Big Mountain Enduro Archives

August 14, 2025

Big Mountain Enduro Finals from Granby, CO

KHS Pro MTB team on the podium at the BME Final.

Granby, CO.-The final stop of the Big Mountain Enduro series kicked off in the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains in Granby, Colorado, with three national titles on the line: Men’s Elite Enduro, Women’s Elite Enduro, and the Men’s Open Bike category. Athletes weren’t just racing for a podium finish—they were battling for the chance to be crowned national champions.

KHS Pro MTB rider Isabel Naughton on the podium in first place at the BME finals in Granby, CO.

Racing took place across multiple challenging stages throughout Saturday and Sunday, pushing riders to their limits. Shane Leslie delivered a strong performance, finishing second both in the Granby event and in the overall series standings. While just shy of the top step, Leslie’s consistency throughout the season was nothing short of impressive.

KHS Pro MTB rider Naish Ulmer on the podium in first place in the E-Bike class in Granby, CO.

The spotlight, however, belonged to Isabel Naughton and Naish Ulmer, who both dominated across stages on both days. With multiple stage wins, the two KHS Pro Team athletes not only claimed victory in Granby but also secured the overall Enduro National Series Championship titles in their respective categories. Their performance marks a monumental achievement for the team.

KHS pro MTB rider Naish Ulmer out on the course in Granby, CO.

This victory adds to an already stellar season for the KHS Pro Race Team, following last week’s win in the Women’s Pro Dual Slalom National Championship. With three national titles secured this year, KHS is firmly cementing its status as a powerhouse in the mountain bike racing scene.

KHS Pro MTB rider Isabella Naughton heading to the win during the BME finals in Granby, CO.

As the series winds down, just one race remains: the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking, taking place in Vermont at the end of September. All eyes will be on the KHS Pro Team as they look to close out the season on a high note.

August 14, 2024

Lucas Cowan Wins BME E-Bike Championship

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.

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 to come away with 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

The 3rd stop took place close to home in Sunrise, Arizona with dry familiar conditions resulting in another 3rd place. Round 4 was in Angelfire, New Mexico, it was dry and dusty all weekend until the night before the second day. A storm rolled in and soaked the trails leaving us with unknown slippery conditions for the last day of racing. I was happy to end the weekend with a 2nd place after a crash in the mud.
The final round was supposed to be held in Tamarack, Idaho, which I was really excited about. Unfortunately, due to wildfires in the area they had to make the difficult decision to cancel the race.

With BME’s new points structure for 2024 my consistency paid off. Being on the podium at every round of the series put me in the top spot to win the overall in the E-bike class for the season! This couldn’t have been done without the support from KHS and the team’s sponsors.

Having a quality bike with reliable components makes the race weekends that much smoother. I was happy to run a SR Suntour Duralux 38 fork paired with a Tri Air 1 rear shock for suspension. My tire of choice was the Kenda Pinner front and rear that worked very well in all conditions with cushcore inserts that gave me extra confidence. I ran Box 9 speed shifting components that simplified the process and worked well with the E-bike. Thank you to everyone for the support this year, I’m very happy to achieve my goals and come away with the win. I already can’t wait for next year!

Lucas Cowan

July 15, 2024July 19, 2024

Big Mountain Enduro Rd 5, Brian Head, UT.

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton on the trail at the fifth stop of the Big Mountain enduro series at Brian Head resort in Utah.

“Wow, what a weekend! I have always enjoyed racing at Brian Head with BME. Day 1 was a long one, with an early wake up call to start the pedal to stage 1 followed by 3 more stages out in the backcountry. The stages were brutal, a combination of pedaling and rocky terrain all at 11,000 ft of elevation. I was able to take a stage win on stage 2 and was sitting in second just 8 seconds behind 1st. Later that day, I raced the Big Mountain Downhill. After rain and lighting delayed the start, I was happy to get 2nd and carry some momentum into day 2 of racing for the enduro!

Day 2 we got to stay in the bike park for the remaining 3 stages which I was excited about but knew I had to push hard to make up the time. After stage 6, Porsha and I were pretty much tied going into the last stage. I gave it everything I had and was able to win the stage by .4 seconds and get the win overall!I came into this weekend with the goal to have fun and ride like I know how to ride and it paid off! I’m so stoked to take the win after 7 stages and super tight racing in the enduro! The team has been working hard this year to get to this point and I feel proud to be able to share it with everyone involved!

– Isabella Naughton

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton takes first in Women's enduro at the fifth stop of the Big Mountain Enduro series at Brian Head Resort in Utah. — KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton takes first in Women’s enduro at the fifth stop of the Big Mountain Enduro series at Brian Head Resort in Utah.

June 10, 2024June 14, 2024

Big Mountain Enduro Rd 3, Sunrise Az.

KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten on the course at the 3rd stop of the Big Mountain Enduro series that was help at Sunrise Resort, Az.

Round 3 of the Big Mountain Enduro Series took place at Sunrise Park Resort in Arizona. This venue is always a proper enduro, racing above 11,000ft on long physical downhills. Day 1 started with an hour and a half pedal to get to the backcountry where we raced two brutal but super fun raw stages before heading back to the bike park for the last stage of the day.

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton takes 3rd place at round 3 of the Big Mountain Enduro series at Sunrise Resort, Az.

Day 2 was mostly in the bike park with 4 top to bottom stages that really got the arms pumping and tested all the fitness that I had left after day 1. I was happy to get a stage win on stage 6! After 40+ minutes of racing I finished 3rd overall in Pro Women. I am motivated to continue to improve and get faster. Next up for the team is the North American Enduro Cup in Kellogg, Idaho!
-Isabella Naughton

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton on the course at the 3rd stop of the Big Mountain Enduro series that was help at Sunrise Resort, Az.

Sunrise BME is a great venue with a mix of raw bike park stages and “rough cut” backcountry stages. 2 physical days of racing at elevation on long rough tracks make for tough weekend. I was very excited for a dry race close to home. Day one started with two back country stages that I finished 3rd on both to start the day.

KHS Pro MTB rider Jackson Wicklund takes 3rd place at round 3 of the Big Mountain Enduro series at Sunrise Resort, Az.Screenshot

Then e-bikes went straight into an uphill “power stage” that was a very steep hill climb with log and rock obstacles. We Ended the day with a top to bottom bike park stage that I finished 2nd on. With all stages raced on day one I finished the day in 3rd place 15 seconds away 2nd place. Going into day two I was planning on pushing hard to get into 2nd place.

KHS Pro MTB rider Jackson Wicklund on the course at the 3rd stop of the Big Mountain Enduro series that was help at Sunrise Resort, Az.

The day consisted of 3 bike park stages, 1 backcountry stage and 1 uphill stage. I ended up getting 3, 2nd place stage finishes but didn’t quite make up the time I needed. I’m happy with how I was riding on the second day and to finish the weekend healthy in 3rd place.

I was very happy with how my new SR Suntour suspension paired with Kenda tires handled the dry rough stages. I was running a new Duralux 38 fork with 170mm of travel and a Kenda pinner up front and the new Black Diamond tire in the rear.
-Lucas Cowan

KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten takes 3rd place in the women's downhill at round 3 of the Big Mountain Enduro series at Sunrise Resort, Az. — KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten takes 3rd place in the women’s downhill at round 3 of the Big Mountain Enduro series at Sunrise Resort, Az.Screenshot

Super fun weekend with the team! Stoked to finish third in my first Big Mountain Downhill race on a really technical and physical course. Overall a great weekend of racing and cheering on everyone in the Enduro. Thanks to the KHS Pro Team and co-sponsors for the support and helping me chase my dreams each weekend!
–McKenna Merten

May 15, 2024

Big Mountain Enduro Rd 2, Windrock Tennessee

KHS Pro MTB Rider Jackson Wicklund on the trail at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN.

Round 2 of the Big Mountain Enduro Series went down at Windrock bike park in Tennessee this weekend! Crazy rain at the beginning of the week made for pretty muddy practice days which made learning the stages a little challenging. The sun did come out though and started to dry up the dirt a bit and the racing was full on from there. The two days of racing were a blast but also brutal on the body.

KHS Pro MTB Rider Bella Naughton on the trail at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN.

Day 1 was 3 stages with two being 8+ minutes of racing on rough, steep, rocky terrain that never let up the whole way down. The arm pump got me towards the end of stage 1 and it was a battle to try and tame it the best I could the rest of the weekend. Day 2 was another 4 stages of again, gnarly tracks that really tested fitness and skills. I

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton on the podium in 4th place for Pro Women's Enduro at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN. — KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton on the podium in 4th place for Pro Women’s Enduro at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN.

was happy I was able to keep it together and get some good stage results and make up some time. I finished the weekend 4th overall in Pro Women!

KHS Pro MTB rider Jackson Wicklund on the podium in 1st place for Semi Pro Enduro at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN.

I’m also super proud of the whole KHS team putting in great results! Jackson winning the semi pro class was pretty awesome to see!

KHS Pro MTB Rider Lucas Cowan on the trail at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN. — KHS Pro MTB Rider Jackson Wicklund on the trail at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN.

Lucas 3rd in e-bikes and Shane with a solid 12th place in Pro men! We all have a lot of fun and I enjoy getting to learn from them at every race!Thank you to all our sponsors for supporting the team and making these race weekends happen! We wouldn’t be able to do it without all your help! I plan on putting my head down and working hard these next few weeks to get ready for the 3rd round in Sunrise, Arizona!
-Bella Naughton / Factory Enduro

KHS Pro MTB rider Lucas Cowan on the podium in 3rd place for E-Bike at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN.

Stoked to have been racing on some proper tracks this weekend. Was glad to be racing the big bike again and on some DH tracks. Saturday race day had some gnarly long tracks that were rad, unfortunately I had a few mechanicals throughout the day that kept me a bit further back.

KHS Pro MTB Rider Shane Leslie on the trail at the BME round 2 in Windrock TN.

Sunday started to dry up and was able to charge a bit more. I was happy to have a top ten stage and start pushing the pace a bit more. I’m really excited to have a month at home prepping for my home race at Sunrise in Arizona. I can’t wait to be racing in the dry and be battling up front again!
-Shane Leslie / Factory Enduro