JOSH EXPLORES BY KAYAK IN KY.

Nothing like breaking up the week and exploring the local @kystateparks.

NON-DOT ADVENTURES MTB RACE REPORT

Round of applause for Non Dot Adventures for putting on a fun race out at Casper's Wilderness Park today! Well organized, cheery staff, and family feel atmosphere. Check them out at nondotadventures.com for more races to come. Big Thank You to Roger Hernandez of Kenda Tires for letting us know about this gem of a race series in the OC. Bob Snyder,Ben Goyette, Kimmi Runner, and a bunch of others from Troupe racing, The Path Bike Shop, Cycleogical and Red Monkey to name a few threw down some fast laps.
Pictures courtesy of Scott McClain of calledtocreation.com

FATHER'S DAY WITH MARK THOME

Had a fun Father's Day racing w/ iDave at Rnd #6 of the Kenda Cup West XC Series at Big Bear Lake. Finished 1 min quicker over the same course from 2 weeks ago. Hot & dusty! #backboneracing
#team-backbone
#sigmasport
#xpedo
#kmcchain...
#aminovital
#ryderseyewear
#voler
#kenda
#kendamtb
#hydrapak
#hbvelocyclery
#missoulabicycleworks
#malakyelife
#pmbc

 

KENDA CUP WEST BIG BEAR WITH THE BOYS

Kenda Cup Weekend at Snow Summit, Big Bear Lake Report :
Snow Summit was buzzing with all types of mountain bikes; XC, Enduro, Downhill, and the occasional E-bikes of impending doom. It was hot and dry, but luckily windy enough to keep it manageable. The snow is gone which leaves behind some nice trails to ride it, and ride we did!
Saturday was the Enduro race with three stages, two of which was lift accessed. No complaints here because I didn't want to over cook the legs for Sundays XC. Running a Kenda HellKat in the front and HoneyBadgerDH in the back, love the setup.

Overcooked a sharp turn crashed on Miracle Mile during the practice run and didn't have another chance to ride it. Lets just say the race run wasn't at full speed with another crash. Xpedo GFX (Ken Yamakoshi) pedals worked great on some hairy sections where I had to Moto some turns, stable and solid platform. Went straight to stage 2, Plumbers/Skyline, pedally stage and again short. And the third stage was the longest and funnest Upper and Lower FallLine. Missed podium by freaking 5 seconds in the MasterMen category! Thank you Royal/7iDP Transition Pads for saving my skin on those crashes.

After a great night of recovery meals and liquids (MiguelMike-o Arreola) we were set for Sundays XC throw down. All the big guns had showed up for a fast 18 mile course. We had a 5 man train for the first half of the race until we hit the Plantation climb where the 3 racers took off. This is where the battle with Dan Blurton got heated. Passed him on the climb and started to gap him on the fire road to Skyline. Calf started to tighten up on the switchbacks and the Diesel came roaring by. Barely hung on to his wheel trying to stretch the calf out. Then the downhill chase. He is running the Kenda Sabres (fast rolling and high volume) and I'm on HoneyBadgerXC (slow rolling but more bite). Norco Revolver vs. Scott Spark. The Path vs. Backbone. Let the debate begin! It was an epic downhill all the way to the road. Would come up to his rear wheel but couldn't make the pass. I knew he would get me on the road to the finish and that is what he did. Hung on for 5th with Benjamin Islas close behind. Adrenaline rush to last a lifetime!

Big Thank You to Roger Hernandez for his continued support and being a dang cool friend. Vegas Bob Snyder and Mark Thome threw down Backbone style. Joy Chow for keeping us hydrated and taking race pics that Christer Phizzle uses later at night. Sigma Sport computers and heart rate monitor, Xpedo Pedals, Ryder Sunglasses, Kmc Chain, Norco Revolver (Ben Essman), Royal/7iDP, and Balvenie Doublewood...

Big Shoutout to Ben Goyette for a hard fought 8th in Pro. Sam Wiernucki for a top five in the Endurance race! Reno Z Karimian for a top 5 in fast Cat 1 category. Michael Nasco was in second place just seconds away from the finish line but blew out his rear tire. Izeereal Redmonkey was talking about cyclocross after his race, not yet dude!
#5seconds #kendatire #kendamtb #sigmasport #norcobikes #switchtoxpedo #royalracing #Miguelnolikewhiskeybutdrinksitanyway
Photo by Philip Beckman. www.pbcreativephoto.com

RIM NORDIC PODIUM FUZZ!

Rim Nordic Series #1 : Back in Elevation! Long grinding climbs, fast single track, and ladybugs. Kenda HoneyBadgerXCpros hooked up so well on that nice dirt. Even when out of the saddle on 18% grades the tire never slipped. Had the suspension on the Norco Revolver set to trail most of the time, feels like butta! Ben Essman. Finally had a race where I can push it without having my right leg cramp up and go numb. Fun battle with 2nd place, especially on the downhill sections, t...ook the lead before the single track descent and just went for it. 1st out of 7. 1hr 28 minutes, 2300ft of climbing, 16 miles... won by 17 seconds!

Big Thank You to Ben Goyette for feeding a vital bottle for the second lap. He was running Kenda Kozmik Lites, Roger Hernandez get me some! Arin Brandeis-McGunigle got 1st in Expert! Michael Nasco took 1st also and taking the podium pic! Alfred Pacheco dominated a large 13 racer pro category. Thank you to the Rim Nordic family, such a fun and friendly venue to race some prime mountain bike trails.
#kendamtb #norcobikes #sigmasportusa #switchtoxpedo #rydersunglasses #backbone #stillshortestontopstep
BACKBONE ADVENTURE CYCLING!!!

Santa Ynez Fuzz

Fun weekend out at Santa Ynez Valley for Kenda Cup #4! Earned a 5th place in the Master Men Enduro on Saturday. Was in 3rd but came in too hot and totally missed a turn on a wooden bridge which sent me right over the bars into the creek on Stage 3. Clawed my way out of the ravine and finished the stage with twisted bars. ALWAYS PRE-RIDE! Luckily nothing major but a nasty calf bruise and insect bites all over. Barely able to pedal on the last stage. 1800ft of climbing and supe...r windy! Called it off last second for Sunday's XC race. Fun cheering on peeps out on the dirt crit course. Shout out to Kimmi Runner for 2nd place, Dan Blurton for another 2nd behind Chris, and Ben Goyette for a top 5 in Pro!

HoneyBadgerDHpro 2.35 was a good fast tire on the front for the Endure, looking forward to trying out the HellKat for Big Bear. Thank you Roger Hernandez! Xpedo GFX pedals are solid pedals with a firm base for jumps and drops. Royal Apparel and Seven Gloves/Protection gave confidence.
Photo by Philip Beckman www.pbcreativephoto.com

Big Bear Bob

Fun day racing at Big Bear today. Hardly anyone to pass on Skyline and had Bristlecone all to myself, wow.
Dry, dusty, high altitude riding requires hydration and rehydration/recovery. Get it with #aminovital #stayvital. #backboneracing #kmcchain #kendatires #ryderseyewear #race #mtb #bigbear #snowsummit #singletrack #ridelife

Kenda Cup West San Dimas With Fuzz and Vegas Bob

US Cup/Kenda Cup West/UCI HC Pro Weekend was a blast! Full two days of great XC racing at Bonelli Park, San Dimas. The best part was seeing old familiar faces and greeting new ones. Still amazes me how fast the UCI Pro level is, truly superhuman!
The course was a mix of techy front side with an all out pedally backside when you cross the road. Tough to find a rhythm with punchy climbs. Had a slow start in the back of the pack of 15 riders but saved myself from blowing up on ...the first climb. Worked my way up to 5th behind the fast guys in your category. Every time I wanted to put a surge in to close the gap my leg would say no and had to back off. Felt better last lap and had a fun time with two other category riders to the finish line. Ended up in 6th. Bob Snyder had an unfortunate flat on his first lap but ended the rest of the race strong. Mark Thome has a strangle hold on his rivals (Rod and Disco Dave). Gabe Margve represented the old man crew, even going over the handlebars , Mr. Margve finished 3 hard laps! Ben Goyette raced UCI Pro Saturday and raced Pro on Sunday! Will be running Kenda tires for Sea Otter now. Joy Chow is the glue that holds it all together, thank you for bottle handoffs and taking pics of us.

Big Thank YOU to Roger Hernandez for a fun weekend in and out of the Kenda Tire pits. Ben Essman from Norco Bikes, Nico and Mike from Shimano, Amino Vital Nutrition, Sigma Sport USA, Xpedo Pedals, Ryder Eyewear, Royal Racing, Kmc Chain, and all the cheers and jeers. Red Monkey crew is hilarious
I told this to my students yesterday and I want to share it with you all that read these reports; Dan Blurton of Path Bike Shop is a true sportsman and has my full respect. Dan got the win in our category but chose to relegate himself to 2nd giving Chris Kutzmarski the win because he was pushed on purpose in the sprint by another racer from our category. Dan came around the tangled mess and witnessed what had happened. Great example to share and karma is on your side my friend.
#Backbone #BackboneAdventureCycling #Kendatires #Sigmasportusa #switchtoxpedo #KMC #stayVITAL #pterodactyl