We’ve just returned home from Laguna Seca—home of the unofficial kickoff to the bike season…

THE SEA OTTER CLASSIC

It was hot, dusty, windy, cold, dusty, windy, and hot. Did we say dusty? It was dusty. But most of all, it was great to catch up with friends old and new. We had a full staff of sales, marketing, product, and our demo team on hand to answer questions, reminisce about Kona glory, and serve up some of our favorite beverages all weekend long.

We had Kona Factory rider Miranda Miller signing autographs and making everyone smile with her always on-point humor and stories. Kona Endurance athletes Cory Wallace and Rebecca Fahringer raced in the cross-country event, putting their Hei Heis through the paces. We had ambassadors from around North America ambling through the booth too!

We featured four of our favorite Dream Builds: A Process 134 CR DL, Hei Hei CR DL, Libre CR DL, and a Honzo ESD that proved to be the real head-turner of the week. We also had four of our favorite current bikes on display too: a Rove LTD, Process X CR DL, Unit X, and Process 153 DL 29. We outfitted the Unit X with some sweet bags from Ortlieb to show just how badass of a bikepacking machine that thing is.

We commuted in from Pebble Beach and enjoyed the rambling coastline along Monterey and up into the foothills. Ebike or gravel bike—whatever you choose—riding in is definitely the best way to go. No traffic, incredible views, and a great kickoff and ending to a long day of Ottering. It was awesome to see so many faces excited about Kona, hang with our riders, and get excited about the upcoming season. We are already looking forward to next year at Laguna Seca!