Nevada State Championship at Bootleg Canyon

KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff on track in Bootleg Canyon for the DVO Winter Gravity Series.

Unbelievable weekend at the Nevada state Championship race in Boulder City, Nevada hosted by Bootleg Canyon Mountain bike park. Bootleg Canyon has been on the map since the mid-80s and has always seen some of the best World Cup riders like Sam Hill and Steve Peat! It’s a one-of-a-kind terrain that is very rocky, loose and gravelly. It takes a very highly skilled athlete to navigate the treacherous terrain of Bootleg from top to bottom and put in a solid race run.

KHS Pro MTB rider Naish Ulmer on track in Bootleg Canyon for the DVO Winter Gravity Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider Naish Ulmer on track in Bootleg Canyon for the DVO Winter Gravity Series.

Friday was the first day of practice/training. It was no walk in the park, unfortunately weather conditions with over 45 mph winds that would make it very difficult for all the athletes to get down the hill. Everyone was trying their best to maintain lines and navigate the course. Saturday would be a better day of weather for the team. With bluebird skies and a high of 60° weather, they were finally able to have a great day at practice and dial all their line selections in for the finals come Sunday. Also, with Saturday highlights the Enduro category which would be held down by our athlete Naish Ulmer, he would put in a solid three stages with some of the best racers in the West Coast competing. Naish finished a solid six place in the pro men’s Enduro field representing our grassroots program at a higher level.

KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the Jr. podium at the DVO Winter Gravity Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the Jr. podium at the DVO Winter Gravity Series.

Sunday’s final Downhill event would start off with a super huge result from our newly signed athlete representing us in the Junior Pro division. At only 16 years of age, Nate Kitchen would take the win over a nine second gap. He was competing against some of the best junior riders in the business with factory riders from GT Racing and other top brands. We were very proud of Nate’s State championship accomplishments.

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on track in Bootleg Canyon for the DVO Winter Gravity Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on track in Bootleg Canyon for the DVO Winter Gravity Series.

To keep the ball rolling it would be the professional women’s Downhill category with Kailey Skelton to come down last, which would create a lot of pressure on herself. Kailey was used to that kind of high-pressure situation and would come blazing across the line with a +30 second lead in front of her competitors. Kailey would also take the Nevada state championship in the pro women’s category, to add another title to her trophy set.

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on track in Bootleg Canyon for the DVO Winter Gravity Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on track in Bootleg Canyon for the DVO Winter Gravity Series.

Last but not least would be Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton representing the KHS Pro MTB team in the Downhill men’s professional category. They both had their work cut out for them competing against some of the best American Downhill racers in the business. With a very physically long demanding track it would be Nik Nestoroff who would claim first place by a 4 second margin. It would also be his fourth consecutive Nevada state championships, since Logan Binggeli back in 2015. That would make it KHS Bicycles 8th consecutive NV, State Championship. Steven Walton was still warming up to the season and under the weather with a cold, he would come in a solid fourth place to round out an amazing weekend with all competitors of the team on the podium.

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the podium at the DVO Winter Gravity Series in Boulder City, NV.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the podium at the DVO Winter Gravity Series in Boulder City, NV.

Bootleg Canyon has always treated the KHS Pro MTB team very great, and we always appreciate all the respect we get from all the fans, family and locals. We want to thank all our sponsors who continuously dedicate their time and effort into keeping the team supplied with the best product in the market. We understand times are very tough and product is limited, we are always grateful to have some of the best equipment to support us through these professional races. Next week we will be at round two of the Southridge Winter Series in Fontana, California. We plan to keep the ball rolling and continue on the success!

KHS Pro MTB riders Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton on the podium at the DVO Winter Gravity Series in Boulder City, NV.
KHS Pro MTB riders Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton on the podium at the DVO Winter Gravity Series in Boulder City, NV.

Mob n Mojave DVO Winter Series

The Mob n’ Mojave, second round of the DVO Winter Series, had a deep field of riders and a lot of crazy weather. The KHS Pro MTB team stepped up and had a great weekend of racing with 2 podium finishes and Kailey Skelton grabbing the top step for the Pro Women.

Kailey Skelton takes the W at Bootleg Canyon

It was a very deep field this weekend, as big names like Aaron Gwin were in the race field for the Mob n’ Mojave, second round of the DVO Winter Series.

KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton on the podium in first place at race 2 of the DVO Winter Series at Bootleg Canyon.
KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton on the podium in first place at race 2 of the DVO Winter Series at Bootleg Canyon.

The team was able to practice Friday and Saturday with the final DH race happening Sunday morning. Conditions were definitely a struggle all the way through the weekend with winds up to 50 miles an hour.

The team had great training sessions Friday as well as Saturday and they were off to an early morning start for Sunday. Kailey Skelton laid down a blistering run to take the pro women’s category with a 15 second lead. She even overcame a huge crash on her first practice run of Sunday morning which was a scare for the whole team.

KHS Pro MTB team rider Steven Walton on the podium in third place at race 2 of the DVO Winter Series at Bootleg Canyon.
KHS Pro MTB team rider Steven Walton on the podium in third place at race 2 of the DVO Winter Series at Bootleg Canyon.

The pro man’s category had a very deep field of highly talented riders. After it was all said and done it was Steven Walton who was able to come out in third place and get on the podium. Unfortunately Nik Nestoroff would suffer a flat tire mid race run and end his day with misfortune.

 

KHS PRo MTB's Kailey Skelton laying down tracks
KHS PRo MTB’s Kailey Skelton laying down tracks in Her race run at round 2 of the DVO Winter Series.

The team is very grateful to come out with two podiums and everyone healthy going into DH national round one in Winrock Tennessee. They will have 4 weeks of preparation before this national race which we are all looking forward to.

The team and each athlete wants to thank every individual sponsor that makes these races happen. We are super grateful to have the best companies standing behind us with the best product. Coming soon will be our video production that we captured of this weekend’s race we look forward to sharing that with you very soon!

KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton all smiles after winning the second round of the DVO Winter Series at Bootleg Canyon.
KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton all smiles after winning the second round of the DVO Winter Series at Bootleg Canyon.

Doubled Up out at the Nevada State Championship

2021 is absolutely starting off to be a year to remember.  The Nevada state championship race is done and dusted and the KHS Pro MTB team has came out on top. With blood sweat and tears and a whole lot of dedication the team has won the  pro men’s downhill finals three years in a row thanks to Nik Nestoroff. This is a massive accomplishment with a lot of support and help from everyone in the Mountain Bike community.

KHS Pro MTB team rider Nik Nestoroff on the podium after winning the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.
KHS Pro MTB team rider Nik Nestoroff on the podium after winning the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.

Not only did Nik win the Pro men’s final at the Nevada state championship this past weekend but also winning in dominating fashion was Kailey Skelton.

KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton on the podium after winning the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.
KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton on the podium after winning the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.

She is now two for two wins for the 2021 season. Also within her final race run she unfortunately crashed at the very top of the race which scared us all, she managed to get back on her bike and win the race. Which was an amazing accomplishment in her professional field of Racing.

KHS Pro MTB team rider Nik Nestoroff racing at the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.
KHS Pro MTB team rider Nik Nestoroff racing at the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.

On the unfortunate side of things was Steven Walton who was definitely up for grabs for the win between him and Nik. Steven had a mechanical about 25 seconds into his race run. Which ended up being a flat tire. He was still only 26 seconds off the lead and definitely would’ve been a contender for the win alongside Nik.

KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton racing at the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.
KHS Pro MTB team rider Kailey Skelton racing at the Nevada State Championship at Bootleg canyon.

The team continues to dominate and move onto the next race in Fontana California for round two of the Southridge Winter Series. They are very excited to keep their winning streak alive and stay healthy to continue to the top.

Bootleg Canyon with Nik Nestoroff

KHS pro mtb team rider Nik Nestoroff riding a trail.

The KHS Pro MTB team just wrapped the second round of the DVO Winter Gravity series and are looking good heading into the final round of the series. Check out what it is like to race out in Bootleg canyon with Nik Nestoroff.