The California Enduro Series headed to the Eastern Sierra for its seventh round of the 2017 season, the Kamikaze Bike Games (KBG) Enduro at Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes. The race was part of the September 14-17 Kamikaze Bike Games which featured a variety of cycling competitions including the Pro GRT Downhill, the Boogaloo electric bike race, cross country and kids races, and of course, the Legends of the Kamikaze. The KBG Enduro—an EWS Qualifier—was the final round of the Golden Tour, the series’ pro triple crown that also included the China Peak Enduro and the Northstar Enduro.
The weather-fickle mountain gave Sport/Beginner racers a relatively mild afternoon of racing on Saturday, whereas Pro/Expert riders kicked off their race on a chilly, blustery Sunday morning that fortunately warmed up as the day went on. With Mammoth’s trademark “kitty litter” terrain, and stages starting at over 11,000 feet in elevation, the KBG Enduro is renowned as an especially physical and challenging course. Modifications to the course—such as the inclusion of additional pro line trails such as DC10 and Shock Treatment—upped the ante, even more, this year.
Stages included pedally sections that put legs and lungs to the test, as well as ridiculously steep, soft chutes, plus rock gardens and tight corners galore. Sport and Beginner racers challenged themselves on four stages including 12.3 miles of timed racing and 6,965 feet of descent spanning the entire mountain. Pro and Expert riders tackled those four plus an additional stage for good measure, for a total of 13.7 miles timed racing / 8,235 feet of descent.
The stacked Pro field included Brian Lopes (Ellsworth), Curtis Keene (Specialized), Marco Osborne (WTB/Cannondale), Kyle Warner (Marin), Kathy Pruitt, Anneke Beerten (GT), and Lauren Gregg (Fuji) as well as series contenders Evan Geankoplis (Marin), Cory Sullivan (Marin), Matt Guntert (Park Tool/Kamikaze Bike Games), Janea Perry (Marin), Amy Morrison (Marin), Essence Barton (VP Components/Santa Cruz Bicycles), Zephyr Sylvester (Mike’s Bikes/Yeti) and Brianne Spiersch (Marin).
After a tight fight between the sport’s top talent, it was Marco Osborne and Kathy Pruitt on the top step of the KBG Enduro podium. Golden Tour 2017 champs were Evan Geankoplis and Amy Morrison.
For the series overall, Geankoplis took Ryan Gardner’s spot at the top of the leaderboard while Perry defended her position. On the team front, Sierra Overhead Analytics snagged the lead by one point over 2016 winner Scotts Valley Cycle Sport, which has been leading the series all season up until now.
Get full KBG Enduro race results here and Golden Tour results here. View current series individual standings here and team standings here.
Cheers to another outstanding event. Much gratitude to the riders, sponsors, and volunteers who make the magic happen.
Up next: CES season finale, the Ashland Mountain Challenge presented by Ashland Mountain Adventures on October 7, 2017 in Ashland, Oregon.
About California Enduro Series
CES is a for riders, by riders non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting world-class enduro events that everyone from amateur to pro can enjoy, at a geographically diverse range of venues. The series is renowned for fostering an exceptional sense of community and encourages its participants to be involved in its planning.
The series is grateful for the support of VP Components, FOX, Clif Bar, WTB, Canyon, Kali Protectives, Michael David Winery, Cranked Naturals, Kenda Tires, DHaRCO, KMC, Adventure Sports Journal, Gamut, Voler, ESI Grips, Mike's Bikes and TrailWorks.
Learn more about the series at californiaenduroseries.com.
Words by Michele Charboneau
Photos by Scott and Melody McClain, Called To Creation
9/29/2017 12:14pm
0 comments
To post, please join, log in or connect to Vital using your Facebook profile Login with Facebook.
