First up was the Cross Country event on Saturday and Barry Wicks came out aggressive and fast. Having towed the group around the week prior Wicks was going to try an different strategy to get the win and opted to try and break from the group. Wicks was only able to get 10 seconds before the headwind helped bring the group back together. “I’m going to try different ways to ride to get a win,” said Wicks, “Last week I let them sit on too long and I didn’t want to do the same today.”

Trebon however was able to get to the front of the group and power to a 20 second gap on the climbs. “I put on a new flat bar right before the race and I wasn’t quite used to it yet. It was great for climbing but the descending wasn’t as good, only because I’m not used to the bar yet. I knew I had to get some gap on the climb so I wouldn’t have to chase back on each time if I got dropped on the descent.” It worked pretty well for Trebon and he was able to notch a 3rd place while Wicks rode strong to finish 5th. The rest of the Kona Les Gets crew rode tough and Kris Sneddon shows he just on the cusp, ready for a breakout race finishing 7th Place. Erik Tonkin in typical fashion started from 86th place and clawed through 70 riders to finish 16th. Neal Kindree the rising Canadian star had a great ride for his first big one of the season finishing 20th. Two podiums finishes and five Kona Les Gets riders in the top 20 shows the depth of the Kona team.

Wendy Simms came into her race without illness for the first time in a while. She had the initial snap but faded a bit toward the end as the lead group got away. Simms was a bit frustrated but took it in stride knowing she’ll regain the fitness she had before picking up a bug during the European travel. She finished 9th.

Next up was the Short Track. Trebon wanted to do something aggressive and was able to get a gap right from the gun and take the win. “I had great legs on Sunday and was feeling good so I just punched it from the get go. I was able to build about a 25 second lead. The chase group looked like they kept waiting for Kabush to chase but he didn’t lead it out so as the laps wound down I sat up a bit,” remarked Trebon. The rest of the Kona group was not as on form. Barry Wicks crashed on the first turn but got up quick to finish 12th, Neal Kindree busted a rear derailleur off the get go, Kris Sneddon got a flat and Erik Tonkin was pulled after starting in the back again and betting clogged up by slower riders on the fast course.

Wendy Simms had a repeat of the day before. She rode well for the first half of the race staying with the lead group of five before the legs said no more. Once gapped off that group a bit of the mental edge was lost and she slid back to 10th place.

All in all it was a great weekend for the Kona Les Gets Factory Team.

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