Race Report: California Enduro Series Round 6 & Golden Tour Finale - Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro

Mammoth Mountain, located in the heart of the majestic, wild, and awe-inspiring Eastern Sierra, is an ideal setting for the rough, rowdy and unpredictable sport of enduro. The mountain’s austere moonscape and dramatic slopes challenged over 400 riders who took on the Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro, the sixth round of the California Enduro Series’ sixth year.

The event was part of the Kamikaze Bike Games (KBG) which took place September 21-23, 2018 in Mammoth Lakes, California. The KBG featured a variety of cycling competitions including the Pro GRT Downhill, the Boogaloo electric bike race, the kids’ Minikaze, and all-new events including the MegaKami, eDuro and kids’ enduro. The KBG Enduro, an EWS Qualifier, was the final round of the CES Golden Tour, the series’ pro triple crown that also included the China Peak Enduro and the Northstar Enduro.

With Mammoth’s trademark “kitty litter” terrain, and stages starting at over 11,000 feet in elevation, the KBG Enduro is renowned for its especially physical and burly course that features a diverse range of terrain. Racers took advantage of two full practice days to familiarize themselves with the rowdy, imposing tracks. Modifications to the course, such as the inclusion of the highly anticipated Velocity trail, and the Expert/Pro-only Stage 5 featuring Pinball and Chainsmoke, upped the ante even more this year.

The infamously temperamental mountain went easy on racers this year, serving up blue skies and perfect temps. The ever-present wind reportedly helped on the trails as it blew away the dust. It was a factor in just a couple of exposed sections, with riders struggling to stay on course and not blow away like the dust.

Timed race 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 took on four stages spanning the entire mountain, while Pro and Expert riders tackled those four plus an additional stage for good measure. Check out a detailed description of the stages here.

Day’s end found veteran racer Brian Lopes on the top step of the Pro Men podium. Zephyr Sylvester took first for Pro Women. Sylvester also took the Golden Tour champion title, as did Todd Renwick. Evan Geankoplis hung on to his series overall lead, while Heidi Kanayan took the lead back from Essence Barton. Scotts Valley Cycle Sport defended their spot at the top of the team competition leaderboard.

Check out full KBG Enduro race results and podium shots for all categories here and Golden Tour results here. View current series individual standings here and team standings here.

Pro Men champ Brian Lopes in full-on attack mode on Stage 5. Lopes reported from the finish, "I knew the first two stages were going to be physically the hardest so my strategy was to lay it all out on the line from the start; try to get a little breathing room. The rest of my stages were good ... well, other than my last stage. I had a pretty good gap going into the final stage, so I knew I didn’t have to push." He added with a laugh, "So, I just rode like a squid." Lopes is no stranger to the podium at Mammoth Mountain. "I always seem to do pretty good here at Mammoth. I’ve been racing here a long, long time." Photo: Kasey Carames

Pro Women champ Zephyr Sylvester fast and focused on Stage 1. Sylvester said, "I started the day feeling calm and relaxed. The second you tense up in the kitty litter is the second things go wrong. I focused on not getting too worn out in the pedally sections and staying upright in the fast, chunky stuff. The longer stages went well for me and I knew I budgeted my energy enough to have fun. I had limited practice on the rest of the stages so they felt a little unfamiliar, but they were fine. Unfortunately, I had some apprehensions about my line at the top of Stage 5 and it got the better of me. I stuffed my line and pinned myself between my bike and some rocks. The crash also took out nearly 70% of my rear braking power. With my brakes coming to my bars, the rest of the stage was a sloppy mess. When I finally made it down, I was happy to see that I had not thrown it all away."

Sylvester took not only the top step of the KBG Pro Women podium, but also that of the CES Golden Tour. She said of her Golden Tour success, "Winning the Golden Tour feels amazing. China Peak and Mammoth are my two favorite venues and I think it shows in my racing. I started graduate school the Monday after Northstar, and it has been a huge life adjustment. This was my last race of the season, so to wrap things up with a win and the series title feels like the perfect end note. I can now fully turn my attention towards my research and studies." She added with a wink, "At least through the off season." Photo: Kasey Carames

Iconic view from the top of the mountain at 11,053'. Photo: Kasey Carames

Junior Pro rider Calvin Giannini takes on the Stage 5 gnar in practice. Photo: Kasey Carames

A rider does a practice run on a steep, rooty section of Stage 2. Photo: Kasey Carames

Views for days. Photo: Kasey Carames

Rider meeting on a chilly morning that warmed up fast. Photo: Kasey Carames

CES crew member Josh Baker assists riders as they review the course map. Photo: Kasey Carames

Snagging some Clif fuel before the race. Photo: Kasey Carames

Collin Marcroft (Expert Men 18-29) finding his flow on Stage 1. Photo: Kasey Carames

Heading into the trees on Stage 1. Photo: Kasey Carames

Master Pro champ Travis Collins on Stage 1. Photo: Kasey Carames

Amy Binney took first place Expert Women. Photo: Kasey Carames

James "The Tie-Dye Wonder" Eves pinned on Stage 1. Every time we see him, he's a lil more tie-dyed; we love this guy! Eves narrowly missed the Pro Men podium, but stands in fourth place overall. Photo: Kasey Carames

Stage 2 start on Upper Skid Marks where racers battled gusty winds and rocky, exposed switchbacks. Photo: Kasey Carames

In queue for Stage 3. Photo: Kasey Carames

It was so good to see Team Big Bear's Jeff Throop back in action. Throop has been recovering from injuries caused by two subsequent accidents; the latter was a motorcycle accident that had him in an induced coma for a month. This was his first day away from his home in Big Bear, other than for doctor appointments. His daughter, Rachel Strait, took second place Pro Women. She says, "It has been a really hard summer for me racing without him around. I have been lucky to have his better half, Dee, call me before every race to try and fill the void of dad not being able to. People who know me, know how big of a influence my dad has been in regards to my racing. So to have him there last weekend meant more to me than any result. I tried hard for him. I was so sick the night before, and every time I wanted to give up, I thought about how hard he pushed to get to where he is today — a day of racing is nothing compared! And making it on the podium and having him cheer was the icing on the freaking cake!" Photo: Kasey Carames

Expert Men 40-49 third place finisher Frankie Fazzino flying over Stage 3 rocks. Photo: Kasey Carames

Courtney Short channeling the power of the Minarets, Mount Ritter and Banner Peak in her run down Stage 3. She went on to take second place Expert Women. Photo: Kasey Carames

One of Stage 3's fun, swoopy paver berms. Photo: Kasey Carames

Top of Stage 4 which kicked off with the legendary Kamikaze, a ridiculously fast and furious fire road descent. Photo: Kasey Carames

Top of Chainsmoke on Pro/Expert-only Stage 5. Photo: Kasey Carames

Tyler Weyman on Stage 5, crushing his way to the top step of the Junior Pro podium. Photo: Kasey Carames

Cary Kotowski (Expert Men 18-29) fighting to keep himself upright on sketchy Stage 5. Photo: Kasey Carames

Erin McCaleb hot on Macy Craft's wheel. McCaleb took first place Beginner Women, while Craft took second Sport Women. Photo: Owen Ransom

Laszlo Juracz (Expert Men 40-49) taking on a wooden wall feature. Photo: Owen Ransom

Seth Anderson (Sport Boys 12-15) staying smooth in Mammoth's trademark kitty litter. Photo: Owen Ransom

Pumice and wood. Good times on Mammoth tracks. Photo: Owen Ransom

Beer and unicorns. Good times back at the lodge, too. (Get giggles here.) Photo: Kasey Carames

Sport Women 35+ rider Julie "ShredChic" Kanagy is a familiar face on endurance race podiums but wanted to venture out of her comfort zone by taking on the KBG Enduro. She was especially impressed by the support and camaraderie she experienced throughout the weekend. She says, "I loved how our crew in Sport Women 35+ hung together and supported one another through all the stages. Those women all crushed it." Keep an eye out for Kanagy next season ... sounds like she caught the enduro bug! Photo: Kasey Carames

Rockin' tunes back at the lodge. Photo: Kasey Carames

CES director Steve Gemelos tosses swag to the crowd as results were tallied. Photo: Kasey Carames

Charles Dibble was stoked to win the FOX fork drawing. Huge thanks to long-time CES sponsor FOX for donating forks to be raffled off at each event. Photo: Kasey Carames

CES volunteers Daniel "Fabio Fox" Gillooley and Heather "Coop" Cooper getting folks stoked for one last chance to win a Specialized Turbo Levo Comp Carbon e-bike. Proceeds from this raffle benefit CES which is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Photo: Kasey Carames

And ... the Specialized Turbo Levo Comp Carbon winner is ... Colby McIllenay, who will receive his choice of color and size. Much gratitude to Specialized for donating this e-bike to be raffled off in support of the series. Photo: Kasey Carames

Massive thanks to the riders, race organizers, sponsors, volunteers, and spectators for another monumentally awesome event at Mammoth! Photo: Kasey Carames

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Pro Men Podium and Stage Summaries

The day's top five Pro Men winners were: 1st - Brian Lopes / 2nd - Evan Geankoplis / 3rd - Matt Guntert / 4th - Myles Trainer / 5th - Todd Renwick. Photo: Kasey Carames

Brian Lopes took the stage win on the first run of the day, clocking 8:07.3. Evan Geankoplis came in second on the stage nearly six seconds later at 8:13.2, with Mammoth local Matt Guntert hot on his wheel at 8:14.5. Myles Trainer came in fourth at 8:16.4 and Todd Renwick fifth at 8:20.7.

Guntert snagged the Stage 2 win with less than a second on Lopes; they clocked 14.09.938 and 14:10.794 respectively. Geankoplis came in third nearly ten seconds later, and Trainer over fifteen seconds after Geankoplis. Stan Jorgenson rounded out the Stage 2 top five fastest riders at 14:39.7.

After these first two stages, Lopes was in the lead with a total time of 22:18.1 with Guntert 6.4 seconds back at 22:24.5, followed by Geankoplis at 22:33.6, Trainer at 22:52.3, and Renwick at 23:03.4.

Stage 3 went back to Lopes. He came in at 4:46.5, with Geankoplis just a second behind him. Renwick came in third at 4:50.2, Trainer fourth at 4:54.3, and Guntert just a hair behind Trainer in fifth at 4:54.6.

After the third stage, veteran racer Lopes was running away with the lead as Guntert and Geankoplis battled for second, and Trainer and Renwick battled for fourth. Lopes (27:04.6) opened his lead to 14.5 seconds over Guntert (27:19.1) while Geankoplis (27:21.1) closed the gap on Guntert to two seconds. Trainer (27:46.6) held on to fourth 25 seconds behind Geankoplis while Renwick held on to fifth at 27:53.6.

Lopes again took the win on the day’s fourth stage, clocking 7:02.7. Geankoplis was close behind him at 7:04.5. Guntert and Michael Lee vied for third, with Guntert taking it at 7:09.681 putting Lee in fourth at 7:09.926. James Eves came in third at 7:15.4.

With four stages down, Lopes had increased his lead even more, now with 18.4 seconds ahead of second place Geankoplis.(34:25.7). Guntert (34:28.8 ) fell back to third, 2.1 seconds behind Geankoplis. Trainer (35:07.9) held on to fourth and opened his lead on Renwick (35:17.6) to 9.7 seconds.

Lopes lost the final stage to Geankoplis by less than a second; they clocked 2:45.467 and 2:44.492 respectively. Guntert came in third at 2:49.4, Eves in fourth at 2:50, and Lee in fifth at 2:51.3.

At the end of the day, Lopes (36:52.8 ) held on to the win with a 17.4 second lead over second place Geankoplis (37:10.2). Guntert (37:18.2) took third eight seconds back from Geankoplis. Guntert was followed by Trainer (38:05.1) and Renwick (38:16.4).

"Flyin' Brian" Lopes ripping Stage 1. Photo: Kasey Carames

Current series point leader Evan Geankoplis on Stage 5. Photo: Kasey Carames

Mammoth local Matt Guntert, totally at ease in the deep, drifty "kitty litter." Photo: Kasey Carames

Myles Trainer taking on Stage 5 chunder. Photo: Kasey Carames

Todd Renwick crushing "The Spine" on Stage 3. Renwick not only stood on the KBG Enduro podium at day's end but also the CES Golden Tour podium — as Pro Men champion. He says, "Finishing in the top five is always an awesome feeling, especially when you're racing at Mammoth. And winning the Golden Tour was the highlight of my summer. Most of all I'm stoked just to be having such a fun season racing CES." Photo: Kasey Carames

Pro Women Podium and Stage Summaries

The day's top five Pro Women winners were: 1st - Zephyr Sylvester / 2nd - Rachel Strait / 3rd - Heidi Kanayan / 4th - Cicily Kessmann / 5th - Amanda Propst. Photo: Kasey Carames

Zephyr Sylvester took the first stage of the day with a ten second lead on the second fastest female rider Rachel Strait; they clocked 9:49.7 and 9:59.7 respectively. Cicily Kessmann came in third at 10:06.0, Heidi Kanayan fourth at 10:14.7 and Amanda Propst fifth at 10:20.0.

The day’s second stage went to Sylvester as well. She came in at 16:35 with a solid lead over Strait who clocked 17:03.9. Strait, however, had a fine lead on the next fastest woman, Kessmann, who came in third at 17:12, while Kessmann herself had a nice lead on Propst who came in fourth at 17:32.7. Kanayan rounded out the top five fastest women on the stage at 17:33.6.

After two stages, Sylvester (26:24.7) had opened up a 38.9 second lead over Strait (27:03.6) with Kessmann (27:18.1) 14.5 seconds behind Strait. Strait was followed by Kanayan (27:48.2) and Propst (27:52.7).

Kanayan took Stage 3, coming in at 5:36.9, with Sylvester following nearly four seconds later at 5:41.0. Propst took third at 5:56.6, Kessmann fourth at 5:58, and Strait fifth at 6:01.0.

After the third stage, Sylvester opened up her lead to 59.2 seconds over Strait (33:04.9) followed by Kessmann (33:16.0) just 11 seconds back, Kanayan (33:25.3) and Propst (33:49.4).

Stage 4 also went to Kanayan at 8:33.7. Sylvester was just behind her at 8:36.3. Strait took third at 8:55.8 and Kessmann fourth at 8:59.3. Propst came in fifth about 17 seconds later at 9:16.2.

With four stages down, Sylvester was not looking back, opening her lead to 76 seconds over second place Kanayan (41:58.0). Kanayan took second place from Strait (42:00.7) passing her by 2.7 seconds, followed by Kessmann (42:15.3) and Propst (43:05.6).

The final stage of the day went to Strait who clocked 3:34.5, nearly ten seconds over Kanayan who came in at 3:44.4. Kessmann came in third at 3:48.7. An injury and a mechanical issue slowed Sylvester down on this especially difficult stage, yet she still managed to finish the stage a fraction of a second ahead of Becky Timbers; they clocked 3:57.012 and 3:57.257 respectively.

At the end of the day, Sylvester held on to her lead for the win. Strait (45:35.2) took back second from Kanayan (45:42.4), while Kessmann (46:04.0) took fourth, and Propst (47:18.2) took fifth.

Zephyr Sylvester getting after "The Spine" on Stage 3. Photo: Kasey Carames

Rachel Strait navigating the highly technical Stage 5. Photo: Kasey Carames

Heidi Kanayan looking fierce on Stage 3's "The Spine." Photo: Kasey Carames

Cicily Kessmann cleaning Stage 5 chunder. Photo: Kasey Carames

Amanda Propst sprinting out of a loose turn on Stage 1. Photo: Kasey Carames

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Next up: The CES 2018 season will once again come to a close in style with the Ashland Mountain Challenge (AMC) presented by Ashland Mountain Adventures just over the California border in Ashland, Oregon. AMC takes place on October 6, and riders can expect a big day on the bike at altitude, with long transfer climbs and extensive stages with both technical and pedaling sections at altitude. Riders will be racing two sides of Mount Ashland and can expect an unpredictable, flowy and fast course. This challenging course is the ultimate test of legs, lungs, and skill, and offers veritable tour of the outstanding trails on the east and west sides of Mount Ashland.

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 grateful for the support of the following sponsors: FOX, CLIF Bar, Specialized Bicycles, Dynaplug, WTB, Kenda Tires, Kali Protectives, Cranked Naturals, Michael David Winery, Voler Apparel, Park Tool, Mynesweepers, Adventure Sports Journal, ESI Grips, Gamut USA, Zodiac Lights.

Words by Michele Charboneau
Photos by Kasey Carames and Owen Ransom