Bella Naughton joins KHS Pro MTB

New KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton.

Born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, Bella grew up racing off-road trucks and ski racing. Her family raced mountain bikes, but she never found an interest in it until she was talked into joining her high school’s cross-country team in 2016. Bella then went to an enduro race with her mom and fell in love with going downhill and she hasn’t stopped since.

New KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton.
New KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton.

“I am excited to be on the KHS race team for 2024 and looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in Enduro and Downhill!” said Bella.

New KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton.
New KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton.

“We are thrilled to have one of the best female North American Enduro athletes join our squad for the 2024 season.” Logan Binggeli, KHS Pro MTB team manager said, “Bella is no stranger to podiums when it comes to the big mountain Enduro and other top-notch North American Enduro races. We are also excited to be supporting her when it comes to the Downhill side of things, she will be competing in the monster energy American downhill series along with other Premier events. We can’t wait to see what Bella Naughton can accomplish under the KHS umbrella, welcome to the family!”

New KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton.
New KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton.

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.

2023 US National Championships

KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the track at the US National Championships.

The 2023 USA National Championships was hosted this past weekend at the new Ride Rock Venue located in the amazing mountains of North Carolina. The week’s weather would be a drastic roller coaster ride from dry to wet conditions ever changing. We had the best athletes from America competing for the top spots in multiple categories. It would be Nathan Kitchen who would be competing in Jr. Pro DH and Slalom, Kailey Skelton would be backing up 2021 – 2022 DH National titles and Steven Walton would be holding it down for the Pro men’s DH category. Friday’s DS was a mudder to start to finish. Rain soaked the track and the riders early in the day pushing back the start of racing a few hours. Hats off to the track crew who absolutely worked a miracle to get the rain rutted track in shape for seeding and finals.

KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the track at the US National Championships.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the track at the US National Championships.

The day would end with Nathan winning his 1st DS National Championship! Sunday’s downhill track recovered from the heavy rains of Saturday and racing finish times dropped! Saturday would be a full day of qualifying for all team members with very wet track conditions. Everyone would have solid qualifying runs with everyone’s mind on Sunday’s finals and weather looking completely different.  Sunday would bring high pressure for everyone gunning for the top spots. It would be Nathan Kitchen who would improve his qualifying run and get back on the podium in 3rd. Kailey Skelton would push hard as possible but unfortunately just fall short into 2nd place and Steven Walton would maintain a top 30 run with a flat tire. Overall, all the team did very well in the near impossible rain conditions. Huge thanks to all our sponsors, friends and family who keep us on the top steps. See everyone next weekend for round 4 of the Big Mountain Enduro series hosted in Brian Head Utah.

KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the track at the US National Championships.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the track at the US National Championships.

This year was a change of pace with a new location on the east coast. The venue, track and weather were also something to adapt to. With extreme humidity, heat and unpredictable rain storms it was a difficult time staying comfortably during practice and racing. The track was a challenge in itself as it was different from anything we’ve ridden before. Most of the track was all man made and most obstacles were very unnatural. Overall, the track was a daily challenge with rain storms occurring every day.

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the track at the US National Championships.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the track at the US National Championships.

Practice was Patience and more patience. I didn’t find pace till my seeding run. I felt good in seeding with one large mistake putting me further back than I intended. I knew I needed to step it up come race day. I struggled a bit mentally trusting my skills on this track. Race run- I rode some sections perfectly and some like a wimp, as I over braked when I knew I should not have in my race run. This put me in 2nd place, unfortunately not being able to hold onto my 2-year national title! Although I wasn’t able to put down a winning run it was a great experience adapting to a new location and track. This makes me so hungry and eager to push for the next one! Thank you, KHS, my team, and mechanic, for all of the expert work and support. Onto the next!

 -Kailey Skelton – Pro Athlete 

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the track at the US National Championships.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the track at the US National Championships.

 

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.

Northwest Cup, Tamarack Idaho

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton taking home the win at the Northwest Cup at Tamarack Resort in Idaho.

Kailey Skelton going hard at the Northwest Cup up at Tamarack Resort in Idaho. riding away with the win.