well done! KHS was represented extremely well at the US Open, and there was a great sense of achievement in our camp after all was said and done!

Headed out of New Jersey going WESTBOUND!! reflecting on what was a very successful and enjoyable 3 week trip to the East Coast.

Got ribs?

Next for us – Stop number 3 on the ProGRT Tour at Northstar Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, CA June 20-23, 2010.

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

All the best,

Q.

Report by: Quinton Spaulding

Photos by: Monique Spaulding

KHS Bicycles was the presenting sponsor of the Pro GRT Tour at Plattekill, NY. (which was stop number 2 of the Tour for KHS). It was a Jr. World Qualifier and a UCI Points race, but most of all it was a HUGE success!

We were fortunate enough to have our pit access right at the base of the chairlift, which was also just a few steps away from the finish line.

We were also a mere 50 yards from the best burger in Roxbury, NY.

The folks at Plattekill went all out with this race. Included were some really nice clothing items with a cool print.

Practice runs were the main objective from the moment we arrived. I unfortunately hit a tree in one of the early sessions, eliminating myself from competition at Plattekill. The rest of the team were on fire with everybody putting in fast clean laps, moving toward the finals.

Seriously!

Taking a break for hydration and cool-down between sessions were important in the New York heat and humidity.

Peter Heath came out to Plattekill to watch his son race. Peter frequently took Chris to Plattekill Mountain as a child, which is where he learned to snowboard, and eventually got turned onto Downhill racing.

During practice, Binggeli rails the wall right before the finish line.

Exiting the wall was somewhat tricky at high speeds.

Heath had it pinned every single run.

Ulmer always brings the “style”!  He had a pretty good get-off during practice on this wall ride, but somehow managed to remove all the skin from one butt cheek doing so. As painful as it was, it was also a quick reminder of the detailed mental focus it takes to race DH.

There were numerous World Cup teams and riders in attendance, and a good finish at this event ensured UCI Points.

We got some good rain on the Friday night, so qualifying was a little slicker than expected. This made for the best race conditions possible for Sundays finals.

We brought out all the stops for this one!

The chairlift was busy all weekend long, East Coast summers are great for DH racing.

Buhl during her race run Sunday. She was on the GAS and sporting her US National Championship jersey.

KHS’s Melissa Buhl took 2nd to Tracey Mosley (Trek World Racing) on the day. Jill Kitner (Red Bull/ Transition) and Darian Harvey (Vixon Racing) took 3rd and 4th respectively.

Photo: Jeremiah Dylan Dean

Binggeli CRUSHED it during his final run. He was one off the podium in 6th with what I believe is his best performance yet, considering who rounded out the top ten.

Photo: Jeremiah Dylan Dean

Heath had a great final run,  finishing 15th inside the top 20, and gaining valuable points for the Pro GRT overall title.

Photo: Jeremiah Dylan Dean

Ulmer put in another solid 28th place finish in a field of 60 – he continues to build confidence and fitness.

Carney had a good time racing downhill at Plattekill he finished right behind his team mate Ulmer in 29th. Although Blake is primarily focused on 4X, I believe you will see him racing more and more Downhill.

Photo: Jeremiah Dylan Dean

From left to right: Duncan Riffle (Giant Factory), Bryn Atkinson (Transition Cycles), Andrew Neethling (Trek World Racing), Justin Leov (Trek World Racing), Kieran Bennett (DRD Racing)

KHS just missed this podium, so we had to pay tribute with a picture to show it’s World Class caliber.

KHS gave away some AWESOME prizes to some lucky winners. We had a great time and were overwhelmed with the warm response we received from the locals at this event.

Back onto the Interstates of America and off to Vernon, NJ for the US Open of Mountain Biking.

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

All the best,

Q.