July 25, 2012 - Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Press Release The Race that Means Everything US Gravity Nationals

s at Beech Mountain Resort Two big races come round every year that we each wait for with anticipation, one being the UCI World Cup Round in Windham, New York and two the US Gravity National Championships. Yes, Windham is an important race, but its more of a spectacle as it showcases the best in the world. The US Gravity National Championships is where Team BGB-Mountain Khakis, or any rider for that matte,r gets a chance to earn there stripes. Its what we all train for, gives a rider the chance to advance categories, gives you bragging rights, and sometimes can even make or break a riders career. This year is also a special one for Team BGB-Mountain Khakis as this is the last of a two year deal that Beech Mountain Resort signed with USA Cycling for the event to take place in the High Country of the NC Mountains. Additional pressure would be on the shoulders of each of the Team BGB-MK riders to represent the SE region in front of the home crowd. Anybody recall Race Day 2011. aka the Slip and Slide Slop-Fest? Would we have the same race conditions as 2011? Leading up to the four day race weekend the weather in the region had many convinced it was in the cards yet again for 2012. As we moved into day one other than some typically mountain fog (well, we should call them clouds at that altitude), conditions were perfect for day one of practice. Cat 2 riders Jay Guidry and Nich Ifkovits would only get one day of practice on the Amateur course before they took the stage. Pros Robert DeMao, Ryan Taylor, and Max Morgan would have four days of practice before the big show on Sunday.

Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Rider Jay Guidry Slips and Slides During Morning Practice

As the sun set Thursday evening , the precip came down quite heavy. Leading into Friday morning, race day for the Amateurs, the knobbies came off and the spikes went on. Morning fog kept that moisture mixed in with the mountain dirt just in time for the first rider out of the gate. Kicking off at 0915 and cycling through each of the th th riders Jay Guidry managed to secure a 4 place podium position in Cat 2 19-24 and Nich Ifkovits Cat 2 15-18 a 6 . Great Run Guys!
For any further information please contact: Jay Schultz, jlshls2984@yahoo.com, 734 787 5794, Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Public Relations

Saturday morning practice before seeding started bright and early at 0800 with more of the same. the high country fog kept that moisture in place for yet another day. The first practice run down the Pro Course Robert DeMao had an incident with a pulled neck/chest muscle that would lead him to call it a weekend. That would th leave things up to Ryan Taylor and Max Morgan. In a field of 64 riders, Max qualified in impressive fashion in 20 th closely followed by Ryan in 25 . With qualifying in the bag early riders had the remainder of the day to walk the course to do some last minute fine tuning on their attack plan or simply call it a night for some fuel and shut-eye. The weather for Sunday surprisingly was projected to be better than the three previous days and that forecast held up its end of the bargain. 1500 was the time for the BIG SHOW!!! The current fastest man in the world Aaron Gwin of Temecula, CA (Trek World Racing) obviously was the heavy favorite to take it all, but as in 2011 with a crash anything was possible. Of course in the end that would not stick and Mr. Gwin would end up earning the star and stripes sleeve for the 2012/2013 season. Team BGB-MK Pros Max Morgan and Ryan Taylor each had minor st th mistakes in their runs earning them 21 and 30 position respectively. Either way with the stiff competition and factory sponsored riders in the field, they each deserve a tip of the hat. AWESOME run guys!

Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Pro Max Morgan Has the Course to Himself

Thanks to USA Cycling, Beech Mountain Resort, Talia Freeman, Chris Herndon and the trail crew, the Ski Patrol, the volunteers, and most importantly the riders for such an awesome event. Whats in store for the future? Rumor has it that the Beech Mountain Resort Bike Park will open sometime in the Spring of 2013. WE WILL SEE YOU THERE! 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 Results: th 21 Pro Max Morgan th 30 Pro Ryan Taylor DNS Pro Robert DeMao (Injury)

4 Cat 2 19-24 Jay Guidry th 7 Cat 2/3 19-29 Jay Guidry th 6 Cat 2 15-18 Nich Ifkovits

th

For any further information please contact: Jay Schultz, jlshls2984@yahoo.com, 734 787 5794, Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Public Relations

Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Pro Ryan Taylor Tunes His Lines in the Rock Garden

Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Cat 2 Nich Ifkovits in Early Morning Foggy Practice

For any further information please contact: Jay Schultz, jlshls2984@yahoo.com, 734 787 5794, Team BGB-Mountain Khakis Public Relations