As we sift through piles of ambassador applications for 0ur 2023 program, we’ve been reminded of how rad our current crop of riders have been. With that in mind, we wanted to take a look back at a few of our favorite ambassador projects from 2023. We hope you enjoy them!

Josh Rizzo and Henry Cruickshank // Wisconsin and England // Ambassadogs

It’s no secret that we LOVE dogs at Kona. We even had a bike called the Dawg for a long time. When Josh and Henry asked ambassadors to submit photos and odes to their furry friends, we fell in love. Henry is constantly sending us cool little animations that feature his dog, and they always make us smile. We are firm believers that dogs make every day better.

Jeremy Collins // Los Angeles & Kansas City // Sutra LTD Bag Check

Back in May, artist Jeremy Collins and his wife Aimee attended the BAM Festival with a bunch of the Kona Europe staff. Leading up to the event, Jeremy and Aimee rode their bikes through the Dolomites to reach BAM. They kitted out their Sutra LTDs with their favorite bags. Jeremy gave us this little sketch and filled us in on the details about why this was the perfect setup.

Jake Hood & Erica Kutz // Queenstown & Bellingham // The Biggie Smalls Experiment

Jake Hood has been a Kona ambassador since day 1 of our program. He’s been in our launch videos, ads, and he’s helped us wrench at events. It’s safe to say the dude knows bikes. Jake did a deep dive on the Process X and its ability to run a mullet setup. He teamed up with artist Erica Kutz to help illustrate the science behind his project. The post became a fan favorite and is one we often go back and check out when people ask us about running a mullet.

Jon and Kate Strom // Kentucky // Tailgate Tacos

It’s no secret that we love the artsy posts that come out of the ambassador program, but we also appreciate the creative take on how to best end a big day of riding: Tacos. John and Kate Strom love their tacos and they love their socializing too. Leave it up to them to offer up the best apres in the lot after a big day of descending. 

Leah Lind-White // California // The 1.2 Project

Leah Lind-White is no stranger to being in front of a camera. In fact, she and her partner Satchel committed to a full year’s worth of short video projects in 2022. They’ve stuck to their goal and the results have been nothing short of spectacular. Leah and Satchel have shown us all sides of riding: the good times, the crashes, night riding, and all different kinds of terrain. Take a few minutes to enjoy a few of their stunning pieces.

We can’t just pick a few, so we’re not going to say that’s it. There were so many stunning projects from bikepacking in Chile, to crushing huge days in the BC backcountry. But it’s not about who goes the biggest or hardest. We are appreciative of the people who put slowing down as a goal. Covid was a lesson in taking a step back for all of us. We took time to really appreciate our friends. Our days in isolation were spent reflecting and for some folks, trail-building. We encourage you take a look at the 2022 Ambassador projects. We think it was the best year of creativity we’ve seen yet and we can’t wait to see what 2023 holds.

Applications are now closed for our 2023 intake.