Tag: Shane Leslie

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Pro Downhill Series Round 2

KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten on track at the second stop of the National downhill series at Mountain Creek NJ.

Round two of the Pro Downhill National Series roared into action at the legendary Mountain Creek Bike Park in Vernon, New Jersey. With over two decades of history, this venue is considered one of the top downhill spots in the U.S., and it did not disappoint.

KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie on track at the second stop of the National downhill series at Mountain Creek NJ.
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie on track at the second stop of the National downhill series at Mountain Creek NJ.

In the Elite Men’s category, Shane Leslie represented the team with a strong performance, securing an impressive top-20 finish. Remarkably, this was Shane’s first time back on a downhill bike in over five years, and he was quickly finding his pace. This return to form bodes well for his future in Enduro, where we expect him to be a serious podium contender.

KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten on track at the second stop of the National downhill series at Mountain Creek NJ.
KHS Pro MTB rider McKenna Merten on track at the second stop of the National downhill series at Mountain Creek NJ.

Our Elite Women also delivered stellar results, with both Bella Nodding and McKenna Merten holding it down. McKenna powered her way to an 11th-place finish, while the weekend’s big headline was Bella claiming 3rd place—earning a podium spot for both herself and the team.

KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton on the podium at the second stop of the National downhill series at Mountain Creek NJ.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton on the podium at the second stop of the National downhill series at Mountain Creek NJ.

With some of the world’s best international downhill racers in attendance, this national round was a major success and a proud moment for the entire team. Next up, we shift gears and head to Round One of the Big Mountain Enduro Series, taking place just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Stay tuned!

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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.
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!
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
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.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
KHS Pro MTB rider Bella Naughton riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
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
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie riding at the U.S. National CHampionships in Ride Rock Creek bike park, North Carolina.
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
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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.
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Big Bear, CA Gravity Fest / Strait Acres Slalom Event

KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.

The festival would take place in the Big Bear, California San Bernardino Mountain Range, which is known for some of the best mountain biking in North America. Shane Leslie would be competing in the Pro men’s Enduro category with some tough competition ahead. Shane would overcome all the presented stages and take the overall victory.

KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.

It was great to see Shane on the top spot of the podium and gather some more confidence heading into the back half of the season with some EWS rounds left on his schedule. The main highlight of the weekend was the Dual Slalom which brought some of the best racers around the world to compete for the top spots. It would be our Jr Pro Nate Kitchen who would be stepping up to the premier class and Steven Walton both athletes would be among the best to duel it out for the pristine Strait Acres event. Friday would be Slalom qualifying with everything trying to make the night show which was only the top 16.

KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.Strait Acres, Big Bear Lake, California

Steven Walton would give it his best attempts to get in the final rounds, but would barely fall short at the end of the day qualifying 18th. Nate Kitchen would take his skills among the best and would have a blazing qualifying run to sit in 6th position. Finals would be hosted Saturday evening with Nate’s eye’s on the prize, his first round was going very well beating out top athlete Nik Nestoroff in the first red lane, but would have some quick misfortune by losing his chain in the next battle and not making it onto the round of 8.

KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchens in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchens in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.Strait Acres, Big Bear Lake, California

Nate showed amazing speed alongside the top professionals as he was still a Jr. Pro. Sunday would be hosting the Downhill event which was going to be some of the best action all week. With Hurricane Hilary on the move, it was in everyone’s best safety that the race had been canceled and was most likely being moved to the next weekend. The overall weekend was amazing. We want to thank everyone at Team Big Bear, Strait Acres, and Snow Summit for hosting another great event! The team would also like to thank all our sponsors, fans, friends, and family who continue to support!

KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie on the podium taking first place in Enduro in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie on the podium taking first place in Enduro in Big Bear California at the Strait Acres, Gravity Fest.
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Final Big Mountain Enduro, Big Sky, Montana

KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie on track at the BME in Big Sky Montana.

“Big Sky was epic this year with some wild conditions in the mud. Day 1 was going well sitting just outside the top 5 until a big slide out at the end of stage 4. Day 2 went much better with a couple top 5 stage results and moving back up a bit on the overall. Can’t wait to keep building into the Morzine EDR next month.”
-Shane Leslie
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie on track at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
KHS Pro MTB rider Shane Leslie on track at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
“That’s a wrap on the 2023 Big Mountain Enduro! I’m extremely stoked to end the series with a hard fought win and claim the E-Bike Overall Title! Myself and 2nd place were swapping stage wins all weekend and after 8 stages of racing in the tough muddy conditions only 1.5 seconds separated us.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the podium in first place at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the podium in first place at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
Thrilled with how my KHS 6555+ performed this weekend and super impressed with the durability of the bike and components throughout the entire season.  We have a few more races coming up before the close of the year that I’m looking forward to and I’m already excited to start working towards more great E-Bike results at next year’s Big Mountain Enduro Series! Huge thank you to everyone at KHS, our team sponsors, our great distributors, and everyone else who supports us! This wouldn’t be possible without you!”
 -Steven Walton
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on track at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on track at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
“Tough week with extremely challenging rain conditions as it down-poured all day, everyday during our practice and race days. Race day #1 was so smooth until it wasn’t! I had a big slam stage 3 and due to the mud, I couldn’t get back up to my bike, costing me over 45 sec of time. My goal for day 2 was to stay smooth and finish strong.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on track at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on track at the BME in Big Sky Montana.
Day 2 went so well! Smooth and ended up having some great stage finishing of second and thirds. I’m happy to finish strong and I am looking forward to improving my enduro races! Wish I didn’t crash, after analyzing times I would have been on the 2nd or third podium step! Thank you KHS for the support.”
-Kailey Skelton