The KHS Pro MTB team started off the 2022 race season with a bang. Capturing back-to-back wins at the Fontana Winter series regional event. Southridge USA has always been a foundation to the mountain community by bringing some of the best racers in the world to the California dirt. It would be Nik Nestoroff who has had an absolutely fabulous off-season, he would take the pro men’s Enduro win on board the brand new KHS 6600 Enduro bike. Followed up with a strong result from Steven Walton he would be taking third in the Enduro which was very impressive since he’s under the weather.
KHS Pro MTB riders Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton on the Enduro podium at the first round of the 2022 Southridge Winter Series.
The team couldn’t be more ecstatic with a fresh start and new bikes under their belts to get the ball rolling for the 2022 race season. Fontana, California always produces some great race weather along with a strong field of racers to compete against the best of the best. Firing off in the Downhill Pro women’s Kailey Skelton would get back to her roots right where she left off in 2021 with winning the female Pro downhill race by a large margin and getting her feet wet and back into the grind of racing.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the women’s DH podium at the first round of the 2022 Southridge Winter Series.
As far as the elite men’s Nik Nestoroff would take back-to-back wins with not only Enduro, but he would take the win in the Downhill category with the fastest time of the day. Nik really enjoyed the race and would gain some confidence out of this going into next week’s race at Bootleg Canyon. Steven Walton would keep strong and hot on Nik Nestoroff’s heels with the solid second place finish in Downhill and he would also gain confidence going into the Nevada state championship race which will be held in Boulder city Nevada next week.
KHS Pro MTB riders Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton on the men’s DH podium at the first round of the 2022 Southridge Winter Series.
Hot off the news press is our new Junior X rider Nate Kitchen who was recently signed to the team late this off-season. Kitchen is definitely an eye-opener to the mountain bike community and will be watched thoroughly throughout the season. Nate would finish a strong third place in his junior category which was super stacked as usual with some of the best international junior riders you could compete against.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nate Kitchen on the Jr. DH podium at the first round of the 2022 Southridge Winter Series.
We as a team greatly appreciate everyone’s support from family, friends and sponsors who always dedicate and believe in success. We are really pumped that the season has already started, and we are in great preparation to continue success throughout the season. We will be seeing everyone next weekend at the Nevada state championships in Boulder city Nevada.
Podiums all Weekend Long was last modified: January 12th, 2022 by Flick
Downhill National round 2 is one of the most premier races of the season and who would be taking the top steps? The team would be flying out to New Jersey for one of the most decorated Downhill events of the season hosted by Mountain Creek Bike Park located in Vernon, New Jersey. This mountain has hosted some of the best athletes in the world from Steve Smith to Sam Hill dating back to the mid 90’s. It’s always great to see the young talented athletes coming up through the ranks racing the same tracks as legendary athletes did in the past.
KHS pro MTB rider Steven Walton hitting the trail for practice at Mountain Creek Resort for the second stop of the US Downhill Series.
Track walk got underway on Thursday with a short, but always explosive track created by the best mountain bikers to the likes of Lars Tribune and George Ryan and the entire mountain creek bike park. The weather in store was unusually dry for this type of area which would play in favor for some of the West Coast athletes attending this race. The track would consist of lots of rocks, steep sections and jumps. Overall full demanding track from top to bottom.
KHS pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff hitting the trail for his seeding run at Mountain Creek Resort for the second stop of the US Downhill Series.
All the athletes were very excited to get up on the track and start training for Friday’s official practice day with only a four-hour block to gather lines, set up bikes and initially memorize the track from A to B and everything in between. Kailey Skelton would be under the weather with a cold and would only be doing minimal practice and trying to save her energy. Steven Walton and Nik Nestoroff were both feeling the flow in day one practice session. They both had great days up on the hill and were fine tuning themselves and their machines for Saturday’s qualification.
KHS pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton hitting the trail for her practice run at Mountain Creek Resort for the second stop of the US Downhill Series.
Some of the best athletes in America would be attending. Riders such as Neko Mullally, Aaron Gwin and others all chasing for the top spot. Qualification would fire off for all three athletes with a consistent dry track. It would be Kailey Skelton who would qualify second with a very mellow run, who was still under the weather and not feeling 100%. Nik Nestoroff would qualify third only three seconds behind the top spot and Steven Walton would qualify in a solid fourth place. All the athletes took their knowledge from qualification and would bring it into Sunday’s final event.
KHS pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton hitting the trail for her practice run at Mountain Creek Resort for the second stop of the US Downhill Series.
Finals would be firing off roughly at 2PM Eastern standard time. All the hard work, dedication and multiple practice runs would come down to one single run for each athlete. Kailey Skelton would still be under feeling the effects of Her cold and would really have to dig deep and mentally prepare herself for her final run. She pushed as hard as possible to come out with the win five seconds up on her competition and would be leading the national series going into the final round come September! It would be Nik Nestoroff with consistency that would continue his third-place seating run and manage to grab a great result with a third place overall. Steven Walton would unfortunately have a mechanical issue midway through his race run with losing his chain but would still manage a great result in seventh place. Overall Nik and Steven would still be going into the final national series in the top three positions.
KHS pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton taking the Win on the podium at Mountain Creek Resort.
Overall it was a great weekend for KHS Pro MTB with both categories of Downhill on the podium and everyone was healthy going into the future races. With Kailey and Nik getting selected for World Championships to represent team USA over in Italy their sights would be set on going back overseas for one of the biggest races in the world to represent us all at the top stage. Before they can go overseas, they will be heading out to Winter Park, Colorado for the third round of the Big Mountain Enduro series. Nik is sitting in a top-five position overall with two more rounds to go.
KHS pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff standing in third place at Mountain Creek Resort.
As always, the team would like to continue to thank all their fans, family and sponsors who make all these dreams come true. It’s a team effort with mechanics behind the scenes doing the hard job and management providing the overall logistics to make it all a well-rounded program. The team is in the heat of the season and will be pushing hard till the end!
Podiums at US Downhill Series was last modified: August 11th, 2021 by Flick
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton first place at the third stop of the Northwest Cup in Montana.
What a mega weekend of racing for the team this past weekend. We had all factory riders and most of our grassroots athletes all competing in different regions all on the same weekend.
KHS Pro MTB rider Luke Whitlock riding the freeride jumps at the Landslide Music Fest in Cedar City Utah
Starting off with factory rider Luke Whitlock and newest member to the grassroots program Dylan Cobern were both in Cedar City, UT at a mountain bike festival throwing down some big tricks and representing our freeride side of things at the highest level. Here’s what Luke Whitlock had to say “A music festival would be the last place you’d expect a mountain bike jam to come about, but that was not the case in Cedar City, UT at the Landslide Music Fest this past weekend.
KHS Pro MTB rider Dylan Cobern riding the freeride jumps at the Landslide Music Fest in Cedar City Utah
With expected crowds of upwards of 5000 people Dylan Cobern and I headed up north to Cedar City to put on a show for the people attending the event. While dealing with the crazy weather that Southern Utah has to offer this time of year, we were still able to throw down some solid tricks and whips for the crowd in between rainstorms. This event was unique and special to us because we were able to reach a completely different industry and group of people and introduce them to freeride mountain biking, which is really awesome and rewarding to see, especially since the spectators were very engaged!”
KHS Pro Mtb rider Naish Ulmar on the podium in first place at the second race of the Utah Gravity Series in Pomerelle Idaho.
Also, our other grassroots athlete Naish Ulmer was representing the team in the Utah/Idaho regional event coming away with double wins. Here’s what Naish had to say: “I raced the 2nd & 3rd stop of the Utah Gravity series in Pomerelle, ID. There was a double header race happening over the weekend and I was able to take both wins. I was super pumped to stay consistent and get the win for the team!”
KHS Pro Mtb rider Naish Ulmar on the podium in first place at the third race of the Utah Gravity Series in Pomerelle Idaho.
While the freeride lads were holding in down for the team it was Steven Walton who was representing the team at the Strait Acres Dual slalom event happening in Big Bear California. This event had some of the best American athletes competing for one of the best Spector races of the year! Qualifying was on Friday evening with Saturday evening being set for the finals. Steven would be going head-to-head to make it to the top spot. At the end of the evening, he would place a respectable top 20th finish.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton on the dual slalom course at the Strait Acres all mountain event in Big Bear California.
Sunday would be hosting the Pro men’s downhill race with some tough competition, basically all the top athletes competing in the Slalom race would be switching over to DH for Sunday. Steven would be racing the notorious famous DH track of Miracle Mile. This track has had some of the best DH riders from all the way back from the 80’s. Steven would give it 100% and cross the line in 2nd place!
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton standing on the podium in second place at the Strait Acres all mountain event in Big Bear California.
All the way up in the Montana mountains you would find Nik Nestoroff and Kailey Skelton holding it down at the 3rd round of the Northwest Cup series! Nik and Kailey would be on the 4th consecutive race in a row keeping the focus sharp and race craft even sharper. This event brings some of the fastest racers from all around the West and Central areas. The athletes were really impressed with the track lay out and conditions they would be dealing with over the 3-day event. They would both be qualifying Saturday and racing finals Sunday. Qualifying would bring only the best results with both athletes taking the top spots. It would increase their pressure to lay it back down on Sunday’s finals and maintain the lead. Nik & Kailey would do just that and not let anything stray them from the wins! They would both have dominating race runs with 7-9 seconds leads on the completion.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on track for her race run at the third stop of the Northwest Cup in Montana.
The team did very well overall this past weekend with getting 3 podium positions and setting themselves up to continue their success on the National round 2 in Vernon, NJ at the famous Mountain Creek bike park. All the racers will be flying out Tuesday and preparing for Sunday’s finals. Kailey is currently sitting in 2nd place overall in the women’s Downhill National series. Steven in 4th and Nik in 5th for the men’s Nationals overall. The team will be reporting soon from New Jersey woods!
KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff first place at the third stop of the Northwest Cup in Montana.
Podium packed Weekend was last modified: August 3rd, 2021 by Flick
U.S National Championships are back in action after missing the 2020 Championships all athletes were beyond excited and very eager too claim all the titles that would be happening over the weekend. Showcasing all disciplines from Downhill, Dual Slalom, Cross-country, and all professional & amateur categories. Located in Winter Park Colorado at a elevation base of 9000 feet that would be the venue for the 2021 USA National Championships!
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton practice run at the 2021 US Nationals in Winter Park Colorado.
Kailey Skelton, Nik Nestoroff and Steven Walton would be competing in the Downhill category to try their best and claim victory and hold the national title throughout the 2021 season. The national title would consist of being the best racer on the mountain against the best American athletes. It is a very pristine title and each rider only has one shot at it each year. With that title it holds a lot of pressure to be victorious at other races like world championships and other national events that require each national champion to wear an American Stars & Stripes sleeve representing their title.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton practice run at the 2021 US Nationals in Winter Park Colorado.
The KHS Pro MTB team arrived Tuesday evening to prepare themselves all the way for Sunday’s finals with that said Wednesday would be a day for track walk and also a day for acclimating for the high altitude in the Rocky Mountains. Not only is the base of the team pits located at 9000 feet, but the top of the downhill start was located over 12,000 feet in the pinnacle of the Colorado, Rocky Mountains.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff practice run at the 2021 US Nationals in Winter Park Colorado.
Wednesday would consist of a great track walk with all the American downhill racers both male and female collaborating together to do one track walk together. It was very cool to see every competitor on the hill from all over the country join together and help each other out on the track walk. There were great vibes happening on the mountain for their first looks and glances at the track they would be competing on for the national title.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton practice run at the 2021 US Nationals in Winter Park Colorado.
After the team’s successful track walk it would go into their first day of practice on Thursday afternoon. It consisted of a three hour practice with many riders and a long gondola lift ride to the top of the Rocky Mountain track. Practice went very well for all athletes. They were all acclimating to the high altitude and dry terrain. Steven Walton and Nik Nestoroff were coming off of the World Cup in Europe which was very muddy and quite different terrain compared to this national championship race. Also Friday consisted of another great day of practice with only a three hour session which would allow each team to focus on their athletes and adjust what needed to be adjusted to the harsh demanding terrain on their bikes and equipment.
KHS Pro MTB rider Steven Walton race run at the 2021 US Nationals in Winter Park Colorado.
All three athletes would be making drastic changes with their suspension tire and overall bike set up to accommodate their needs and make them feel as comfortable as possible for Saturday’s qualifying and seeding event that consists of a full-timed run from USA cycling‘s official timekeepers. Once Saturday rolled around the pressure was on for qualification and seeding. The athletes all went to work after countless days of practicing tuning, learning and focusing on their final goals of winning. It would be Kailey Skelton in the professional Downhill Women’s category who would qualify first! Nik Nestoroff would qualify 7th and Steven Walton would qualify 12th.
KHS Pro MTB rider Nik Nestoroff practice run at the 2021 US Nationals in Winter Park Colorado.
After qualifications all athletes would be reviewing their setups and discussing team tactics to get them on top of the podium for Sunday’s finals. Also they would be reviewing video footage and trying their best to get prepared for the final race run coming Sunday. Final adjustments would be done after qualification from the team mechanics and the riders input. Sunday morning would come quickly with high pressure on each athlete which obviously they had great expectations to do their best in their final race run. Each athlete would only get one or two practice runs to warm themselves up and make sure they were flowing for their final run.
KHS Pro MTB rider Kailey Skelton on the podium as the new 2021 US Women’s National Downhill Champion in Winter Park Colorado
First to drop would be Steven Walton who was struggling from a little bit of altitude sickness and some arm pump, but would ultimately be able to push through the finish line with a top 15 result. Next to drop in would be Nik Nestoroff who would have a blistering run and only be a few seconds off podium position with a six place finish, an overall great run and very respected among the best.
The highlight of the weekend would be Kailey Skelton who would drop into a race run focused, determined and eager to cross the line with limited mistakes. Kailey had an amazing run from top to bottom. She did her best and would really exert herself physically and mentally to push as hard as she could. When she crossed the finish line it was huge cheers from the fans family and the announcer. Once she gained her bearings and could focus on herself from her tunnel vision race run she would hear over the announcement that she had just won her first title by 12 seconds over second place claiming the 2021 U.S national championship title.
KHS Pro MT rider Kailey Skelton, the 2021 US Women’s National Downhill Champion.
Kailey and all the athletes, team members and team managers were beyond stoked. The entire team put effortless amounts of time and dedication into getting this title. Everyone was beyond stoked that KHS Bicycles had claimed their 2021 title with over a decade of their last title being claimed in 2011 by Logan Binggeli. After the victorious race run and podium the team would be celebrating Sunday night’s dinner and congratulating Kailey and her first national title.
Once again KHS pro MTB wants to thank all their fans, family and sponsors for countless dedication and help throughout the season. All the athletes will have a one week break until heading up to Big Sky, Montana for the big mountain Enduro series. Everyone is very excited to get up in the Montana mountains and test their skills back into stage racing with one of the biggest Enduro races of the year. We’ll see you next time between the tape!
Your New US National DH Champion was last modified: July 19th, 2021 by Flick
