Category: Team

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Race Season is Back!

The KHS Pro MTB team has had a strong start to the 2025 season, having already completed two national events and showcasing impressive performances across both. With riders fine-tuning their skills and strategies.

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton in the hot seat at the Tennessee National held in Windrock.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton in the hot seat at the Tennessee National held in Windrock.

“The Tennessee National at Windrock Bike Park was awesome, the course was fast and technical with a lot of big features at the bottom. The women’s field was so stacked with people from all over the world including many top World Cup racers.”  -McKenna Merten

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton at the Tennessee National held in Windrock.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton at the Tennessee National held in Windrock.

Three days after the team finished up in Tennessee, they were off to the first stop of the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series at Ride Rock Creek.

KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten at the Tennessee National held in Windrock.
KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten at the Tennessee National held in Windrock.

“I was excited for this race as the weather was awesome and I was building more confidence on the bike. The track was gnarly and high speed with lots of lines to figure out.” Bella Naughton

KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten out on the track at the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series at Ride Rock Creek. KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten…
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Welcome Westynn

I’m Westynn Iverson, a 20-year-old free ride mountain biker from the hills of Utah, and I’m stoked to announce I’ll be riding once again for KHS Bikes in the 2025 season and I couldn’t be more stoked! I’ve always had a passion for shredding on two wheels. My journey has been all about learning, growing, and pushing my limits, and with this partnership, I can’t wait to take my riding to the next level.

KHS Pro MTB rider Westynn Iverson
KHS Pro MTB rider Westynn Iverson

After a tough season dealing with a broken collarbone, it’s been a grind getting back to where I want to be, but I’m more fired up than ever. The road to recovery taught me a lot, not just about my body but about the bigger picture of the sport. I’m super pumped about the future, both for me and for the mountain bike industry as a whole. There’s so much progress happening right now, and I can’t wait to be part of that evolution. Utah’s trails are my home, and I’m looking forward to taking on new challenges, learning more, and showing what’s possible when you don’t give up!

KHS Pro MTB rider Westynn Iverson
KHS Pro MTB rider Westynn Iverson

Beyond just the riding, I’m all about pushing boundaries and inspiring others to chase their passion, no matter what setbacks they face. Growing up in Utah, I’ve always had access to some of the best terrain out there, and it’s shaped who I am as a rider. Whether it’s hitting big lines, trying new tricks, or just having fun with friends, I’m always…
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Monster Pro Downhill Series, Big Bear

The last time I did a downhill race (which was actually my first ever downhill race) was in 2018 at National Champs in Snowshoe, West Virginia where I became Junior Downhill National Champion. I have been wanting to do some more downhill racing for a while now and with the enduro season winding down I thought the Monster Pro Downhill Series in Big Bear, California would be the perfect opportunity.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton at the Monster Pro Downhill series stop at Big Bear, CA.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton at the Monster Pro Downhill series stop at Big Bear, CA.
Only practicing and racing one track was different for me coming from enduro but I really enjoyed having to pick apart and learn every inch of the track.  We raced a trail called 10-ply and the Big Bear trail crew did an incredible job changing up the trail for the race. The loose, moon dust, dirt was ever changing and it really kept you on your toes because a rut that was there one lap could be blown and gone the next.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton at the Monster Pro Downhill series stop at Big Bear, CA.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton at the Monster Pro Downhill series stop at Big Bear, CA.
It was a fun challenge and it made for some great racing. I had a lot of fun getting used to the Sr Suntour Rux 38 downhill fork. The stabilization that a dual crown fork provides was so cool and inspired a lot of confidence in my riding.

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Lucas Cowan Wins BME E-Bike Championship

 

KHS Pro MTB rider Lucas Cowan wins the 2024 Big Mountain Enduro series E-Bike overall.
KHS Pro MTB rider Lucas Cowan wins the 2024 Big Mountain Enduro series E-Bike overall.

Racing the 2024 Big Mountain Enduro series (BME) I was excited to have support from the KHS Pro MTB team. This was my first year racing E-Bikes and I was looking forward to making the switch from Pro Enduro.

My goal for the BME series this year was to win the overall, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but I planned on working hard for it. The E-bike class races all the same stages as the Pro Enduro class but for 2024 BME added “power stages” for each day of racing. These are timed technical uphill stages that were raced with no practice and can vary from 1-4 minutes long. This added a difficult mix of fitness and bike skill. BME only allows one battery and no charging throughout the day of racing. Conserving battery for the big transfers and power stages was something I had to keep in mind at every race.

KHS Pro MTB rider Lucas Cowan wins the 2024 Big Mountain Enduro series E-Bike overall.
KHS Pro MTB rider Lucas Cowan wins the 2024 Big Mountain Enduro series E-Bike overall.

The series had stops in differing terrain starting with rounds 1 and 2 in Mt Nebo, Arkansas and Windrock, Tennessee. I have raced out east many times throughout my racing career but it is always a difficult change in pace coming from the west coast. The first two races got a lot of rain resulting in muddy and slippery conditions. I was happy…
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KHS Pro MTB, U.S. National Championships

The team headed to North Carolina this past week for USACycling National Championship’s at Ride Rock Creek bike park.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
The week for me started Friday with Dual Slalom! Practice was in the morning followed by qualifying. I was having a lot of learning the track and I qualified 3rd. I made it through the round of 8 and 4 but got knocked out in the final round and finished 4th. I have really been enjoying learning the ropes to dual slalom racing and look forward to doing more!
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
Next up was enduro, a 5am wake up call for a 7:30 stage 1 start on Saturday. I knew it was going to be a tough day after racing slalom with it being hot and humid and quite a bit of pedaling in between stages but I was excited!
6 stages total with 4 on the back side that were slower speed with tight turns and janky rock gardens. The last two were back in the bike park a bit higher speeds, stage 5 was my favorite of the day.
After all was set and done I ended up 4th for Pro women.

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