U.S. Gravity National Championships, Beech Mountain NC, July 19-22, 2012

Race Report: U.S. Gravity National Championships, Beech Mountain NC, July 19-22, 2012

The 2012 U.S. Gravity National Championships were held last weekend at Beech Mountain, North Carolina. The fastest racers in the country came together in the southeast for the biggest race on the U.S. mountain biking calendar. Beech Mountain Resort would be the host for a weekend of dual-slalom and downhill racing, and the event would conclude by presenting the winners with the Stars and Stripes National Championship jerseys. McKenna traveled to Beech Mountain to contest her first ever National Championship. She would be competing in both the downhill and dual-slalom race, and was very excited about going up against the country's best.

Practice got under way first thing Thursday morning, and McKenna would have a very busy four days, filled with practice and racing in two disciplines. The dual-slalom course was very well built, and flowed from top to bottom. After a short while, McKenna got comfortable on both the red and blue course, and was looking quick. Qualifying took place on Friday afternoon, and McKenna being the youngest in her category (by far), qualified in eighth position. This would mean in the final she would meet the #1 qualifier in the first round. Racing started in the early afternoon on Saturday, directly following a brief but intense downpour. McKenna got a good snap on both lanes, but was little match for the much bigger 24 year old, top qualifier, and was unable to advance.

Dowhill practice was held for several hours each day, and McKenna had ample time to figure out the extremely technical and challenging track. The course had three seperate wooded sections which were littered with slick roots and slimey rocks. The dirt in the woods stayed a squishy peanut butter the entire weekend. These sections were what McKenna found most difficult during practice, causing numerous crashes, and multiple trips to Shimano to get her brakes repaired. Once exiting the last of the woods, the course wound its way down the hillside with many great turns and super fun jumps. McKenna was loving the massive table-top jump near the finish line. She got comfortable enough with the course and was looking forward to Sunday morning's downhill race. Take a ride down the course here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIMrQxt-CcA

Sunday morning came bright and early, and the mountain was covered in a thick mist. McKenna loaded the chairlift to the top for her race run, as a light rain began to fall. She was at the start in plenty of time for her warm-up and to visualize the course, and her run, in her mind. Being one the first riders down the course, she would face the wettest and stickiest track of the day. Pedalling off the start ramp, McKenna hit the first rock roller with good speed. She entered the first wooded section, hitting all her lines, but slipped in the goopy mess and went down. She was able to stay with her bike, so quickly and easily was up and going again. She handled the next two wooded sections very well, with a foot down here, and a dab there. The steep drop of an exit on the last wooded section was handled with ease. All that was left was the fun turns at the bottom, the big table-top, and the drop to the finish line. McKenna was going noticably quicker than in practice as she rolled off the rocks and dropped to the line. On the very last grass slope, instead of rolling, McKenna jump off it for the first time, and flipped over the bars as she touched down. Her bike slid across the finish line, and McKenna immediately jumped up and ran across to stop the clock. The crowd erupted in shouts and applause, and the announcer begin calling her the hero of the weekend. A cut and bruised hip and a sore neck were the extent of her injuries.

 McKenna was able to stop the clock at 05:03, good enough for the win, and now she is the 2012 U.S. National Champion in the 10 and under Girl Category. She was all smiles as she made her way to the top step of the podium to receive her gold medal and Stars and Stripes jersey. Her smile got even bigger when she got to stand on the box between the pro winners, Aaron Gwin and Jackie Harmony. McKenna had a great weekend and an awesome time, and would like to extend some thanks to everyone who helped to make it all possible. First off, thank you to her Uncle Dean and her Grandmother who came up from south Florida to watch and support her. Tyler and Jamie at Shimano for fixing her bike so many times. Her sponsors; Soul Cycles, Troy Lee Designs, X-Fusion Suspension, and Kore Components, for their ongoing support. And lastly, everyone at USA Cycling and Beech Mountain Resort for putting on such a great event. Watch this to see all that happened at Beech Mountain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zofg9WRmzAU

U.S. Open National, Chula Vista CA, June 15-17, 2012

Race Report: U.S. Open National, Chula Vista CA, June 15-17, 2012

The U.S. Open Nationals were held in conjunction with the BMX Olympic Trials race this

past weekend at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. Racing began Friday with

over 150 motos of National #1. McKenna narrowly missed transfering to the main in the first

round, but would go on to win the second round, securing her spot for the afternoons main

event. Coming out of lane 5, McKenna got a great start and was solidly in 3rd place coming

out of the first turn. She would hold on to that spot all the way to the line, finishing on the

heels of a NAG1 and NAG4 rider.

 

 

The format for Saturdays racing would differ from the normal National schedule. Only first

round would be run Saturday morning, with second round, semis, and mains concluding

on Sunday. Saturday afternoon was left open so everyone would be able to watch the top

BMX pros battle it out for a single olympic spot. McKenna was able to transfer in this first

round and could relax and watch the pro race on the newly constructed London-replica track. Conor Fields was able to beat out the 7 pro men, and earned one of the five spots to represent the US at the Olympic Games this July.

 

 

Sunday morning McKenna was able to casually show up at the Olympic Training Center

in plenty of time for her main event. She was given lane 3 this time, and again she capitalized on this good position, and finished in 3rd spot. McKenna had an excellent weekend with great weather and great results. She would like to wish the U.S. BMX Olympic team the best of luck in London next month.

MSC #2/Chile Challenge, Angel Fire NM, June 9-10, 2012

Race Report: MSC #2/Chile Challenge, Angel Fire NM, June 9-10, 2012

The first gravity round of the Mountain States Cup was held this past weekend at the Angel Fire Bike Park in Angel Fire, New Mexico. Near Toas, in northern New Mexico, Angel Fire Resort tops out at over 10,650 feet and boasts miles and miles of lift accessed downhill trails. McKenna was registered to race both the downhill and dual-slalom on the weekend. The weather forecast for the weekend was hot and sunny, making the entire mountain super dry, loose, and dusty.

 

 

Saturday morning started off at 8:00 am with dual-slalom practice. Angel Fire was host to a round of the World Cup in 2005, and the dual-slalom course was carved out of the original World Cup 4X track. Flowing straight down the hill, the course was extremely fast, with soft and loose corners and many jumps. McKenna got comfortable with the course quickly and was up to speed by the time practice ended. It was a quick bike switch, and straight over to the chairlift for downhill practice. With over a 15 minute lift ride, McKenna knew the track was going to be very demanding and challeging. The course started at the very top of the mountain and was unbelievably steep and technical in the wooded sections. McKenna was able to get several practice runs in before she had to get back to the slalom course for

qualifying and racing. As there were no other junior women racing, McKenna was put into the 11-12 yr. old boy category. She qualified in 7th place and was up against the 2nd place qualifier in her first round. Though she battled all the way down the course, she wasn't able to win and advance.

 

Sunday morning started off with downhill practice and the course had gotten more blown out form all the runs done on it. After two runs, McKenna felt she was riding the course well, and was looking forward to her race run. She loaded onto the chairlift 45 minutes before her start time, making sure she would be ready when it was her turn. She rolled off the start ramp and straight into the steep and technical top wooded section. She was hitting all her lines, hammered the middle fire road section, was having a near perfect run. On the fastest section of the course (the 'speed trap' where the pros were hitting 42 mph), McKenna caught a rock wrong and her foot came off and into the front wheel, throwing her over the bars. As quick as she could, she was up and off, but that was the end of her perfect run. She crossed the line at 11:09, still good enough for the win in the Junior Women category. You can check out a run down the course here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKeZH0t7qBw

 

 

During the weekend McKenna was able to hang out with "Rockero" Preciado, the 5 time Mexican Downhill national champion. They argued who had the worst crash on the weekend, and since Ricardo was knocked out for thirteen minutes, it was decided that he won. McKenna would like to thank Keith Darner and all the staff and crew at the Mountain States Cup and Angel Fire Resort for a great event and an awesome weekend. She will be back there next year, as Angel Fire will be the host to the 2013 National Championships.

 

 

 

 

Magazine Coverage

McKenna and her downhill bike were profiled on the Dirt Magazine website. Check it out here: /http://dirt.mpora.com/ Thanks for all the interest and support!

Sea Otter Classic, Monterey CA, April 18-22, 2012

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.

 

 

 

Fontana City National, Fontana CA March 25, 2012

Race Report: Fontana City National, Fontana CA March 25, 2012

 

The Fontana City National was held the weekend of March 24th and 25th in Fontana, California. The weekend's schedule consisted of cross-country, four-cross, super-D, and downhill races, bringing hundreds of racers from all across the country to the quiet Fontana suburbs. The events downhill race was held on Sunday and the days forecast was a 100% chance of rain. The only question was when would the rain come? McKenna's practice began at 10:00 and she was in the first shuttle to get to the top of the hill. Her first practice run was a difficult and slow one, as there were many sections which were very challenging for her. Her confidence took a blow, as she thought many of the rock drops were too difficult for her to ride. After hiking up the hill several times, and working on sections over and over again, practice ended with McKenna knowing all her lines, and gaining a certain amount of confidence in her ability to ride everything.

 

Racing got underway at 12:30 and this race the Sport and Beginners would go before the Experts and Pros. Mac caught the shuttle to the top and was visibly nervous because the course was so technical and the rain was on its way. As one of the last Beginner riders to start, McKenna had plenty of time to watch the skies darken and the wind increase. Finally it was her turn, and still no drops falling yet. The starter said "Go" and McKenna rolled off the start box and into the first turn. She pedaled when she could, tried to keep her fingers off the brakes, and kept her feet on the pedals the entire run. Take a ride down the course here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-74UcumsL3Y

McKenna crossed the finish line with a time of 4:01, good enough for second place. She was extremely happy with her race run and felt she couldn't have ridden the technical sections any better. McKenna wants to give a big thanks to everyone along the course who screamed for her and shouted "Go Mac!", it help her tackle the steep and tricky parts. Also thanks to Don Jackson and the whole Southridge crew for such a great event. Next up for McKenna is the So Cal BMX Nationals and the US BMX National Championships, in Chula Vista, CA. Keep it tuned here for complete coverage.

Southridge Winter Series Finals, Fontana CA March 4, 2012

Race Report: Southridge Winter Series Finals, Fontana CA March 4, 2012

This past weekend was the fifth and final race of the Southridge Winter Series, held at Southridge Park in Fontana CA. The event's downhill race took place on Sunday, and McKenna was first in line to take the shuttle to the top for practice. The course laid out for the day's race was a fun and flowy one, but had several steep and super soft sections to deal with. There was only one course, with beginners to pros riding the same track. McKenna got four practice runs in but was struggling a bit with some of the deep, soft turns.

Racing got underway at 10:30, and McKenna caught the last shuttle up to await her turn for her race run. Being one of the last riders to start, McKenna had time to hike down the course and watch riders handle the soft turns and an intimidating rock drop. She was confident she knew all her lines, and hiked back up to get in line for her turn. Her race run started well, and McKenna was able to get through all the sandy turns with a foot out, moto style. It was around the middle of the course where disaster struck. There was a sharp right hand turn that McKenna came into with more speed than in practice, and was off line exiting.She hit a rock and instantly flipped over the bars. It was some time before she got untangled and was up and going again.

 McKenna crossed the line at 4:26, missing out on first place by 12 seconds. She was pretty upset about her crash, but very happy about the way she got up and gave it her all to the finish line. She was also happy with the way she handled the rock drop, no brakes! The Winter Series has come to an end and McKenna takes home the award for first place overall. Her next downhill race will be the  Fontana City National at the end of this month. Stay tuned to this station for a complete report.

Southridge Winter Series #3, Fontana CA February 5, 2012

Race Report: Southridge Winter Series #3, Fontana CA February 5, 2012

 

 

 Southridge Park once again played host for the 3rd round of the Southridge Winter Series, held February 4th and 5th in Fontana CA. The weekends weather was sunny and warm with a fairly strong wind blowing the upper half of the race course. The turnout for both racers and spectators was excellent, with the newly laid out course offering several great vantage spots to watch the racers make their way down the hill.

 

 

The course was very challenging to begin with, and was made even more difficult as rider after rider sped down it during practice and for their race runs. The numerous corners and turns developed deep ruts in the soft soil which were quite difficult to rail at race speed. With McKenna being one of the last riders to go off, the ruts were at their softest and deepest for her run.

 

 

As the starter counted down, McKenna came off the starting ramp with some good speed, but washed out in the soft sand of the third corner. She was up and going again quickly, and was able to get through the rest of the upper turns without incident, dragging a foot out, motocross style. Her second crash came in a small rock garden which she took the wrong line into, and got her bars spun around in the crash. This time it took a little longer to get untangled and rolling, but she was soon on her way again. She rode the rest of the course without an issue, even the steep rocky chute she was finding difficult in practice. Helmet cam footage of the race course:

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=1jPvUgg332o 

 

 

McKenna crossed the line with a time of 4:26. At this round, for the first time, there was someone near her age to race against in her category. A thirteen year old girl was racing as well, and as soon as McKenna crossed the line, she anxiously watched to see how long it would be for the older girl to finish. In the end, McKenna beat her by 13 seconds, taking the win, and securing a substantial lead for the overall series. More information on Southridge Racing and the winter sertes can be found here: http://southridgeusa.com/index.php.

 

 

Southridge Winter Series #2, Fontana CA January 22, 2012

Race Report: Southridge Winter Series #2, Fontana CA January 22, 2012

 

 

 Southridge Winter Series #2 went down this past weekend in Fontana. After rain throughout most of Saturday, the course was perfect for Sunday's downhill race. The race course was probably the most technical that McKenna had to race on so far, but she managed to make her way down safely with only one crash and a few stalls and other mistakes.

Here is a helmet cam video of the race course: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPN7uPmQgU8

 

 

McKenna crossed the finish line with a time of 5:19, putting her 3rd in her category of Beginner Women under 34.  When awards time came around, the SRC crew created a new category on the spot, Beginner Women 10 and under, so McKenna took the win being the only girl even close to that age. All the results and information on the series can be found here: http://southridgeusa.com/results_dh_1_22_12.php

 

 

Southridge Winter Series #1, Fontana CA January 8, 2012

Race Report: Southridge Winter Series #1, Fontana CA January 8, 2012

Downhill Racing for the year kicked-off at the Southridge Winter Series this past weekend. Race #1, of the five race series, was held at Southridge Park in Fontana, CA. Racing took place throughout the weekend, with cross-country racing, Super-D, and four-cross racing on Saturday, (along with downhill practice). Sunday had downhill practice in the early morning, with racing getting underway shortly thereafter.

McKenna made the 1-1/2 hour drive up to Fontana on Saturday morning to check out the course, and get some practice in. The course was the same one she raced in October, so she was pretty familiar with it, and got comfortable and up-to-speed fairly quickly. Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, but the high-wind advisory warned of a difficult day on the hill. McKenna started off Sunday with a safe, cruiser practice run, trying to see how the wind would affect her. It was blowing hurricane speeds at the top, but as soon as she left the start ramp, it seemed to not be an issue. That is, until the "wall". Along this pedaling section, the tremendous headwind slowed her to a mere crawl as she pedalled in vain to maintain speed. She knew she would have to give it her all if she wanted to get a good time.

Once again McKenna took the shuttle to the top to get ready for her race run. Her category was the last on the start list, and McKenna would be the last rider down. The starter counted her down, and she was off. Pedalling into the first right hand turn, which had a slight drop, you could see she was on a mission. McKenna was able to ride the entire top section without a problem. As she came into the lower half, just after the road crossing, there was a series of rocky sections which had to be navigated. McKenna made a quick left hand turn, and as she was dropping down the first rock face, flipped over the bars, and fell to the bottom of the rock pile. This crash broke her rear brake lever, which in turn made her crash again on the next rock section. Thankfully, all this was near the end of the course, and she pedalled her hardest into the head wind along the wall.

McKenna crossed the finsh line in a time of 5:16. Visibly upset, but physically fine, she was most concerned about what she did to her bike. Her mechanic assured her it could be fixed or replaced, which cheered her up.  She starts the series out with a first place and 100 points toward the Winter Series Overall. Race Results, Upcoming events, and Series information can be found here: http://southridgeusa.com/index.php The next race will be in 2 weeks. McKenna would like to thank all her family, friends, and fans for following her racing exploits. Big Thanks to Ryan and the crew at Troy Lee Designs for the new race gear, and Frank at Trito Imaging for making it look awesome.

You can check out McKenna's crash sequence in her race run here:

http://www.photostockplus.com/home.php?user_id=72407&tmpl=93&event=970860&album_id=971079