Kenda/KMC/Hayes takes top honors in Hillclimb Championship

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike team competed in their final race for the 2009 season, the Virginia Hillclimb Championship at Poor Mountain in Salem, VA. The team took home top honors, with Robert Marion completing the 7.5 mile mountain climb in under 40 minutes; the fastest time in 2 years.

Anina Aaron was the fastest female of the day, also earning a winners jersey. Chase Dickens was the second climber up the mountain, only 3 minutes back. Philicia Marion was the second female up the mountain. The team now focuses on training for the 2010 season.

Pro-Tour Finishes in New York

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team traveled North to Vermont and New York for the final two Pro-Tour races. The team started a successful trip in Vermont, with Chase finished 2nd place in the Cat1 Junior race, missing the top podium spot by mere seconds. In the Pro Womens XC race, Anina showed commitment to the race by running 2 miles to the next tech zone after a flat tire. Philicia finished 26th place, with Anina working back into 27th place. After a tough XC race with a top 40 finish; Robert came back to have a great short track race, finishing 17th. Anina and Philicia also had top 20 finishes in the Women's short track, finishing 16th and 17th. Chase also competed in Super-D and finished 2nd.
The next weekend, the team traveled to Windham, NY for the Pro Tour finals. Chase started off the weekend, finishing 2nd in the Junior Cat1 race, solidifying his 1st place overall in the Kenda Cup East Series. Robert finished 32 in the Pro Mens XC race. In the Pro Women XC race, Anina finished 23, with Philicia finishing 29th. Anina took 2nd place overall for the Kenda Cup East Series, and completed the Pro-Tour Series 25th. Philicia placed 39th overall for the Pro-Tour Series.
The same evening, Chase and Anina competed in Super-D. Anina finished 2nd in the Pro Womens race. Chase came down the mountain with a fractured wrist, which required surgery in Albany the next morning. We wish him a speedy recovery.
In the Pro Womens short track race, Anina placed 17th. For the TrailWatch.net ST Series, Anina finished 22, with Philicia placing 29th overall. Robert finished 15th in the Pro Mens ST race, with an 11th place overall for the Series.

The team thanks all of our sponsors for the continued support. We hope to see you at Interbike in September.

Team has 4 podiums in SERC overall

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team competed in the final South Eastern Regional Championship Mountain Bike series race last weekend in Fontana Village, NC. The team had great race results, as well as all 4 finishing on the podium for the overall series. For the race, Robert Marion finished 3rd place in the Pro Men's field. Chase Dickens finished 3rd in the Cat 1 19-29 Men field. Anina Aaron fought her way through the mud in the Pro Women's field for 2nd place, and Philicia sprinted to the line for a fourth place finish.

Overall for the South Eastern Regional Championship Series, the team was still able to secure all podium positions, even though the schedule only allowed them the minimum number to qualify for overall awards. Robert Marion finished 2nd in the Pro Men, Chase Dickens finished 2nd in the Cat 1 19-29, Anina Aaron finished 2nd in the Pro Women, and Philicia Marion finished 5th in the Pro Women.

The night before the XC race, there was a "Short Track under the Lights" race that 3 team members competed in. Robert and Chase both competed in the Open Men's race. With 3 laps to go, only three riders were left on the lead lap, 2 of them being Robert and Chase. The last laps held much excitement, with Robert and Ryan Woodall battling for the win. There were many position changes, tape being torn down, and in the final turn, both riders sliding out in the wet grass. Robert missed the win by inches, and Chase rode in for 3rd place. Philicia competed in the Open Women category and raced strong into a 2nd place finish.
The team looks forward to the final 2 Pro Tour XC races.

July Race Update!

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike team continues to roll through the season with success. The Team raced the 9th round of the South Eastern Regional Championship Series in Anniston, Alabama the weekend of July 12. Chase Dickens took home his first victory in the Cat 1 19-29 mens field, possibly the youngest racer to win the class in the series. Robert Marion placed 2nd in the large Pro Mens class. Anina Aaron raced into a second place position also, and Philicia Marion made the podium with a 5th place in the Pro/Open Women's field. With one race left in the SERC series, the team has every member in a podium position for the overall. Robert, Chase, and Anina each are sitting 2nd place in their respective categories, with Philicia in 5th place. The South Eastern Regional Championship Series concludes in Fontana Village, North Carolina August 2nd. Last weekend, three team members traveled to Granby, Colorado to compete in the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. The team raced hard the entire weekend, competing in Cross Country, Short Track, and Super-D. The weekend started off with Cross Country, with Chase Dickens pulling off a solid 12th place for the team in the Cat 1 15-16 Men. Philicia Marion earned a 37th place finish in the Pro Women's field. Robert Marion began the cross country race well, but had to withdraw from the race with mechanical issues after sitting in the top 15 the first lap. Sunday morning, Robert and Chase both competed in the Super-D National Championship Race. Both finished top 25 in their class, with Robert 22nd in Pro Men, and Chase 25th in Men 18&under. After an exciting morning of Super-D, everyone competed in Short Track racing. Chase Dickens, once more started the team off with a solid finish. He came in 12th in the Cat 1 18&under class, after just turning 15 years old. The Pro Women's race went off hard and fast, with Philicia pulling off a top 30 finish. Faster yet, the Pro Men's Short Track race was fast and furious, with many racers getting pulled after only 2 laps. Robert rode strong and held on for a top 20, with a 19th place finish. After a weekend off from racing, the team comes back together for the final South Eastern Regional Championship race in Fontana Village, NC. Then, the team prepares to travel up the East Coast for the final two Pro-Tour Races in Vermont and New York. The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team continues to appreciate the support from all of our sponsors. We hope to see many of you on the East Coast next month!

Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team earns 3 podium spots in Chattanooga!

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team raced in Chattanooga, TN over the weekend and had a very successful race. Anina Aaron dominated the Pro/Open Women's race, winning by over 3 minutes. Anina took an early lead in the race, and didn't look back until the finish line. Philicia finished 7th place. Robert had a great race, also. With a group of 4 going into the final lap of the race, only two could go faster; Robert took third place. Chase, the junior elite racer, competed with the CAT 1 19-29 Men and had one of his best finishes, with second place. Three members of the team will compete in Georgia the Fourth of July weekend. The entire team comes back together the next weekend for the ninth round of the South Eastern Regional Championship Series. Thanks to all of our sponsors. Your continues support is truly appreciated.

June Team Update

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team has raced hard during the month of June. The first weekend in June, the team competed in the Kenda Cup East round #3 at Keezletown Virginia for the Massanutten Hoo-Ha Race. Anina finished well with a second place. Robert, Philicia, and Chase all finished just off the podium with 6th place finishes.

The next week, the team traveled to Colorado Springs for the 3rd round of the Pro-Tour Series. On Friday, June 12, the team competed in the 2nd round of the Trailwatch.net short track series. The highlight of the day was the Open Men race, where Chase and one other racer pulled away from the pack early in the race, and ended with a sprint finish. Chase edged out the other racer for the win. In the Pro Men's short track race, Robert also had a good race, finishing 12th. Anina and Philicia raced in the Pro Women's race, finishing 14th and 19th.

On Saturday, the team raced the cross country race. Robert placed 27th. Anina finished 21 and Philicia placed 31st. Chase competed in the Junior Cat 1 15-18 and placed 2nd.

This past weekend the team raced close to home with round #4 of the Kenda Cup East Series at Davidson, North Carolina. The weekend began on Saturday with a marathon, part of the National Ultra Endurance Calendar. Philicia competed in the race, completing the 50+mile race in 6.5hours. She finished 8th place in the Pro/Open Women's field.

On Sunday, The team had a successful XC day, with all four members on the podium. Chase raced first in the Junior Cat1, finishing 3rd place. Robert placed 3rd in a very close Pro Men category where less than 30 seconds divided the first 4 racers. Anina also had a near win, finishing only 16 seconds behind for a second place finish. Philicia held on to finish in fifth place.

The summer continues to be packed full of racing for the Kenda/KMC/Hayes team, with races in Tennessee, Alabama, and Colorado coming next. Thanks to all of our sponsors, who help our season with lots of podium finishes and successful races!

Philicia Marion Wins the Burn 24 hour Challenge!

Over Memorial Day Weekend, the Burn 24 hour challenge took place in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Team supported Philicia Marion, as she entered her first-ever solo 24-hour event. The race began furiously at noon on Saturday, with Philicia and another solo female battling for the first several hours. Many lead changes took place with neither seemingly able to hold onto a gap. Finally, as the night hours came, Philicia showed she could handle the challenge. Philicia was able to keep a steady pace with the help of teammates Robert Marion and Chase Dickens keeping her times through the transition area very short, many under one minute. As daybreak came, it was clear that Philicia would take victory, being ahead of any other competitors by more than 5 laps. She continued on and completed 23 laps of the 7.5 mile course in 23:11. Her effort also gave her a 6th place overall among the solo men competitors as well.

Photo by backboneracing.com