Big Sky Montana Enduro

What do you do when the race you went to Montana for gets canceled? Here is what Nik Nestoroff does.

KHS Pro MTB Podiums at Mountain Creek

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton racing at Mountain Creek resort in NJ.

The team was firing off on all cylinders for the second round of the Downhill national series hosted at Mountain Creek bike Park, in Vernon, New Jersey. The team would be arriving Wednesday to get acclimated to the East Coast conditions and get the bikes all prepped and built up from the long travels. Thursday would kick off with track walk which would consist of a very explosive track Mountain Creek has always had some of the best downhill tracks in America. With super steep conditions, lots of rocks challenging lines and an overall physically demanding track there was not much missing from being an absolutely amazing track.

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton racing at Mountain Creek resort in NJ.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton racing at Mountain Creek resort in NJ.

Friday would be day one of practice and we had some heavy competition on the mountain Dakota Norton from Factory Intense along with Neko Mulley would be among the field which was your current and past national champions. The whole team had a solid day of practice besides a massive crash from Kailey Skelton that would have involved a severe sprained wrist. Unfortunately, this would sideline Kailey for the remaining event and even put her overall championship title hopes on the fence.

KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff racing at Mountain Creek resort in NJ.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff racing at Mountain Creek resort in NJ.

Saturday which would be qualifying day would intel of big weather changes that would now put rain into the equation. It would change the track dramatically and make for a completely new track to get down. With the new slick conditions, the team would qualify with Steven Walton sitting in 10th position, Nik Nestoroff 5th position and out Jr. Pro Nathan Kitchen grabbing 4th. All the athletes would have their work cut out for them come Sunday finals. Good news the weather was not sticking around it would be lining up Finals to make out with perfect conditions!

KHS Pro MTB rider Nathan Kitchen racing at Mountain Creek resort in NJ.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nathan Kitchen racing at Mountain Creek resort in NJ.

Sunday finals would bring out massive crowds and fans to cheer on the full day of racing! All three athletes would take a look at the ever-changing lines on track to make sure they were set for their final run. Our Jr. Pro would stay consistent on all track conditions coming in a solid 4th place. Steven Walton would throw down a blistering time and come in podium position taking 5th place. It would be Nik Nestoroff who would be holding down the hot seat for some time but would end up 3rd place with a stellar run! All three athletes did an excellent job throughout the event and kept in the hunt for the championship title!! The team has a moment off till round 2 of the BME Enduro series up in Big Sky, Montana. The team would like to continue to thank all our sponsors, friends and family for all the amazing support.

 

 

Kailey & Nik’s YouTube Channel

Check out KHS Pro MTB riders Kailey Skelton and Nik Nestoroff’s YouTube Channel! they take you on their day to day life and you get to see what two top level mountain pro riders do every day.

check them out HERE

Podiums at the 2022 Sea Otter Classic

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton racing down the downhill track at Sea Otter.
KHS pro MTB rider Nate Kitchens first place for Jr. Dual Slalom race at Sea Otter.
KHS pro MTB rider Nate Kitchens first place for Jr. Dual Slalom race at Sea Otter.

Sea Otter Classic 2022 is back in full swing with a massive international field of racers and vendors attending! It was absolutely excellent to see everyone enjoying the festival that has been such a notable iconic event for many decades. Team KHS Pro MTB would be in full effect racing Enduro, Dual Slalom and Downhill!

KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff standing 3rd place on the enduro podium at Sea Otter.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff standing 3rd place on the enduro podium at Sea Otter.

It would be Nik Nestoroff firing off Pro men’s Enduro for his first Sea Otter Enduro of his career. He was very excited that two out of the four stages would come with experience being stages on DH and Slalom. The other two stages would be grueling physical stages that would almost be closer to XC racing than Enduro, but with the mix of all the stages and Nik’s experience he would come out with an amazing top 3 finish against some of the world’s best athletes.

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton racing down the downhill track at Sea Otter.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton racing down the downhill track at Sea Otter.

Nate Kitchen would be holding down our Junior Pro division in Dual Slalom who would be representing us in our next event. After qualifying in the number one position out of a stacked field of the best Slalom juniors in the states he would battle his way all the way through all 32 athletes to tear the number one spot and a Sea Otter title!

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton racing down the downhill track at Sea Otter.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton racing down the downhill track at Sea Otter.

With everyone already accomplishing massive results and not even the weekend officially here it would finally be time for Pro Women’s and Men’s Dual Slalom to take place. After the qualifying dust would settle it would be Kailey Skelton in the top 15 and both Steven Walton & Nik Nestoroff would be sitting in the top 20. The athletes would be going straight from qualifying into the final rounds of 32. Kailey Skelton would battle her first ever Dual Slalom appearance that would lead her to a top 16 finish. Nik & Steven would have high hopes since they were bringing confidence from 2018 when they both finished on the podium. Unfortunately, with some small mistakes and crashes they would both be out of the battle in their first rounds.

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton racing down the downhill track at Sea Otter.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton racing down the downhill track at Sea Otter.

Heading into Sunday’s Downhill finals it would be the Pro’s firing off first. Kailey Skelton would give it her all to come across the line and finish in a solid 6th place. In the Pro men’s category, it would be Nik finishing in 17th position and Steven in 20th against the best racers in the world. The highlight of the day would be Nate Kitchen who would dominate the field in Junior Pro’s and take the big win!

Overall the team had accomplished amazing achievements with two major titles in the junior division one Pro podium in Enduro and multiple top 20 finishes. It is great to see the team always making an impact on the MTB community and doing a great job role modeling the next generation! KHS Pro MTB wants to thank all our sponsors, friends and family for the continuous support. The team has one week off before the head to the Pacific Northwest to compete in Port Angeles.

Podiums for the KHS Pro MTB at Southridge Winter Seires

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the track at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.

Fontana, California would be hosting round two of the Southridge Winter series. Success was continued with our third race of the season. The race team would start off Saturday with three stages of Enduro which would keep all athletes on their toes. They would have to manage each race and have no mistakes to get the lowest time to win.

KHS Pro MTB riders, Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton standing in first and second place in the Enduro event at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.
KHS Pro MTB riders, Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton standing in first and second place in the Enduro event at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.

It would be Nik Nestoroff who would win his second Enduro Regional race of the year, keeping his race machine ahead of all the other competitors. Steven Walton would be hot on his heels with a solid second-place finish. All the athletes have really been enjoying their new KHS Bicycles 6600 Enduro machine which is new to our fleet.

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the track at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the track at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.

Sunday would move onto the downhill racing event; it would be another demanding physical track. Not only with many physical and mental obstacles to overcome it was quite short, so times would be tight.

KHS Pro MTB rider, Kailey Skelton standing in first place at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider, Kailey Skelton standing in first place at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.

To continue her third win in a row, Kailey Skelton took a large win in the Pro Women’s Downhill division.

KHS Pro MTB rider, Nate Kitchen standing third place at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider, Nate Kitchen standing third place at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.

Nate Kitchen, our junior expert rider, would come in a solid  third place, racing some of the fastest junior racers in the West Coast.

KHS Pro MTB riders, Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton standing in first and third place at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.
KHS Pro MTB riders, Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton standing in first and third place at the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.

In the men’s division it would be Nik Nestoroff who would keep the 2022 win streak alive now claiming both Fontana’s and the Nevada State championship! Another solid podium for Steven Walton and continuous success for the whole team!

KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton at the start gate during the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton at the start gate during the second round of the Southridge Winter Series.

After three straight demanding weekends of racing the team finally would have a couple weeks off to continue the preparation for the big nationals and international events. We always want to thank all our family, friends and sponsors who continuously help us achieve our goals and most of all have fun at the races.