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KONA LES GETS RIDER NEAL KINDREE 6TH U-23 AT ST. FELLICIEN WORLD CUP, TREBON 3RD AT OREGON STATE ROAD RACE

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.

“I gotta work on my starts. I was dead last out of the gate but was able to work my way up. But just when I made contact with a group of Canadians and Sneddon (Kona Teammate) my tire went flat. So I limped back to the tech zone and got a wheel and back on the gas,” said Kindree.

Wendy Simms had a better race and feels the legs are finally coming around, finishing 29th “The Kona Hei Hei Supreme dual suspension ruled this course for sure. The course was super fun with drops, root sections into berms. The Hei Hei ate it all up,” remarked Simms. She was positive after her race and is keeping a good attitude despite a recurring illness that has hampered her fitness all season long.

Kris Sneddon had another solid outing. “I was happy to finish the race this weekend after the total rookie mistake of a loose seat bolt in Monte Sainte Anne,” said Sneddon. “I had a really good first half of the race but the 2nd half wasn’t so good. But the course was so fun it made for a great day on the bike.” Sneddon finished 55th.

Meanwhile Kona rider Ryan Trebon, Barry Wicks and Erik Tonkin competed in the Oregon State Road Race as they tune up the legs for the approaching US National Mountain Bike Championships in Vermont. Trebon had a very solid ride and finished in 3rd Place and Wicks in 6th Place.

“It was a really tough 94 mile road race in the heat and the pace was really high. We had three Kona riders in the break when it went and were able to stick with it most of the way but Tonkin eventually fell off the pace. That left just me and Wicks,” said Trebon. The course had a sharp steep climb in the last mile of the course and the riders attacked each other hard here on the final lap breaking up the group for a smaller bunch finish.

Wicks said, “There were some full on pro road riders here from Jittery Joes, T-Mobile and Health Net so we were pretty happy with our rides. If any of us mountain bikers could sprint we would have had a good shot at the win. I was a bit dull around the edges since I was at my sisters wedding the night before. But regardless it was great training.”

Next up for the Kona Team:
• Trebon heads to the Fire Cracker 50
• Kindree rolls off to defend the BC Provincial Championships
• Simms and Kindree will head revered regional event the 15th Annual Padden MTN Pedal-The event is sponsored by Kona and home course of the Kona USA office.
• Wicks is back to Santa Cruz to rest, motor pace and dial in the fitness.

Till Next Time,

Marko

Photos Courtesy of John Gibson

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