The Kona Les Gets Factory Team wrapped up the World Cup season with a fine performance by Tracy Moseley. Tracy once again showed she is one of the most consistent downhill finishers on the World Cup circuit. Unfortunately, a scare was felt throughout racing community when Fabien Barel crashed hard in the semi-final. Barel had been riding well and was confident after his Silver Medal performance at the World Championships.more

In what was one of the more amazing feats of the season (pun intended) Fabien Barel put together a stellar ride to take the Silver Medal in the Elite Men’s Downhill. After five weeks off of the bike due to a broken foot, Barel had only the four short days of training and practice before the big run. Barel is known for his uncanny ability to put it all together for the biggest of the big runs and this year was not different. The added pressure seemed to only make him more determined. more

Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks didn’t have the final weekend of racing they were hoping for but it was still good enough to get both of them on the podium for the overall standings for the year. Ryan Trebon, the current US National Champion in Short Track finished 4th Overall for short Track and 11th in the Cross Country Overall. Barry Wicks finished 5th in the overall Standing for Cross Country. Kris Sneddon also had a career best overall finish in 9th place in the Cross Country Overall. more

The Kona athletes showed their versatility this weekend in what has become the hallmark of the team—having some of the best athletes in the world in all disciplines of the sport of cycling. The Crankworx Festival in Whistler BC was in full swing and saw record attendance both in entrants and spectators. more

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Tracy Moseley had the top finish of the weekend for the Kona Les Gets Factory Gravity squad at the Shladming World Cup in Austria finishing in 4th place. Team vehicle issues made for a challenging outing for the team. The clutch gave out right on the Austria-Germany border and from there it was a logistical challenge just to get all the riders and equipment to the event. more

Despite cutting a sidewall and flatting Neal Kindree posted one of his best finishes with a 6th Place U-23 finish (49th Overall) at the St. Felicien World Cup. His time gaps from the Elite Men’s leader continues to narrow and Kindree is showing that he will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. more

It was a very successful weekend for the Kona Les Gets Factory Team, with all gravity riders making it onto the podium.

The track was wide open and fast for the most part, with 2 technical sections in the trees, All the riders were happy with the track, but knew it would be a hard race! The rain continued all day Wednesday. more

With no disrespect to Tracy, the highlight of the weekend of racing for the Kona Les Gets Factory Team was the career ride and 6th place finish for longtime Kona rider Erik Tonkin. Tonkin has been the workingman’s hero for so many over the years and he routinely pulls 50 hours working in his shop, Sellwood Cycle Repair, and takes red eye flights to get to races. This weekend was no different except for the very impressive result. more

Ryan Trebon wins US Cyclocross Nationals Barry Wicks 6th Place
Ryan Trebon added another US National Championship jersey to his collection by winning the US Cyclocross National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. Trebon won the race in commanding fashion with a wire to wire victory and some help from his teammate Barry Wicks.
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The Full Skinny
USA Cyclocross Nationals 2006
Providence, Rhode Island
The final race of the domestic USA cyclocross racing schedule culminated in Providence, Rhode Island and with it came heavy expectations. Coming off of a great season all the Kona riders were expected to do well. Leading the charge was Ryan Trebon coming into the race as a heavy favorite to win the Elite Men’s Race. His recent 10th place finish a very tough Superprestige in Europe the only increased those expectations. Trebon did not disappoint and delivered the victory and became the first rider in US history to hold both the mountain bike and cyclocross USA National Championship titles in the same year.
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Trebon Wins Big at Fort Steilacoom US Gran Prix Clinches Overall Title
Wicks Takes Third Overall in US Gran Prix SeriesFORT STEILACOOM-LAKEWOOD, WA

The rain let up for the day and racers and spectators alike were treated to fast racing. Juxtaposed against a fast power course was the infamous Kona Knapp Time Run up that could make or break your day. On this day though there was no catching Trebon. The race began with a group of six off the front that contained his teammate Barry Wicks among others but when Trebon decided to charge the only one that could stay with him was Tim Johnson at least for a while. But Trebon just kept turning the screws and Johnson eventually could not match the pace and Trebon rode to a solo victory. Wicks had flat legs and suffered the whole day to end up in 6th place. Erik Tonkin finished 15th.

For the Elite Women Wendy Simms put in a great ride staying in contention with the leaders for most of the race. But in the final laps Katie Compton put in an attack that only Lyne Bessette could counter and that left Simms to duke it out with series leader Georgia Gould. The two played cat and mouse for two laps with neither being able to shake the other and it came down to the final sprint where Simms narrowly edged out Gould for 3rd place. Simms was determined to win the sprint, “I’m so tired of getting fourth and I wasn’t going to let it happen again today.” Ann Knapp had a good ride steadily picking her way through the fields to finish 17th.

Dale Knapp also rode strong in the Masters field charging the run up that has his namesake each time through to the roar of the crowd where the Kona sponsored DJ Tumbling Tumbleweed kept the crowd pumped. After leading the first few laps Knapp cracked just enough for two more riders to get past and he ended up taking 3rd place.

STUMPTOWN CLASSIC-HILSBORO, OR
Day two of the weekend brought significantly different conditions and racing. The steady downpour turned the relatively flat course into a soup pit and it wasn’t more than a half lap before the riders were caked in mud. Barry Wicks launched off the front of the race looking to better his result from the day before and move up in the overall standings but was plagued by three flats in the day. “I’m bummed because I was riding really well today, but each time I’d get back into it I’d flat and lose another two minutes,” said Wicks. After Wicks flatted Trebon charged to the front to once again trade jabs with Tim Johnson. But today Trebon would not be able to stick with the pace having multiple bobbles in the mud and holes lurking beneath the puddles. Trebon finished 5th and Wicks finished 11th. Erik Tonkin had a string of bad luck that began with being crashed out at the start of the event. “I went down hard when the guy in front of me crashed and all I could do was curl up and wait for other riders to hit me. I think at least six other riders rammed into me. I’m going to be really sore tomorrow,” he said. Then a flat tire and ripped off rear derailleur took him out of contention for good. He finished 23rd.

The elite women’s race was an exciting race with watch with many riders taking there shot at a knock out punch. Kona rider Wendy Simms jumped from the gun and splintered to group and only the other four favorites could go with her. From there it was a matter of trading blows, trying to find the good lines and stay upright. But on the third lap Katerina Nash was able to separate from the group, which forced everyone else to chase and exploded the group. Simms rode strong all day long and charged out looking for a victory and in the end finished 4th, but was awarded here 3rd most aggressive rider award of the series. She finished the series in 4th place Overall. Ann Knapp had a great ride. She is still starting from the mid pack rows and it is a site to see her pick off rider after riders. Her technical skills are top notch and they helped greatly on this course and she finished in 10th place.

Dale Knapp shot out the front of the Master men race like a cannon and was not to be seen by the field for the remainder of the day. Knapp loves the hard, nasty muddy conditions saying, “There’s nothing like a good Portland mud bath.” Knapp led the race wire to wire to take the victory. What makes his victory even more impressive was the fact that he was on duty as the mentor/coach for the Kona sponsored Junior Development Rad Racing Team. Prior to his owns start he could be seen washing his junior racers bikes and in the pits for them. He showed up to his own start with no warm up, went on to take a wire-to-wire victory, and drove back to Seattle to work the graveyard shift as a flight simulator technician. Just another day in the life of Kona cyclocross hero Dale Knapp.

While the weekend final day of racing wasn’t exactly what the Kona team had hoped for the effort everyone put out on this the final day of the US Gran Prix was impressive. Special thanks goes out to team mechanic Mark Matson, all of our sponsors and especially Jake & Dan.

US GRAN PRIX OVERALL FINAL STANDINGS
Elite Men
1st place Ryan Trebon-Kona Factory Cyclocross Team
3rd place-Barry Wicks-Kona Factory Cyclocross Team
15th place Erik Tonkin- Kona Factory Cyclocross TeamElite Women
5th Place Wendy Simms-Kona Factory Cyclocross Team
15th Place Ann Knapp- Kona Factory Cyclocross Team

Master Men 35+
5th Place Dale Knapp- Kona Factory Cyclocross Team
As Always thanks to our sponsors: Jake & Dan, Kona Bicycle Company,
Stvenstad Dental, Easton Sports, Shimano, FSA, Verge Clothing, WTB, Honey Stinger & Big Agnes

Kona Factory Cyclocross Team Doubles Up the Victories and Wins Fourth Straight USGP Trebon Wins USGP #3, Wicks Wins USGP #4

Longmont Colorado was the host of the 3rd round of the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross and all eyes were on the newly delivered Verge Sport white leader skin suit worn by Kona rider Ryan Trebon. The other racers got a look at it at the start but after the lead lap would see only the back of it and from a distance. Trebon simply rode away from the splintered field to a solo victory. Trebon said, “It was good racing today and I wanted to go out from the front and win with a good margin. I feel like I am finally coming into full form.”

Barry Wicks had a stoic ride. He was with the lead group and seemed to be the strongest rider in the group and was waiting from Trebon to get enough of a gap so he could launch an attack of his own. Unfortunately, a broken seat post and a subsequent crash resulted in a 5th place finish. “It’s frustrating, but that’s racing and you have to just get up and roll with it. After the post broke I pitted for the new bike but forgot I had let some air pressure out of the tires on my A bike right before the race. So when I was pinning it on the B bike right out of the pits I misjudged the tire pressure and stacked it on one of the corners.”

Dale Knapp and Erik Tonkin both put in some fine rides. Dale Knapp ended up 9th in the Master 35+ field which is becoming bigger and faster by the year. Erik Tonkin finished 11th essentially holding his starting position.

Wendy Simms just couldn’t quite stay with the lead group and dangled off the back of it for most of the Elite women’s race. She rode solid on a course that wasn’t really wells suited for her style, as she likes the courses technical and muddy. She finished in 6th Place. Ann Knapp made her first appearance at the 2006 US Gran Prix series. She showed that while she is still working on her fitness the tenacity and savvy earned her the Adidas most aggressive rider award of the day. She worked her way up from the very last starting row to 15th. When asked how she felt Knapp remarked “I suffered hard today but it is just so good to be back out racing again.”

Boulder, Colorado was the host of the 4th round of the US Gran Prix event at what was one of the finest venues to date. The course was set between a high school grounds and Platt Park with the Rockies as the backdrop. The dramatic setting set the scene for the day where some of the most exciting cross racing in recent memory took place.

In the Elite Men’s race it looked to be a repeat of the day before with Trebon rocketing off the front with only Todd Wells able to keep pace. It seemed for a bit as if Wells may just have been able to match Trebon’s power but when Trebon would lift the pace you could see the hurt in Wells face. Ultimately it wasn’t to be a repeat of the day before as Trebon had mechanical issues with handlebars slipping out of position on some of the rough parts of the course. This set the stage for the finest cross rides of his teammate Barry Wicks’ career.

Wicks lost contact with the lead group after the first lap and seemed to be out of contention. “I was hurting so bad on lap two and three and I was doing all I could to just hang on. But sometimes it’s like that and if you can get through that rough spot the legs just seem to get better as the race goes on.” When Wicks saw that Trebon had dropped off the pace with mechanical issues he knew he had to put in a big ride for the Kona team. He drove himself into the land of the dark as he spent three laps digging to the depths of pain to regain contact with the lead group.

Once he had made contact with the lead group he could tell, like the day before he was the strongest rider and with teammate Trebon charging back to the field he pulled only by necessity. By the end of the race Wicks knew he had it in the bag, he was perfectly positioned coming off the last lap and into the finish shoot and launched his sprint to victory. Meanwhile Trebon was dazzling the crowd with a display of angry power and clawed back from a nearly two minute deficit to come within 10 seconds of the lead group and finished 4th. This stellar ride earned Trebon the most aggressive rider award of the day.

Dale Knapp had a much better ride in the Masters 35+ class and was able to keep the power on as he dangled in and out of the lead group all day. He’d get dropped on the long windy road section only to reel back the group in the more technical sections. But as Knapp said, “You can only go to the bank so many times before you get overdrawn and at that point it’s damage control. So when I lost contact with the final group for the final time I just settled into a rhythm to hold my place.” He ended up 5th. Erik Tonkin succumbed to flatlanders syndrome and just couldn’t recover at the altitude and ended his day in 16th position.

Wendy Simms had a ride very similar to Dale Knapp’s and suffered at the end of the main chase group for most the day. She too was struggling with the 2nd day of racing at altitude but was able to better her place by one and ended up 5th. Ann Knapp also had a better ride, had a better start and was able to use her superior technical skills to work her way through the group to finish 11th. The writing is on the wall that Knapp is coming back on form after a lay off. When the courses turn to the Pacific Northwest where mud and rain will be a factor she will mix it up with the top racers once again.

Special mention goes out to team wrench Mark Matson who pulled out all the stops to deal with equipment problems the whole weekend and also to Kona Dealer Full Cycle in Boulder for pulling parts out of stock to keep the Kona Factory team atop the Podium.

Next UP US Gran Prix rounds 4 & 5 in Lakewood, WA November 18th and Portland, OR November 19th.

As Always thanks to our sponsors: Jake & Dan, Kona Bicycle Company, Stvenstad Dental, Easton Sports, Shimano, FSA, Verge Clothing, WTB, Honey Stinger & Big Agnes

Trebon Doubles UP the Victories (Again)
Four for Four on the season
Wicks Doubles up the Podium Finish too

Kona Factory Cyclocross rider Ryan Trebon continued his domination of his competition by winning another two UCI Category 1 cyclocross events, Granouge Cyclocross, DE and Wissahickon Cyclocross, PA. These wins stretch his string of victories to four in a row. Trebon is finding the consistency that has eluded him during his mountain bike season. He is putting on a show of force the North American Cyclocross circuit has not seen for many a year. His teammate Barry Wicks has had solid outings too and finished 3rd in both events.

Trebon showed his skills over the weekend on two vastly different courses. The Granouge played more to his natural strengths with wide open power sections. This was perfect for the team tactics to play in and Kona Rider Barry Wicks said, "This made for good racing for the Twin Timbers. Ryan shattered the field and I was left to pick up the pieces.
So I pretty much just marked wheels." Wicks narrowly missed taking 2nd place losing out on the sprint to finish 3rd, while Trebon rolled to a convincing victory.

The Wissahickon, PA event was a place where other riders hoped to take advantage of their technical skills to neutralize Trebon's power. But it was not to be and Trebon made the most of the sections and said, "I just applied the power into the head winds and was able to get away." Teammate Wicks missed the move Tim Johnson made and had to work extra hard to get back on his wheel. Wicks said, "Once I was able to make contact with Tim I knew I didn't have the gas left. Wells caught back on pretty quick and we ride well together so we just worked to stay away from the field." Wicks got the better of the sprint today and joked it was the "molasses like sprint of mountain bikers," between he and Wells. Wicks took 3rd Place.

Kona Teammate Erik Tonkin is still working his way up from the cheap seats (back starting rows) until the UCI points get recalculated. Since he finds himself starting in the 6th or 7th row he has to chase way too hard to be in the chase for the podium. Tonkin remarked, "On the first lap I am stuck behind guys blowing up left and right and going backwards fast. I can see there are 10 or so riders I need to get around to stay in the hunt but only seem to be able to pick off 8 of them." Tonkin finished 12th and 13th respectively.

Next up the Kona Cyclocross Team the US Gran Prix in Boulder, Colorado.

As Always thanks to our sponsors: Jake & Dan, Kona Bicycle Company, Stvenstad Dental, Easton Sports, Shimano, FSA, Verge Clothing, WTB, Honey Stinger & Big Agnes

Tracy Moselely wins World Cup Overall Kamil Tatarkovic wins first World Cup.

In the final race of the season the Kona Les Gets Factory team bid a fitting farewell to the 2006 World Cup Season. The final event was held in Schladming, Austria and both Moseley and Tatarkovic had a plenty on the line with Moseley fighting to keep the World Cup lead and Tatarkovic to stay hunt for the medals in the 4X World Cup overall.

Tracy Moseley took the Bronze medal on this final day which was more than enough for her to finish out the season number one. But she was further off the pace than normal and it was apparent the stress of a long season was setting in. Still, she rode strong enough to take third. When it was all said and done, Moseley remarked “I’m really looking forward to taking a break now!”
She completed a season by finishing in the medals at six straight World Cups and deservedly takes home the gold for the World Cup Series. Moselely was the hunted all season long and she rose to the challenge at each event. She handled all the pressure that goes with the leaders jersey like a true champion and along the way powered to the finest season of her career.

Kamil Tatarkovic saved his best ride for last and at this the final World Cup of the season notched his first ever 4X World Cup victory. Tatarkovic was in a dog fight to make the top five in the World Cup overall and it was going to take best ride of his career and season to stay there. Tatarkovic did not disappoint by making the most of his skills on the tight and technical course which played to his strengths. As a result he ended up with a big win.
With the victory and the tight points race, Tatarkovic vaulted to third place in the World Cup Series overall and walked out of the venue with Gold and Bronze hanging about the neck. He was consistent throughout the entire season and only fell out of the top ten in one event but for the most part was in the chase of the medals all season long. Tatarkovic too had the finest season of his career.

We wish them the finest congratulations on an excellent season.

None of this of course would be possible without the support staff that is so necessary for successful gravity racing. Once again ace team wrench Paul Walton kept the bikes and the riders rolling and showed he is one of the best on the circuit. Walton has been a big part of the success of the Kona Les Gets Factory team this season. He too can put the 2006 season behind him with a couple more feathers in the cap and deserves many congratulations as well.


THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSORS.

NEW - Tracy Moseley report GO>>

Tracy Moseley Takes the Silver Medal

Kona Les Gets rider, Tracy Moseley-GBR continued on with the best year of her career by taking the silver medal in the Elite Women’s World Championship Downhill in Rotorua, NZ. Tracy had the fastest qualifying time by almost three seconds but in the finals placed second to Sabrina Jonnier-FRA by almost the same margin. Moseley’s finish was definitely the silver lining in an otherwise rough outing for the Kona Les Get Factory Team.

Heavy rains up to the event made the track very slippery and dangerous. Tracy rode very well but in her own words was a bi t hesitant and cautious on the final run. There was a very large drop in the middl e of the course that she opted to go around and was as the results show a bit too conservative in the end. Regardless, while a bit disappointed she is very happy with her run and her placing. This is her best finish in the World Championships and her first medal. Something to be proud of for sure. Now the task at hand is to maintain her lead and take home the overall World Cup title. ...FULL STORY>>

NEW - Tracy Moseley reports on her DH run at Rotorua GO>>

It was the hottest day for many years in the UK as I boarded the plane in London to head to Finland! The weather gave some amazing views from the plane and across Scandinavia and into Helsinki. A trip around the whole of Scandinavia has always been on my list of trips to do once I have my summers free! The views only confirmed that this is a trip I really must do, it is just beautiful with so much open space and water. I flew out of London with Grant Fielder (Chopper), Kona’s newest clump team member, after losing each other at Helsinki airport we finally arrived at our destination, Rovaniemi. The home of Santa Claus, it is also situated on the line of the artic circle. Artic was about the best word to describe the weather, having just left 37’C we arrived into light rain and 9 degrees Celsius. ...FULL STORY>>

A broken foot has made for a very unfortunate end to a tough season for current reigning World Champion and Kona Les Gets Factory Team rider Fabien Barel. Barel’s quest for a 3rd straight world championship title is no longer a reality due to injury.
The injury occurred during a Downhill race at the Kona Groove Approved Levi Bike Park in Finland. During the race Fabien slipped a pedal and caught his foot between the pedal and the ground. At first we had hoped that it was just a sprain and he would be able to return to competition shortly. Further tests proved that analysis wrong and showed that Barel broke a small weight bearing bone in his foot.
While the bone is small the seriousness of the injury is not. The recovery requires two months of no weight bearing on the bone and foot. If not allowed to heal correctly the bone will die and the injury becomes even more acute and surgeries and bone graphs will be required. It will likely be at least three months before Barel will be able to get back on the bike.
Barel was of course extremely disappointed. “It’s all part of the rule in bike racing. It’s been a very tough season mentally. I feel like I have been riding very well but have no paper to show for it,” said Barel. Teammate Tracy Moseley remarked, “Fabien has been riding as well, if not better than I have ever seen him ride. It’s a shame he’s out and won’t get to prove it. The results this year certainly don’t represent his abilities.”
We wish him a speedy and full recovery.

Tracy wins the British DH National Championships

After Brazil I had decided to skip the European Champs and take the week off as I felt like my body needed a good recovery before the 2nd part of the season. It was great timing as it was a great week of sport on the television, with Wimbledon and the Football World Cup finals!! I returned to training at the start of the week but I was still feeling pretty drained. I had not been feeling right, getting stomach pains and feeling a bit sick in the mornings since I had come back from Brazil so I finally went to the doctors just before I left for the national. After doing some tests they found out I had brought a little present back from Brazil in my gut ! ...FULL REPORT>>

RESULTS
Women:
1st - Vanessa Quin, 3:38
2nd – Sabrina Joiner 3:40
3rd – Tracy Moseley 3:4

Men:
1st – Fabien Barel 3:08
2nd – Sam Hill 3:10
3rd – Cedric Gracia 3:12
4th - Mick Hannah 3:12