Monthly Archives: October 2011

Chris Christie – Huntsman World Senior Games on the King Zing

Posted on 10/31/2011 by eddy

I entered the “Huntsman World Senior Games” in St George Utah for my 3rd time this year.

This was the 25th anniversary of the Huntsman Games which brought out the best of the best, over 10,000 participants in all the sports which cycling had 330 riders. They had participants from 50 states and 22 countries. In the Cycling event there are 4 races, a 5k hill climb, a 40k TT, a Crit and a 65k Road Race. An “Overall Winner” is declared at the end of the races by the accumulation of the most points.

I rode my Kona King Zing with Shimano Di2 and Bontrager XXX carbon wheels, which I built, using the 2010 King Zing Frame. This combination has given me the best results of the Games I have ever achieved. I won a Gold medal in the Crit and Silver medals in the Hill Climb, the 40k TT, and Road Race. This gave me 31 points and the “Overall Winner’s Jersey for Division II, ages 60-65!” Read More→

Posted in News, Racing | 2 Comments

Shop of the Week – Vertical Earth, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Posted on 10/31/2011 by eddy

If you’ve never been to Coeur d’Alene, what are you waiting for? This is the little town that could and does.

Located lakeside in the Idaho panhandle Coeur d’Alene oozes all things bike – road, tri, mountain – you want it, you got it.

It’s synonymous with the king of all tri events – Ironman. And there’s a host of mountain and road events and no end to the miles and miles of riding opportunity.

Vertical Earth is there to help you get to the top of your game. Read More→

Posted in News, Shop of the Week | Leave a comment

Kris Sneddon Checks in From the 2011 LIMBC

Posted on 10/29/2011 by wicks

The Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge may be the best race I did all year. It was a 5 day MTB stage race in Langkawi, Malaysia. Langkawi is a small island off Malaysia close to Thailand. My teammate Cory Wallace (KONA FACTORY TEAM) talked me into this event, which turned out to have a superstar field including Karl Platt, Burry Stander, Johnny Cattaneo and Marzio Deho on the mens side and Nathalie Schneitter and Vivienne Meyer for the women.

Day one was a 62 km UCI marathon which was super hot, probably about 35 degrees C and to make it even worse the whole field of 160+ pro men spent 20 minutes lined up on the start waiting for the honorary patron Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, some general or colonel, to show up and say go. I went out way too hard and blew up after the first 30 minutes. After another 45 minutes of trying to ride hard I came around and had a strong finish. There were going to be three neutral feed zones but it turned out that there was only one, so most racers got extremely dehydrated. I finished up 16th. Cory was having an awesome day but got attacked by a jungle vine, which wrapped around his head and his bike. Cory finished 11th.

Stage two was a UCI XC held at the Kampung Tok Senih Resort. This course had an awesome super steep climb and rad single track descent through rubber plantations. The local race marshals had little camp fires going to keep away the mosquitos which made an already hot race even hotter plus you were always breathing in smoke. Read More→

Posted in News, Racing, XC | Leave a comment

Matt Slaven Third Overall in Oregon Super D Series

Posted on 10/29/2011 by eddy

From Declinemagazine.com
This year packed in four amazing venues across the state and doubled the previous year’s participation numbers. The series kicked off in late May in beautiful Hood River, then followed by events in Bend, Oakridge and the series finale at Sandy Ridge off Mt. Hood. Aside from the premier all-mountain enduro events, this season also encompassed bike demos at all stops, pump track parties, urban dual slalom races and chainless DH action.

The 2011 series surpassed 800 participants, including such names as Nathan Riddle, Mark Weir, Matthew Slaven, Karim Amour, Adam Craig, Brian Lopes Eric Carter amongst many more top professional and amateur athletes from around the globe. Enough said; the Oregon Super D Series is a legit endurance downhill series putting together some of the most challenging courses, some of which will only get better as the series changes direction to balance the DH and XC-styled genres.

Overall Pro Men
1st Place: Nathan Riddle (Santa Cruz Bicycles/SRAM/Dakine)
2nd Place: Timmy Evans (Giant/Northstar-at-Tahoe)
3rd Place: Matthew Slaven (Kona, Dakine, Easton/Bell)
4th Place: Anthony Diaz (Turner Bikes)
5th Place: Kenny Burt (WTB/Ibis)

Posted in Enduro, News, Racing | Leave a comment

Kona Victoria Project – Round 1 You Yangs

Posted on 10/28/2011 by mitchell

Here’s the first installment of the Kona Victoria Project, this series of videos will be similar to The Kona Australia Series, however just isolated to the Kona Victorian State Downhill Mountain Bike Series. Filmed and Edited by Jake Lucas, Thanks for the Additional shots to Liam Renaut.

Kona Victoria Project – Round 1 You Yangs from Jake Lucas on Vimeo.

Posted in Downhill | Leave a comment

The Dutch Cycling Embassy – Cycling for Everyone

Posted on 10/27/2011 by eddy

We facilitate cycling worldwide as the most modern, efficient and sustainable means of transportation by sharing our expertise and technology as the world’s number one cycling country.

Find out more at the Dutch Cycling Embassy website

Posted in Advocacy, News | Leave a comment

Regular Joe – Season Recap

Posted on 10/27/2011 by eddy

As the days grow shorter, the nights colder and the dirt even tackier, I look back at a great season of bicycle riding. It was one of big changes for me, as I graduated from the BCIT School of Business Marketing Management program in May, and started a job as the Brand Specialist for Ryders Eyewear in June. This new position is pretty ideal for me, as it allows for plenty of time off during the bike season to pursue my riding adventures, as Ryders understands the value in my athlete lifestyle.

I stayed really busy this summer, running the Joe Schwartz Freeride Camp in Calgary and coaching for the Summer Gravity Camps in Whistler.

I had many photos published this season including a Bike Mag Photo Annual spread. Osprey used a couple shots of me extensively on their hydration pack hangtags, catalog, and advertising materials. Read More→

Posted in News, Regular Joe | 1 Comment

The Kona Odyssey – Ride Your Way Into Mountain Bike Mythology

Posted on 10/27/2011 by eddy

What will your odyssey be? To win? Top two hundred? To finish? To just survive?

Will you, like our hero Homer, stand atop the Otway Ranges come February 18th, muddied but triumphant; a two wheeled warrior, conqueror of 100 kilometres of vertiginous climbs, thick swathes of forest and the odd mud monster clawing out from the ferns?

It’s a story only you will be able to tell after signing up for the Kona Odyssey, a marathon mountain bike journey like no other.

This is the one the mountain bike Gods look to, it’s the one they hold up as the biggest two wheel battlefield of all.

Find out more here

Posted in News, Racing | 1 Comment

Kona 2012 Grass Roots Program Starts Now

Posted on 10/26/2011 by eddy

Since Kona began its Grassroots Pro Development Program in 1990, we’ve helped hundreds of amateur cyclists take the next step in their competitive endeavors. Some notable riders that started in Grassroots include Ryder Hesjedal, Geoff Kabush, Barry Wicks, and Ryan Trebon. Two current Team Kona athletes that got their start in the program include Graham “Aggy” Agassiz, and Antoine “Bizzy” Bizet. “New developments in cycling have always started at the grassroots level,” explains Jacob Heilbron, one of Kona’s founders. “Being in touch and working with up and coming athletes has driven just about every important new platform and model that Kona has introduced since we started building bikes in 1988.”

New for 2012, we’ve honed in our Grassroots Program so that it has the ability to offer more support and focus to cycling’s brightest new talent. The program will be eligible to only 100 cyclists worldwide, through the full spectrum of disciplines: from cyclocross to DH; XC to slopestyle. Athletes are given great prices and terms on their bicycles, receive team kit, and can take advantage of a payback structure that allows athletes to earn credit through race results, published photos and video views. Stay tuned to the COG for the successes of our Grassroots Team. If you’re interested in applying to the Kona Grassroots program, please inquire at your local Kona dealer. You can also inquire by email: Canada – Trevor Porter; USA – Chris Newell; UK/Europe – Ben Gaby

Posted in News | 2 Comments

Dylan Sherrard – Fall Check Up

Posted on 10/26/2011 by eddy

“I wondered for a long time what it would be like to be there, winding slowly along the old Lilloett highway. Signage alerted me that it was “guaranteed rugged” and fits of colored leaves swirled past my windows. In between dodging solar flares as they shot their way through my windshield I realized I hadn’t seen another car in a long while. I lost track of time about five songs before then. It can be hard to guess the time in those changing seasons when the sun sits so low along the hillsides. But time wasn’t much of a worry, I knew I would end up in Bralorne before dark and that was all I was really counting on. Winter was quickly approaching and the chilly shadow around every hill was a great reminder. The hot chocolate I purchased at a small gas station in my last towns passing was a little too hot to drink just yet, but holding it with my aching grip felt just right. Read More→

Posted in DirtJump, Downhill, Freeride, News | Leave a comment

Kona Riders Alex Stock and Stefano Migliorini Fifth and Tenth at the Finale Ligure Superenduro

Posted on 10/26/2011 by eddy

As riders took to the hills I was stumbling out of my hotel room and swearing at the weak wifi connection. It was one of those days for me. Talking to a lot of the riders at the end of the day, I think I wasn’t the only one. Nearly all of them had a mechanical or an incident somewhere along the line. Despite problems everybody you spoke to at the end of the day said two things though: how hard the race was and how much fun they had. As mountain bikers we’re a weird lot, right?

Since I was such a shambles I managed to miss the pick up truck heading out to the stages to take photos, fortunately Giulio from Endura Italy was kind enough to give me his photos, so all was not lost. Thanks Giulio, I definitely owe you a beer.

As for the racing… Mixed reports were coming in all day, but looking through the splits this evening it seems that Nico was looking set to dominate, but a few problems later in the day meant he dropped back to second behind Remy Absalom. David Sottocornola flew the Italian flag today, storming to a strong third place by this evening. For us Brits it was a good day, with Dan Atherton and Alex Stock taking up the last two spots in the top five. Here’s the top ten as it stands, hopefully the results by category will be up tomorrow (we’ll get them up here with some photos from the talented Matteo Cappe too), but from what I can figure out it looks like Tracey Moseley dominated the women’s competition today.

Read more on PinkBike

KONA Sponsors
Posted in Enduro, News, Racing | Leave a comment

Robson Ferreira Three Time Brazilian National Marathon Champion

Posted on 10/25/2011 by eddy

Robson’s wife Nathalia Macedo reports

On this last Sunday (23/10) did the Brazilian Championship Mountain Bike Marathon in Garibaldi (city of champagne) in Rio Grande do Sul Rio And Robson Ferreira, after a turbulent year, full of ups and downs, due to problems health continues to occur and consecrated three-time champion Brazilian mountain bike marathon on a circuit of 62 km, this hard route, with steep climbs, descents dangerous, and a blazing sun the way the player likes. Moreover, it is atoa which is the favorite marathon.

The three titles in the test reports and also the satisfaction of being the only Brazilian elite athlete to be in the form 3x Champion Mountain Bike Marathon: Read More→

Posted in News, Racing, XC | Leave a comment