Monthly Archives: October 2012

Cory Wallace checks in after the Crocodile Trophy

Posted on 10/31/2012 by wicks

The 9 day Crocodile Stage race through the Australian Outback just finished up and has left all us racers in a world of hurt. Stage 1 started off with an XC race on the 1996 World Championships course in Smithfield. It was hard on my diesel engine but I still managed a top 10 and stayed in overall contention. After this we headed to the outback for 8 days, 800 km of racing through burning temperatures sometimes reaching +45 C. The huge Euro field made this race hard from the gun with a trio of Czech riders taking control of the race. I started to team up with 24 World Champ Jason English from Australia for the first couple days until we got taken out by a car on the finishing stretch of stage 2 on a dh blind corner. Jason hit the car at 40 km/hr, smacking off the windshield and launching himself and bike over the top of the car and into the ditch braking his collarbone and badly bruising the rest of his body. I was just behind him and managed to skid into the ditch, stacking it pretty good but luckily missing the car. Stage 3 I lost a pile of time as I battled knee pains from the crash and a couple of flat tires and fell out of the top 20 in overall gc. In the last 6 days of the race I used the technical parts of the course and big climbs to climb back into contention and nailed down a 4th overall in the gc including a sprint finish on stage 7th for a 2nd, just narrowly missing winning a highly regarded boomerang for a stage win. Read More→

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Kona Grass Roots – Justin Graves Race Report

Posted on 10/31/2012 by eddy

Last week, October 21st, Justin Graves took 4th place in the Omnium competition in the 2012 Collegiate National Championships at Angel Fire Resort, NM. Omnium competitors had to race in the Championship’s four disciplines; XC, DH, STXC, and Slalom. It was a very busy weekend, with practice sessions, qualifying runs, and races all layered together. “There was little time to rest and reset competing in the Omnium this year, but my Kona bikes gave me confidence everyday knowing I had the best equipment possible for each event,” Justin reported. After getting off to a disappointing start with two front flats in the cross country race, Graves would finish out the competition strong to take his first National Omnium medal.

Posted in Downhill, Racing | Leave a comment

Mount Hood Trail Work Day Follow Up

Posted on 10/31/2012 by eddy

The Kona and Sellwood Cycles sponsored trail work day was a massive success with just about 40 people there to help. Some made the trip in from Portland and Vancouver, WA. The crew moved 40 yard of rock to armor sections of trail and improved drainage. It snowed earlier in the day but once the crew moved to the east-side the sun came out. There was tons of swag and all went home with something. Rider up!

Posted in Advocacy, Enduro, XC | Leave a comment

Antoine Bizet’s Defise Contest Video – Vote Now

Posted on 10/30/2012 by eddy

Let’s all help Antoine win the contest, it’s in our hands. Go Here to vote.

Posted in DirtJump, Freeride, The Team, Videos | 1 Comment

Kona cyclocross weekend wrap-up

Posted on 10/29/2012 by wicks

The Kona cyclocross team was all over the map this weekend, racking up wins and podium finishs throughout the world. Following up her awesome performance from Last weekend at Round 1 of the Cyclocross World Cup, Helen Wyman scored another podium finish with 2nd at Round 2 in Plzen, CZ. Spencer Paxson kept things closer to home, winning the MFG cross at Marymoor park in Seattle. Barry Wicks, Sean Babcock and Alice Pennington traveled out to Boulder, Colorado for the Boulder Cup and Colorado Cross Classic, with Wicks taking an impressive 5th place on Saturday. Babcock rode solid and steady to notch 13th and 9th for the two days of racing, and Alice kept it constant with two 10th place finishes. Up next the team heads to Cincinnati, Ohio for a triple header UCI weekend, then off to the next round of the USGP in Louisville Ky. Helen will make her second US trip of the season to battle the big crowds and difficult conditions in Louisville in preparation for the World Championships which will be held there in January of next year.

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Chris Backhaus Rates his new Unit: “its appetite for unadulterated thrills will devour you”

Posted on 10/29/2012 by eddy

Kona Unit Review. Purchased from Michael’s Cycles in Prior Lake, MN October 2012 by Chris Backhaus:

I have heard it said that “ignorance is bliss.” In my case I’d rather be enlightened than left in the dark. I like to know, I like to be in control, I like to feel stable. In knowledge I find illumination, and in illumination my pride is slowly shelved as God does mighty works within me.

In the case of the many thousands of hours I have spent in the saddle and on the trail shredding every available inch of singletrack with my Trek I developed a great deal of pride. 2 years out of the saddle has awakened me to my ignorance of the sport I love. In an effort to turn the phrase “ignorance is bliss” to “simplicity is bliss” I purchased a new bike, selling the remnants of ridings past in the hopes of forging a new future, one without complexity. Read More→

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Helen Wyman second at World Cup Number 2

Posted on 10/28/2012 by wicks

Katie Compton took the lead in the women’s World Cup after an exciting but muddy second round of the series. After being beaten in the sprint by Sanne van Paassen last week, the US-champion hit back in the mud of Plzen, Czech Republic.

During the first half of the race it didn’t seem like Compton would be in contention for even a podium result in the beer town. She suffered on the slippery course and with the cold weather conditions. During the first lap she was distanced by a lead group that featured Van Paassen and British riders Helen Wyman (Kona) and Nikki Harris. Compton rode in a chase group with Sanne Cant, Hanka Kupfernagel, Jasmin Achermann and fast starter Lucie Chainel-Lefevre. Read More→

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Rad Racing Cyclocross Report

Posted on 10/26/2012 by eddy

Team manager Jim Brown reports: Revel-Rad Racing NW has made it to almost the halfway point of the CX season. We were spoiled for the first month or so with balmy temperatures and dry race courses. The weather has turned, and the time has come to get tough. The kids actually really like riding in the mud, it’s a license to get dirty, and what kid doesn’t like to get dirty. Read More→

Posted in Asphalt, cyclocross, Racing | Leave a comment

Antoine Bizet Season Recap 2012

Posted on 10/26/2012 by joonas

Posted in DirtJump, Freeride, The Team, Videos | Leave a comment

Kona Team Update – October 2012

Posted on 10/24/2012 by eddy

Second at Rampage, US ‘Cross Dominance, European Enduro Series Titles, National Marathon Championship Titles and More

Antoine Bizet, the flying 19-year-old French Phenom, pulled off a massive result at Redbull Rampage in the Utah desert. The young freeride star came back from a throw-away first run to nail four backflips and all his technical lines, including a flip above massive exposure, claiming 2nd place at his first ever Rampage. The amazing ride highlighted an up-and-down season marked with injury and accomplishment, and put a cherry on top of Bizzy’s FMB World Tour season. Read More→

Posted in cyclocross, DirtJump, Downhill, Enduro, Freeride, Racing, The Team, XC | Leave a comment

Fabien Barel: My Way – The Story Of His World Championship Victories

Posted on 10/24/2012 by eddy

Fabien Barel won two elite world championships, both of them aboard a Kona Stab Supreme. Kona is proud to have been there to support this legendary racer for the two biggest victories of his career. Those were good times. Check out this video of Fabien’s story and relive the two classic back-to-back wins.

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Kona Factory Team Australia – VDHS Round 1 (Mt Taylor)

Posted on 10/23/2012 by eddy

The Kona Factory Team recently hit the road for the first time this season with Mt Taylor kicking off the first round of the 2012/13 Victorian DH Series, arguably the best DH series in the southern hemisphere. With new team members, new bikes and two riders hot off the world cup circuit the team was out to impress in their debut race for this year. Read More→

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