2012 Team BGB/MK Windham GES Report

Why would Team BGB-Mountain Khakis drive 15 hours to the state of New York? Let’s see.... Thursday/Friday ride your bike in the woods, Saturday race on a closed course,  Sunday a free day to watch the best Downhill Racers in the world. Sold yet? No sales pitch required here..... WE ARE THERE! 

But what would we see after that long haul? The town of Windham had a rough closing to 2011 with Tropical Storm Irene leaving the town in total devastation. With challenge comes strength, the UCI World Cup and sister Gravity East Series race were back for yet another year. We all have to thank the race organizers and towns people for their efforts, bouncing back to make it all happen in 2012. Pulling into town, really the only visible reminisce of what took place in late August was the creek bed is now 3X wider than it used to be. Most importantly, at least to the team (quick shout out), “The Country Store” still stands!..... the best darn breakfast in all of New York State. A MUST stop if you ever decide to make the trip yourself! Trust us! 

Hotel still there – Check! Unload – Check! Some badly needed sleep – Check! Time to head up to the resort for the start of the 4 day event and first the course walk. Expecting to see some major water damage to the trail, but to no avail, for the most part there wasn’t much of any significance. Yeh, there were a few spots were you could tell that a Kayak would be in order on a wet and rainy day, but the flood really only resulted in a few course changes from the previous year. Props to the trail crew! 

With the weather/temps on our side and having to mix in with the UCI schedule, race day was late Saturday evening with the last rider heading down the course at almost 7:00 p.m. With the light diminishing fast and forcing some riders to question, “Should I have brought my night riding gear?” Team BGB-MK Pro Max Morgan was able come across the line with a time that put him into 13th spot. Considering that 80% of the riders that finishing just in front of him were World Cup Riders that failed to make one of the 80 spots in the WC field, you can’t argue with that result! Congrats Max! All other Team BGB-MK results are listed below. Congrats All Around Guys! 

Overall, as it was in 2011, GREAT TIME! Congrats to Aaron Gwin (USA) for his win in the UCI World Cup at Windham. Independence Day came early for the good ole US of A! We are glad to see the town as had such a great comeback and can’t wait to see you all again next year! Thanks to Daniel McDonald and the whole crew at the GES Series for a great event. 

Next up on the Team’s schedule.... we just love July! Just two weeks and it’s the second biggest event of the year, 

the 2012 US Gravity National Championships at Beech Mountain Resort.  

Team BGB-MK Results: 

Men’s Pro:   

13th – Max Morgan 

Men’s Cat 2 30 -39:   

16th – Nick Frantz (Flat Rear Tire) 

Men’s Cat 2 18 and Under:   

9th – Nich Ifkovits 6:33.66 

Thanks to all our sponsors: Mountain Khakis, Billy Goat Bikes, Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Loaded Precision 

Components, Black Market Bikes, Feedback Sports, Smith Optics, Zerode Bicycles, POC Sports, Suspension Experts. 

Team BGB/MK Beech Mountain Race Number 1

With the light at the end of the tunnel shining ever so brightly for the biggest race in the US, the US Gravity Nationals, Team BGB-MK returned to what we like to call our “home track” for the first DH race of the season at Beech Mountain Resort. Over a 150 riders would also make the trek from as far away at Illinois, Texas, and Florida to get some invaluable track time for that race we all see in the horizon.

Rolling into Banner Elk, NC, weather conditions for the weekend looked great with a slight chance of precip forecast for just about the time the last Pro would make his way through the course. Track conditions on a chilly Saturday morning course walk looked dry, but those of us that have been there before know better. The water hides and just seems to come out of the ground on this mountain. She didn’t disappoint with just enough to make those rock sections a bit slick and have a number of rider’s ask, “Cut mud tires or DH tires?”

All racers would maneuver the amateur course of which is extremely technical for the inexperienced and filled with tight twisty sections which kept one on their guard. The weekend started out for Team BGB-MK with lots of “stop and go” trying to find that elusive smooth line in a very rocky course. I’d bet that each of our riders took at least three minor spills (if not more) over the course of the weekend.

After a day of getting into the groove, Nich Ifkovits, our youngest rider, put in a clean run placing third overall in Juniors and 3rd in category. Nicely done young gun! For the team, the weekend would belong to team Pro Rider Ryan Taylor who put in an impressive run after a huge crash during early morning Sunday practice where he introduced himself and his bike to a tree. That meeting didn’t go very well and each left on bad terms. Shaken, but not spoiled Ryan was able to muster up enough mojo to finish on the podium taking home the bronze behind two previous National Champions, Ethan Quehl of Chainsmoke Racing (Silver) and Gerrit Beytagh (Gold). Congrats Mr. Beytagh for winning the Pro class! Finally a must mention, Jay FAST-perman (Fesperman – GROM Racing) laid down the fastest time on the mountain beating Gerrit’s time by a HUUUGGGE 0.01 sec. Running JrX, this is turning into the year of FAST-perman….. expect to hear this young man’s name quite a bit this season. Individual Team BGB-MK results are summarized below.

Pro Men:
3rd – Ryan Taylor
10th – Rob DeMao

Men Cat 1 Master 35-39:
3rd – Matt Haynes

Men Cat 2 Senior 19-24:
7th – Jay Guidry

Men Cat 2 Master 30-34:
4th – Nick Frantz

Men Cat 2 Master 35-39:
7th – Brook Buckelew

Men Cat 2 Junior 15-18:
3rd – Nich Ifkovits

Women Cat 3 Master 40-49:
DNS – Heither Schultz (Injury)

Overall USAC Official Results. Thanks to Talia Freeman, Chris Herndon, Danny Cesare, the Beech Ski Patrol, the rest of the Beech Mountain crew and all of the racers for making it such a great time. We look forward to the 2012 USAC US Gravity/DS Nationals in just four short weeks, in which all will fight to make the claim, “The Best in the US!” The countdown BEGINS!

Thanks to all our sponsors: Mountain Khakis, Billy Goat Bikes, Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Loaded Precision Components, Black Market Bikes, Feedback Sports, Smith Optics, Zerode Bicycles, POC Sports, Suspension Experts.

2012 Zerode G-1 Images

The 2012 Zerode is now coming anodized with 3 color options.It is now 1.5 pounds lighter as well.

• Black
• Blue
• Silver

Team BGB/MK Short Film Announced

Get your tickets early and grab your bag of popcorn, Team BGB-Mountain Khakis has joined forces with local N.C. based film makers, Dirt Passion (www.dirtpassion.com), to bring a short film featuring the team and each of its sponsors to the Summer Box Office near you. Well maybe the Box Office is a stretch, but going viral will work just fine.

Sam Anderson, Chris Annesi, and Jacob Teer (pictured below) are three very talented college students that all attend in the University of North Carolina Charlotte and whom call N.C. / Appalachian Mountains “my backyard.” Not only do they share the same passion each of us do, shreddin in the sticks, but also have made a name for themselves as film makers with the imminent release of “Finding Flow.” Finding Flow made its theatrical debut on February 26 locally at the UNCC Campus with a second local premiere to be held in Asheville, N.C. on Thursday March 29. The full 27 minute feature will be released the first week of April free online at Pinkbike. Catch a sneak peak glimpse of the full edit, the film trailer can be seen on Vimeo. We promise you will not be disappointed.

Chris Annesi, “2011 was a great year for us with filming Finding Flow, and now with that behind us we are really excited for the 2012 season. Starting out the year with the new crew (aka Dirt Passion), new projects have been in the works for a while and are something that we are extremely stoked about! We believe that with all professionalism should come fun and good times, which is something that Dirt Passion will be striving for in our edits. What better way of kicking it off with Team BGB-MK. We have been in contact with the Public Relations Director for the team, Jay Schultz, for quite some time planning this edit. Being able to work with a group whom are just as stoked to be in the mountains and around bikes as us is really all we could ask for.”

“We are so stoked to be able to work with the guys from Dirt Passion keeping it local and showing there is quality riding, not to mention talented film making, in North and South Carolina. This will be a great opportunity to get our sponsors, team, and riders some well-deserved exposure” said Jay Schultz, Marketing and Public Relations Director, Team BGB-Mountain Khakis. “They are a good group of characters that LOVE to just have a good time and most importantly, RIDE!”

Shooting of the Team BGB-MK short film will take place in April at a location that will not be named to protect to the guilty. The final 4 to 5 min edit of the Team BGB-MK edit is planned for May 2012, with the intent of making the rounds on the internet, Youtube, Vimeo, PinkBike, VitalMTB, etc. We’ll let everybody know when it’s “LIVE!”

Joining us in this MEGABLOCKBUSTER short film will be all of our 2012 sponsors: Mountain Khakis, Billy Goat Bikes, Rocky Mountain Bicycles, Loaded Precision Components, Black Market Bikes, Feedback Sports, Smith Optics, Zerode Bicycles, POC Sports, Suspension Experts, Dirt Passion.

Team BGB/Mountain Khaki Ride Max Morgan Selected For Pan Am Continental Team

On Monday March 12, USA Cycling (www.usacycling.org) made the announcement that one of our own was selected to represent the good ole US of A at the 2012 Pan American Continental Championships the first week of April 2012 in Puebla, Mexico. Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Pro Max Morgan will be joining an all-star Team USA cast as one of six including Neko Mulally, Brian Buell, Logan Mulally, Joey Schusler, and J.D. Swanguen.

"I am very thankful for this opportunity and am I am looking forward to meeting new people and having a good time. It will be a great experience to race with some of our nation's best and I hope I can put in a solid result."

Max, at the ripe young age of 19, is moving into his second year both as a Pro and as a member of Team BGB-Mountain Khakis. “I have been riding bikes for as long as I can remember. The first day rode a bike of any kind, I ended up ripping my training wheels off. That same day, my mom tells me a built a jump in the driveway and showed no fear.” Fast forward 15 years, “I have raced one full season in the Pro Category after moving up from the junior ranks. I am looking forward to a successful season in 2012…… what better way to get the ball rolling this season then to race the Continental Championships in Mexico.”

When not shreddin, Max is student of Mechanical Engineering at Elon University and also has two other “passions in life”: cars and hockey. “I grew up loving all types of cars. My dad is the original owner of a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle that’s he’s owned since he was 16. I think I love that car just as much as he does and I hope that someday it will become mine. Also, when I was 9 years old I started playing hockey with my younger brother Sam and haven't looked back since. I have been lucky enough to travel across the US getting some great opportunities to play in all levels of roller hockey tournaments. Currently, I play Division II club ice hockey at Elon University. I really enjoy it and our team had a great year in 2011.”

We will all be rooting for Max wearing his stars and stripes from afar….. We wish we all could be there. Rip It My Friend! Here’s to going global with all great sponsors this season: Mountain Khakis, Billy Goat Bikes, Rocky

Mountain Bicycles, Loaded Precision Components, Black Market Bikes, Feedback Sports, Smith Optics, Zerode Bicycles, POC Sports, Suspension Experts. Representing the US of A! Pro Max Morgan Selected for Pan Am Continental Team