California Enduro Series Round 7: Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro - Video and Photo Recap

The Eastern Sierra flaunted all of its rough, wild and moody splendor for the seventh round of the California Enduro Series, the Kamikaze Bike Games (KBG) Enduro. The event was part of the Kamikaze Bike Games running September 14–17 at Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes 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 mountain—well known for its fickle weather this time of year (remember that crazy storm we were blasted with the morning of the 2015 enduro!?)—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.

Check out 2017 KBG Enduro Pro stage highlights below and learn about the 2017 KBG Enduro stages in detail here. Get full KBG Enduro race results here and Golden Tour results here. View current series individual standings here and team standings here.


Pro Stage Highlights

Stage 1: Brake Through to DC10 • 1.99 mile

Stage 1 may well be the quintessential modern enduro track and sure got the blood pumping from pedally and rocky Brake Through on down pro line DC10 (new to the course this year). Read about Stage 1 in detail here.

Men: Golden Tour Leader Evan Geankoplis came out swinging on this physically demanding first stage of the day. Geankoplis turned the pedals in ferocity to best Marco Osborne by only six-tenths of a second: 4:31.3 to 4:31.9. Kyle Warner, still showing excellent form from CES round six at Northstar, was third in 4:33.6. Seasoned racer Curtis Keene opened the day three seconds off the pace (and a fraction of a second behind Warner) in 4:34 with elder statesman Brian Lopes in 4:35—both within striking distance of the win with over 30 minutes left to race. Would this first stage point to the veteran riders easing into things with the younger set pushing the risks? Times were tight with the top five separated by only three and a half seconds. Any advantages so early would not be bankable, and everything was still open to play for.

Women: After a season-long absence from the Golden Tour, last year’s champion Kathy Pruitt showed up at the final round of this year’s pro triple crown to challenge the emerging Queen of the Golden Tour Amy Morrison. Stage 1 saw Pruitt top second-place finisher Essence Barton by five seconds with a time of 5:17. Barton’s effort of 5:22 was two seconds bested Morrison's 5:24. CES season points leader Janea Perry was fourth in 5:25 and fifth went to Zephyr Sylvester in 5:42. With solid riding all year, Barton was looking at a three-way battle between herself, Pruitt and Morrison at the same time taking points from Perry in the overall CES season points standings. All top five women had something to prove and this race was going to be key in making good on intentions.




Marco Osborne tackling DC10 on Stage 1 with ferocity. Osborne charged on to take the day’s win. He says, “It was a tight race, super close as we traded up stages. The course was technical and physical … classic Mammoth trails. I rode smoothly, had no mechanicals—just one sketchy pass. Stoked to pull it off today. Good fun on the mountain.”


Evan Geankoplis makes light work of a DC10 rock garden on Stage 1. Geankoplis took the podium in fifth for the day and defended his 2016 Golden Tour title. He says, “It was a good time racing the Golden Tour, with Marco Osborne and Curtis Keene hot on my heels. All three venues were equally dry, loose and technical. China Peak’s stage 5 was the highlight, a premier trail.”




Stage 2: Kamikaze to Shock Treatment to White Bark back to Kamikaze to Richter • 3.32 mile
Stage 2 sent riders off from the very top of the mountain and down the legendary Kamikaze—a fast and furious fire road descent on which speeds of up to 65 MPH on enduro-style bikes have been clocked. The stage also included pro line Shock Treatment, another pro line new to this year’s course. Read about Stage 2 in detail here.

Men: Brian Lopes, the only top enduro rider to have raced Kamikaze in its Golden Age, used that experience to take a stage win in 6:47 and bested second placer Marco Osborne by seven seconds. Geankoplis dropped nine seconds to Lopes, which was more than enough to allow Lopes and Osborne to move into first and second positions overall, causing Geankoplis to fall to fifth. Cole Picchiottino nailed the speed needed to score a third on the stage in 6:56 with Curtis Keene in fourth in the same second. It seemed that Lopes was looking to hit his rhythm and find a consistent top end that would force others into risky situations. His experience and preparation could win out against the “throwing caution to the wind” style of Osborne and Geankoplis.

Women: Pruitt again showed that she was top of the class in 7:47; however, Perry lost only three seconds in the runner-up spot and also moved to second place overall. Morrison dropped ten seconds to stick with third place, while Barton suffered on the course after a promising stage one to finish in fourth at 19 seconds, giving herself extra work to fulfill her potential. Brianne Spiersch had her best stage placing in fifth at 30 seconds.





Stage 3: Brake Through to Flow to Smooth Operator • 2.8 mile

Stage 3 veers riders off Brake Through about part way down the trail to cut through the Chair 20 face, an extremely steep and loose chunder field. The action stayed gnarly on Flow with its infamous drop and Smooth Operator’s fast jump line. Read about Stage 3 in detail here.

Men: Warner regained full confidence with a win on this high-speed pump fest, besting Keene by three seconds and Osborne by four. Fourth would go to Picchiottino in 8:11 with Geankoplis in the same second for fifth. All the experience and planning in the world did not save Lopes from a crash that cost him his race lead. Osborne was the beneficiary and took the overall lead, with Lopes falling to second. Keene bumped to fourth and Warner’s stage set him at fifth.

Women: Morrison took the stage in 9:14, advancing to second overall. Pruitt did enough to maintain her overall lead with a second place in 9:22. Perry gave away 15 seconds on the stage and fell to third. Sylvester rolled home in fourth with a 9:38. Mammoth local Lauren Gregg achieved her best stage result with a fifth place while fighting bronchitis. Barton suffered a mechanical that caused her to lose time, finishing sixth on the stage and dropping to fourth overall.






Amy Morrison looking fierce on Smooth Operator / Stage 3. Taking things “easy” so as not to risk her overall win in the Golden Tour—which she did indeed take—Morrison came in second at day’s end. She says, “I’m stoked to take the Golden Tour win. I didn’t race the entire series this year, as I wanted to branch out and race some other events. But I still wanted to do the Golden Tour and I enjoyed the challenge of racing Caro and Anita Gehrig at Northstar and Kathy Pruitt and Anneke Beerten here.”



Stage 4: Skid Marks to Lincoln Express to Follow Me • 4.64 mile

Dropping in from the blustery top of the mountain, this stage was all about digging deep and tapping into reserves as riders took on a challenging range of trail conditions. Read about Stage 4 in detail here.

Men: The longest stage of the day saw some of the smallest margins. Osborne held onto his lead, but Keene continued to tighten things up with a stage win. Keene’s 12:33 was two seconds better than Osborne’s 12:35 bringing his overall gap after four stages to a mere second. Lopes fell to third overall with a third on the stage in 12:41. Warner maintained his fourth overall with the same result on this stage four seconds behind Lopes, while Mammoth local Matt Guntert would enter the top five stage results 26 seconds behind Keene. Geankoplis held fifth overall but only managed an eighth-place stage result.

Women: Pruitt won this long, physical stage in 14:27, 14 seconds faster than Amy Morrison, which padded her overall lead. Perry solidified her third place overall by powering through in 14:54. Barton crashed twice and dropped a chain, losing 52 seconds to end the stage in fourth. Sylvester finished fifth at 57 seconds.




Kathy Pruitt in slay-mode on the bottom of Follow Me / Stage 4. Pruitt didn’t expect to take the day’s top step but was naturally happy to do so. She says, “The day went real smoothly… such a great course and I had a fun time on the transfers with the other women. My bike worked great—and I did too, considering the altitude. The cherry on top of this day is that I won.” She adds with a smile, “And it’s beer time!”




Stage 5: Bullet to Lincoln Express to Brake Through back to Bullet, finish on Elevator Shaft • 1.74 mile

The final stage dished up even more physically challenging terrain, including Bullet’s famed Heart of Darkness and culminating on the vertical, soft, powdery and fast Elevator Shaft. Read about Stage 5 in detail here.

Men: The final stage of the day offered additional technical risk as well as more vO2 testing. Picchiottino took the stage win squeezing one second more out the track than Osborne did, posting a time of 4:51. Lopes flew through in 4:54, only one second ahead of Keene who did his all to catch the one second he needed to win. Warner matched the EWS veteran to claim 5th on the stage even after misjudging the finish line and sitting up too soon.

Women: Morrison got her second stage win of the day in 5:43 despite avoiding excessive risks in order to not lose her overall win in the Golden Tour. Second went to a trouble-free run from Barton in 5:45. Pruitt struggled for the first time all day with the altitude and fatigue, and claimed third on the stage 8 seconds behind. However, this was still enough to take home the win with 15 seconds over Morrison. Perry’s 5:53 earned her fourth on the stage and kept her in third place overall. Sylvester again took fifth place on the final stage to match her fifth place overall.






An aerial view of the venue during the post-setup/pre-action hush. The Kamikaze Bike Games was brought to life by Mammoth Mountain Senior Vice President and passionate cyclist Bill Cockcroft, who was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1994. Cockroft has organized a multitude of world-renowned cycling events and is responsible for opening Mammoth to bikes, making the resort one of the first-ever lift-accessed bike parks in the world in 1986. This was Cockcroft’s final year with Kamikaze Bike Games as he is retiring after having worked at Mammoth since 1969. He says, “I’m going to go ride my bike, ski and visit people … enjoy time with my wife. Kamikaze has been fun, and I’m going to miss it.” He adds, with that trademark twinkle in his eye, “I’ll be around, though.”












Kenda was again on hand to showcase its new enduro tires. CES appreciates Kenda’s support of the series. The long-time tire company has charged fast and furious into the enduro world with the addition of its latest gravity tires, the Hellkat Pro and Helldiver Pro. Featuring Kenda’s new Advanced Gravity Casing (AGC) technology, these tires can take on anything a course could throw at them, allowing for racers to push their limits with confidence and trust.










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 and Erik Saunders
Photos by Scott and Melody McClain, Called To Creation
Video by Mitch Nuyens and Sebastian Bauer