This Weeks En-Kore
1. 44 Racing's Jack Hudson
2. Bike Magazine in Germany's Review of the OCD bar ...
3. Pimped out Transition with Kore parts.
4. Transition TR450 with custom Kored mud guard.
5. Gerry Creighton's Transiton with Kore bits ...
Latest Entries
Saracen Update
The Saracen team has been up to their winning ways. Here is the latest Madison Saracen Video from Jacob Gibbins.
Madison/Saracen - 2012 #2 on pinkbike.com
Also here is a little preview of Manon Carpenter's latest blog post:
Catch up with all the latest adventures of Madison Saracen rider Manon Carpenter as she hits up the Sea Otter festival.
Californiaaaaa
Okay, so this is a bit late – sorry! I’ve been up in the wilds of North Wales for the last week or so at a RedBull MTB camp so didn’t get a chance to sit down and write about our latest venture…
Tuesday
On Tuesday 17th April my alarm went off at 3 o’clock in the morning. After four hours sleep it was time to get up and drive to the airport, in a couple (well, quite a few) hours we would be in California for the Sea Otter Mountain Bike Festival and I couldn’t wait. It was the next international race of the year for us after South Africa WC and we consisted of team manager Will Longden, Harry Molloy, Philip Atwill and me.
First things first – weighing in! As always we had about a million bags and boxes at check in but we were flying with Virgin so they don’t normally mind about a few extra kilos…
May in Fernie
Fernie local Dylan Siggers shot a little skate park edit feature Kore rider Derek Vondracek. I hope you enjoy ...
This Weeks En-Kore
1. If you have not seen the write up about the Kore OCD bars and Repute stem in Dirt Magazine you should probably go pick one up.
2. It's race season and Saracen's team bikes are kitted out with Kore Components. Probably the nicest Mysts I have seen to date.
3. The Polygon DH bike would look fast with out the Kore components on it, but with them it looks fast and fun.
4. Kore beer was introduce at the Garda Festival in Italy and disappeared pretty fast. Do not expect to see it on store shelves but come see us at Eurobike to get yours.
Jackson on Half Nelson
Jackson rode Squamish this weekend and it looks like he had a killer time.
Every time I see pictures of Jackson I wish I could go back in time then come back to the future as an eight year old, just so I could hang out and ride with Jackson.
The problem with riding with Jackson now is the his style makes me look so bad. Keep riding Jackson.
Hard Kore: German Team CMTB
The German team CMTB with their fresh new race kits.
And their fresh new Kore components on their bikes.
Race Report: Sea Otter Classic, Monterey CA, April 18-22, 2012
The biggest cycling festival in the world was held this past week in Monterey, CA. The 22nd Annual Sea Otter Classic is a four-day
“Celebration of Cycling” that welcomes nearly 10,000 athletes and 50,000 race fans and other bicycle enthusiasts. There are races
held for nearly every discipline of cycling, and for every age and type of rider. The Sea Otter Classic also hosts the largest consumer bike
exposition in North America. The Expo holds hundreds of vendors who display new products and offer samples and bargains. McKenna
made her way up to the Laguna Seca Raceway, which was the host for the event, to race her first, of hopefully many, Sea Otter Classics. She was
registered for both the downhill and the dual slalom, and at registration she discovered, being 9 years old, she was the youngest female in both
races by several years. McKenna was extremely excited about racing such famous and well-known race tracks. Registration was followed by a
walk down the downhill course. McKenna saw that the track was not very technical, but high-speed with a lot of pedaling. She was thinking she
could do really well on such a course.
After practicing on Thursday and Friday, downhill racing began early Saturday morning. McKenna did one practice run just to make sure
she knew all her lines, and to see the condition of the track after two straight days of practice. She was one of the first riders to go which
was a nice change from her usually being the last rider down. She set off out of the start hut pedaling hard into the first jump. She hit all her
lines, pedaled everywhere she could and try to carry speed through every corner. She got to the bottom without any incident, crossing the
line with a 3:44, and very happy with her performance. She ended up in 21st place in her category of Beginner Open Women (all ages) out
of 32 racers, and was 3rd of the under 18 women (out of 6).
McKenna's dual slalom race was held on Sunday morning. She was able to get several practice runs in over the previous three days and
was having a ton of fun on the course. She qualified in 2nd place, 2 seconds of the first place qualifier, between a 12 year old and a 16
year old. McKenna would race the 3rd place qualifier first, and she beat her on both the red course and the blue course and advanced
to the final. In the final she met up with the first place qualifier, a 12 year old BMX racer form Lincoln, CA. McKenna got the red course
first, and having some trouble coming out of the gate, lost to the other girl by 1.4 seconds. They switched lanes for the next race, and
McKenna had a great run on the blue course, beating the girl, but by not quite enough. She missed out on first place by only 1/10th
of a second. She was very happy and satisfied with her 2nd place result in her first ever dual slalom race.
Sunday afternoon saw the long weekend come to a close, except for the long drive ahead. McKenna had the greatest time and some of the
most fun racing she has ever done. There were so many great moments throughout the week. Besides the racing, some of the highlights
for McKenna were: the visit to the Monterey Aquarium; meeting so many World Champions and having them sign her shirt; getting to hang
out so much with one of her many heroes, 2011 Junior DH World Champ, Manon Carpenter; watching Jill Kintner win both the downhill and
dual slalom and then giving McKenna her plush Sea Otter prize; meeting the amazing Tara Llanes; and lastly, being cheered on by the legend
herself, Leigh Donovan! McKenna would like to say a huge thanks to all and everyone who helped make her first Sea Otter such an amazing trip.
Madison+Saracen = Podiums Galore at BDS Round 1
Combe Sydenham was the venue for round one of the British Downhill Series, with the UK and World’s best DH riders in attendance it was a great opener for the domestic season. Jacob Gibbins was also on hand to provide some great shots of the team.
After taking 2nd place in her first Elite World Cup race, Manon was on form and feeling confident. Seeding runs on Sunday morning proved racing would be close and with Rachel Atherton back in action, battle commenced for the win
This Weeks En-Kore
1. Alex Fedorov posted some shots to our Facebook page.
2. Alex McAndrew will be riding Kore parts this year. Looking forward to some riding shots.
3. Aubert is at it again, I think he needs to get out on his bike more ... ha ha ha
4. Vados Barbados getting it done in the snow.
Post your pictures up on the Kore Facebook page and if they are as fresh as the shot above there is a good change you will be featured in an upcoming En-Kore.
This Weeks En-Kore
1. Elbry rides his bike ...
2. Anton Thelander qualifies second at Vienna Air King. Watch the replay of the finals here ...
http://live.redbull.tv/events/34/VAK2012/
3. Alban Aubert gets a 7 page spread in a German MTB magazine.
4. Alban Aubert tests a new Merida enduro bike and some Kore bits at the same time.
5. Jackson lands a backflip at Woodward West.
Jackson at Woodward West
Jackson's lifestyle makes me a little bit jealous. I remember elementary school being pretty easy, my mom cleaned my room for me, she cooked meals for me ... the only difference is that I did not get to ride my bike as much as Jackson does. I did not realize I liked bikes so much until I was in my late teens. With the technology we have know we will be able to follow Jackson as he grows up riding his bikes. I am pretty stoked to have Jackson on Kore for this year and excited to watch him evolve as a rider.
Jackson doing some Kore marketing at Woodward West. He get's paid in Chupa Chups on a one sticker to one lollipop ratio.
"I did my first backflip at Woodward West" Jackson with Jake Kinney.
Kore bars, stem and pedals ... dirt jumping.
Kore bars, stem and pedals ... trail riding.
Jackson and his dad (Ron) catching up on some reading in between riding the dirt jumps and the skate park.
Looks like a good time and looking forward to riding with Jackson in Whistler this summer.
This Weeks En-Kore
Factory Teams have been receiving their 2012 Kore Kits. Their bikes are going to look great ...
1. 44 Racing went to the farmers market this week and came home with a great spread of fresh goods.
Their bikes are looking fresh too ...
2. The Polygon factory team also received some fresh goods this week.
The Kore logo has also been popping up on team jerseys and privateer jerseys over the past couple of weeks.
3. FRM Factory Racing Team
4. Gerry Creighton's jersey looks good now, will look even better with some mud on it.
5. I spy a proto Kore Saddle on the Taipei Saracen Ariel 160
6. Anton Thelander is all set for Vienna!
Madison/Saracen Team Shows Dominance
With the first World Cup of the year under their belts and the British Downhill Series still a few weeks off, the Madison Saracen team headed up to Innerleithen in Scotland for the first round of the Gravity Enduro Series.
The team took to the change in riding style and walked away with some great results : Phil Atwill. Josh Lowe and Will Weston took the top three places in the Under 18's Category, with Manon Carpenter and Harry Molloy just seconds off the podium in the Elite Men's and Women's fields.
This Weeks En-Kore
1. Alban Aubert has been getting press all over the place.
2. Jackson Goldstone is a young rider who has a bright future. His Kore shipment came in this week. He is probably going to have to cut those bars down a bit.
3. http://shegnarnigans.com/ crew member Ollie Jones got a little care package in the mail this week.
4. Madison/Saracen Rider Manon Carpenter Finishes 2nd in South Africa.
Congrats to Manon, and stay tuned for more things from Kore.
Madison/Saracen - Round 1 Podium Finish
The first World Cup of the season is always a testing time; new bikes, new teams, new sponsors and old rivalries all come together at a time when riders are trying to state their intentions for the season ahead.
Qualification went well for the team, with both Harry Molloy and Manon Carpenter earning the right to ride in the finals. After a testing time on the World Cup circuit last year, Harry qualified in 42nd place, whilst Manon managed to qualify in 10th place in her first Elite World Cup after winning both the World Cup and Junior World Championship titles last year. Philip Atwill failed to qualify for the finals at this, his first World Cup after taking a tumble during his run, but we have no doubt that Phil will be putting in some good results now that he has his first World Cup under his belt.
Race day came and Manon was on top form, taking an early trip to the Hot Seat, where she remained until the final rider, Tracy Hannah, managed to shave a mere 0.9 seconds from Manon's time. This second place finish gives Manon her first World Cup podium and shows just how much her off-season training has paid off.
Harry Molloy put in a solid run in the Men's race, finishing in 50th position, giving some strong foundations from which to build on throughout the year.
Congratulations to the team, who will no doubt be celebrating a great start to the racing calendar!
Kore on Stark Bikes
The Russian bike company Stark will be using Kore components on their 2012 and 2013 bikes. You will be able to find Kore parts on everything from DH bikes to XC bikes. Go check Stark out at http://www.starkbikes.com.
This Weeks En-Kore
In the past couple of weeks the Taipei show came and went, the first world cup race is here and the wheels of Kore keep on moving.
1. Our booth at the Taipei Show.
2. Anton Thelander get's rad ...
3. Young Kore ripper Joan from Spain with a massive 360
4. Duncan Riffle's Team Dirt / Norco Aurum
http://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/Duncan-Riffles-Team-Dirt-Norco-Aurum,3359/Slideshow,0/sspomer,2
