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.
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 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.

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.

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.Screenshot

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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 
KHS Pro MTB Rider Jackson Wicklund 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.

Steven Walton Wins the Big Mountain Enduro E-Bike Championship

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton is the 2023 Big Mountain Enduro E-Bike Champion.

Steven Walton is no stranger to hunting down titles in the Mountain Bike community. Steven has numerous regional and local titles and on top of that he has one major title to his name winning the 2020 USA Downhill National championship series.

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton is the 2023 Big Mountain Enduro E-Bike Champion.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton is the 2023 Big Mountain Enduro E-Bike Champion.

It has been a three-year dry spell to claim another title and that streak is over with Steven Walton claiming his first 2023 E-bike National series title. Steven competed in the Big Mountain Enduro National series with racing over five major venues spread across America, competing against the best athletes in North America. KHS Pro MTB team and KHS Bicycles headquarters is very proud of Steven’s accomplishments and his continued success in this new growing MTB category.

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton is the 2023 Big Mountain Enduro E-Bike Champion.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton is the 2023 Big Mountain Enduro E-Bike Champion.

Steven was on board his KHS 6555E bike that guided his way to victory, also equipped with the best co-sponsors in the business. KHS Pro MTB is super honored to have another title and the continued success heading into the 2024 season.

Big Mountain Enduro Round 3, Durango Colorado

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton riding to second place in the E-bike class at the round 3 of the BME in Durango, Colorado

“I had a fun weekend with the team in Durango for stop three of the BME Series! With a base elevation of 8,800ft and summit of 10,882 , this race was tough on the body! After over 40 minutes and 8 stages of racing I was able to come away with a 2nd place podium finish in Open E-Bike and continue leading the overall points standings going into the final event of the series! A huge thank you to the shimano crew on site for assisting to make sure my KHS 6555+ was running top notch all weekend in the tough colorado conditions.  Off to National Champs this week in North Carolina before diving back in to finish the Big Mountain Enduro Series with a bang!”
– Steven Walton
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the podium in second place in the E-bike class at the round 3 of the BME in Durango Colorado.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the podium in second place in the E-bike class at the round 3 of the BME in Durango Colorado.
“The week started off really well. I was looking forward to putting in a top-five finish and getting my first podium of the season, the KHS Pro MTB program has really been coming together, and I am feeling very acclimated to the bike and team. I had some great overall stage finishes within the top three but unfortunately on day one I had a massive mechanical, which would put me out of the overall. Looking forward to the fourth round which is hosted two weeks from now in Brian Head Utah. It’s time to get on that podium and finish out a strong season”.
– Shane Leslie
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie at round 3 of the BME in Durango Colorado.
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie at round 3 of the BME in Durango Colorado.