KHS Pro MTB Archives - KHS Bicycles

April 8, 2025

Race Season is Back!

KHS PRo MTB rider Bella Naughton warming up at the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series at Ride Rock Creek.

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.

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.

“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.

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, the team is now focused on the upcoming Sea Otter Classic this weekend in Monterey, California. The Sea Otter Classic, a premier event in the cycling world, offers a mix of thrilling competitions and an expansive expo, making it a crucial point in the season for the team to continue building momentum. As they head into this iconic race, the KHS Pro MTB team is ready to compete, connect with the cycling community, and set the stage for the rest of the 2025 season.

February 4, 2025

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

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

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 looking for ways to improve and share that stoke. With KHS Bikes behind me, I’m more motivated than ever to bring my best to the trails, help elevate the sport, and encourage anyone who’s out there working hard to achieve their goals. The 2025 season is going to be a huge year, and I’m ready to make it count!

August 20, 2024

Monster Pro Downhill Series, Big Bear

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton at the Monster Pro Downhill series stop at Big Bear, CA.

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.

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.

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.

Saturday was qualifying/seeding day, I didn’t really have a whole lot of expectations with this being my first downhill other than to ride my bike as best and as fast as I could. I surprised myself with having the first two fastest split times and qualifying 3rd.

The next day was finals, we had an hour in the morning to practice and then would do our race run later in the afternoon.

Our start time got delayed to allow for some reruns in the amateur categories.

Having a lot of time to sit at the top of the track and wait was something I wasn’t as used to and it heightened my nerves a bit more. I dropped into my race run and almost immediately felt my arms pump up. I tried to not think about it and just made sure to hit my lines the best I could. I ended up finishing 3rd in Pro Women and I couldn’t be more stoked!

I am proud of what I accomplished this weekend. A big thank you to the KHS Pro Mtb team as I couldn’t have done it without them. I look forward to doing more downhill racing in the future!

-Bella Naughton

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

August 7, 2024

KHS Pro MTB, U.S. National Championships

KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.

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.

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!

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.

Overall it was another great weekend with the whole team and excited to get back at it this next weekend in Tamarack, Idaho for the last round of the Big Mountain Enduro Series.

-Isabella Naughton

It was cool to get back to the east coast for National champs this past weekend. It was my first time going to Rock Creek so I had a lot to learn quick. All of the tracks were super rad and quick. I felt good throughout practice and was excited to get racing. Stages 2-4 were greasy and loose while the others were perfect conditions. I struggled a bit on some of the greasy stages but loved being able to open it up on the dh style tracks. I ended up finishing in 9th and was happy to have a clean race. I’m looking forward to getting back out west for the final BME in some conditions I’m more comfortable with. Huge thanks to KHS race team for making this all happen!

-Shane Leslie