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

Kenda/KMC/Hayes earns podiums at Kenda Cup East

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike team competed in the first round of the Kenda Cup East the first weekend in May. The event took place at The Ocoee Whitewater Center in Ducktown, TN during the wettest weekend the southeast has seen this year. The first event of the weekend, the up-hill time trial, had racers climbing 2 wet, muddy miles to the top of the race-course. Robert Marion was the first racer, and set the bar high enough that no one would be able to match. Robert won the time-trial by over 12 seconds to second place. Anina Aaron would be the first female to climb, also setting a high bar with a low time. Her time would hold up against the ladies, and most of the men, coming in twelfth overall! The second and third place ladies actually had a tying time, so they shared the 2nd place podium spot, with Philicia coming in seconds later, earning a fourth place finish against the ladies, and Chase Dickens also had a podium finish, with a third in the Cat 1 class.
The rain continued, and so did the racing! On Sunday, the cross-country race began in a down-pour. Robert earned a fourth place finish in the Pro Men. Anina finished third in the Pro Women, with Philicia just off the podium in 6th. Chase Dickens raced against the Junior Cat 1 and also finished just off the podium in 6th place. The next scheduled race for the team is the second round of the Kenda Cup East in Birmingham, Alabama for the Bump&Grind.

Kenda/KMC/Hayes has great results at Sea Otter Classic!

The four members of the Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike team traveled to Monterey, CA to compete at the Sea Otter Classic. The team had several days of racing, with Super-D to start the weekend on Friday afternoon. Robert Marion earned a 7th place finish in the Pro Men Super-D. Anina Aaron placed 7th in the Pro Women Super-D, with Philicia Marion also holding on to a top 10 finish. Chase Dickens began his weekend with a podium, grabbing 3rd place in the 18&under field.
On Saturday, Chase earned another podium spot, with a fourth place in the 18&under CAT 1 short track. Robert also had an awesome short track performance, working his way to 8th place in the Pro Men's field. The women also did well, with Anina earning 18th and Philicia earning 30th.
The weekend ended with record-high temperatures for the cross-country race. The hot weather didn't slow down the junior elite rider, Chase, as he won the Cat1 15/16 class, earning his third trip to the podium. Robert Marion placed 32nd, with the ladies finishing 35th, (Anina), and 38th(Philicia).
The team enjoyed seeing many of our sponsors at Sea Otter.

Kenda/KMC/Hayes races SERC #3

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team raced in their homestate of North Carolina over the weekend, competing in the third round of the South Eastern Regional Mountain Bike Series. The turnout was the largest so far of the series, with 35 Pro Men on the starting line. Robert Marion earned a podium finish, with a fifth place. The Pro Women's field also had a large number competing, with 20 in the Pro/Cat1 women's race. Anina Aaron continues to lead the women of the team with a third place. Philicia Marion came in just off the podium with 6th. Chase Dickens, competing in the CAT1 19-29 Men, finished 11th. After a weekend of training and riding, the entire team will travel to Monterey, CA for the Sea Otter Classic, and the 2nd round of the US Cup Pro Tour, where each member will compete in XC, ST, and Super-D.

Three members of the Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike team traveled to Fontana, CA for the first round of the US Pro-Tour. Anina Aaron started the weekend out with a podium for the team, finishing third place in the Pro Women Super-D. Philicia Marion finished 7th place in the Pro Women Super-D. Robert Marion also competed in Super-D in the Pro Men class and earned 7th place. On Sunday, the ladies competed in their first National Pro race, with Anina coming in 17th place, and Philicia in the 24th place position. Robert lined up with over 100 Professional Men for the 5-lap cross country race. After a mechanical problem on the first lap was resolved, he pulled his way back into the top 30, finishing 29 place.

While the Professional members raced in California, Chase Dickens, the Junior Elite member of the team had an excellent race across the country in Columbia, TN in the 2nd round of the South Eastern Regional Championship Series. Chase battled it out with the CAT 1 19-29 class, and earned 2nd place.

This week, the team races in North Carolina for the third round of the South Eastern Regional Championship Series, then looks forward to Sea Otter, the 2nd round of the US Pro-Tour.

Kenda/KMC/Hayes Takes Top Spots in PRO

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike team raced the first round of the Southern Classic Mountain Bike Series in Winston-Salem, NC Sunday. The team took the top spots with Robert Marion winning the Pro/Cat1 division, and Anina coming out 1st place in the Pro/Cat 1 Women's field, with Philicia not too far behind in 2nd. Chase also had a great race, finishing mid-pack among the Pro/Cat1 Men. The team hopes to continue the success in California for the first round of the Pro-Tour Mountain Bike Series. Hope to see you there!

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team travelled once again to Florida for a different type of racing action. On Saturday, each team member competed solo in the Squiggy 6-hour Mountain Bike Classic at the Morris Bridge Park in Tampa, Florida. Racers had to complete as many laps as possible on the flat, sandy 10 mile course. The Team kept their podium streak alive on Saturday with a first, 2 seconds, and a third place finish. Robert took an early lead in the race and never looked back, being one of only 2 racers to complete 8 laps during the event. The team's youngest member, Chase also competed in the Pro/Open Men. Chase rode hard the entire event, and finished second place. The ladies of the team, in the Pro/Open Women, also had great rides. Anina and Philicia both completed 7 laps of the course, earning Anina second place, and Philicia third. On Sunday, the team travelled about an hour away to Lake Alfred, Florida for a criterium race. The freshly surfaced 2-mile loop circled around WaterRidge Community. In the morning, the Ladies began the action for the team, competing in the Cat 4 women's race. Although the Cat 4 women raced with the Pro/1/2/3 ladies, it was Anina and Philicia who controlled much of the race, with the two leading 3 of the laps. It came to an exciting sprint finish between 7 ladies, with Anina finished 4th and Philicia 5th. The results would show Anina and Philicia the only CAT 4 women able to hold on to the front group by the end of the race, with Anina placing 1st, and Philicia 2nd. At noon, Chase took off with the CAT 5 men. He stayed safely in the front of the field during the entire race, which had over 50 racers. The race ended in a pack sprint with Chase coming in 4th. The most exciting, and longest race of the day was the PRO/1/2 Men's race. Less than a third of the field finished on the lead lap on the hot, windy course. Robert rode a hard effort, missing the breakaway early in the race, and fighting throughout the race to bridge the gap. With only a few laps to go, Robert bridged the gap to the leaders, and sprinted his way to 6th place. The team would like to thank again ALL of our sponsors, without which none of our success would be possible. We would also like to say a special Thank You to Bill and Ellen of American Classic for giving the Team a place to stay for the weekend and our trailer for the week, and also Simon of Simon Says Cycling for his encouragement to the team this weekend. The Team will be back in North Carolina for a Southern Classic XC race this weekend, then look forward to the start of the 2009 PRO TOUR in Fontana, CA.

KENDA/KMC/HAYES PROFESSIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM EARNS ALL TOP 5 FINISHES IN FIRST XC RACE OF 2009!!!

The 2009 season has officially began for the Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team with the first round of the South Eastern Regional Championship Series in Gainesville, Florida. The weather was perfect for an exciting race. The Professional Men's race proved to be the closest of the day with Robert Marion grabbing second place sprinting with Florida native, Ryan Woodall, and third place competitor, Travis Livermon to the finish. The Women on the team did well, with Anina Aaron placing third place in the Professional Women's race, with Philicia Marion holding on to a top five finish. Chase Dickens, with a racing age of 15, competed in the Cat 1 19-29 category and grabbed the 4th place position. The team trailer was set up across from the start/finish line with many fans and racers stopping by to chat with the team and pick up stickers, brochures, and other promotional items. The team heads back to Florida next weekend to compete in the Squiggy 6-hour XC Race.

Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team earns top honors in Winter Short Track Series!

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team completed their first series of the year, taking the top spots in the Nothing But Noodles Winter Short Track Series. The final race of the series took place Sunday, February 15 on a sunny day in Charlotte, North Carolina. Anina placed second in Cat 2 Men, Philicia placed 8th in the class. Anina rode to a win in the Pro/Cat1 women, while Philicia placed third, securing their spots as 1st and 2nd in the series for the top women. Robert and Chase worked together to take 1 and 2 in the Pro/Cat 1 Men, and finished the series in the same spots. The team trailer was at the event once again, with the promo table for racers and fans to grab free stickers, catalogues, VIP cards from sponsors Kenda, KMC, Hayes, American Classic, Optic Nerve, RotoR, Finishline, and BMC. The team will be accumulating more promo items from sponsors for all events this year. Congratulations to Jeremy Sims who won the raffle for the KMC 9-spd chain. The team also gave away prizes from RotoR to the fastest first lappers in the single-speed and Pro/Cat1 women's races, and Clif Shot Bloks to the fastest Juniors in each of their age groups. Throughout the series, the Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team gave special lap prizes to each of the categories racing.

After the events for the day, the team headed over to Nothing but Noodles, the sponsor of the series, for the awards ceremony for overall prizes. The team came away with the top two spots in the Pro/Cat1 men and Pro/Cat1 women's fields, earning cash and trophies. Robert placed 1st in Pro/Cat1 Men, Chase placed 2nd in Pro/Cat 1 Men. In Pro/Cat1 women, Anina earned 1st, and Philicia placed 2nd. Anina also earned 2nd place in the Cat2 Men's field overall. The team would like to thank all of our sponsors for helping us have a successful series. We look forward to more successful races in 2009.

Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team gets television exposure!

On February 10, Channel 36 news aired this clip about the Nothing But Noodles Short Track Series. Great action shots of our team members, as well as Robert telling everyone about the racing. Check it out!!!

http://www.wcnc.com/video/index.html?nvid=330683&she=1

Warm, Sunny Weather=Great day for a Race!

The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Professional Mountain Bike Team raced in Charlotte once again this past weekend. The Nothing But Noodles Short Track Series has one round to go, with everyone on the team looking at top spots in the series. The Ladies of the team are still rocking it out with the Cat 2/Sport Men's field. Anina finished 2nd place and Philicia came in 10th in the field of over 20 men. This should secure Anina a top 3 overall in the series. The ladies raced the Pro/Cat 1 women's field next, and proved they where the fastest ladies of the day. Anina pulled away early in the race to finish with the win, while Philicia battled it out with another strong female competitor. After an attack about half way through the race, Philicia rolled through in 2nd place. The fans always get to watch one Pro ranked top in the country race around the course, but they got a treat this weekend, with Jeremiah Bishop coming down to Charlotte. Robert and Jeremiah showed the mountain bikers of Charlotte how the Pro's do it, for an hour of non-stop action. The two flew around the course, with each lap seemingly faster than the last. We would see Jeremiah lay down an attack, then Robert would match his pace and counter-attack. Neither Racer seemed to have an edge on the other. The heart-pounding race came down to the last lap, when Jeremiah laid down one final attack to win the race. Robert came in only seconds later. Chase had an impressive race during all of this action also, coming in third place and being one of only two on the course not lapped by the winners. The Kenda/KMC/Hayes Team also had the team trailer at the event, giving away stickers and catalogues of our sponsors. This week, the team gave a two RotoR hats to the Cat 2/Sport Men's field. The KMC 9-speed X9SL chain is still up for grabs. The FREE sign-up for the raffle will continue until the drawing next week at the final face.