The last time I did a downhill race (which was actually my first ever downhill race) was in 2018 at National Champs in Snowshoe, West Virginia where I became Junior Downhill National Champion.
I have been wanting to do some more downhill racing for a while now and with the enduro season winding down I thought the Monster Pro Downhill Series in Big Bear, California would be the perfect opportunity.
Only practicing and racing one track was different for me coming from enduro but I really enjoyed having to pick apart and learn every inch of the track. We raced a trail called 10-ply and the Big Bear trail crew did an incredible job changing up the trail for the race. The loose, moon dust, dirt was ever changing and it really kept you on your toes because a rut that was there one lap could be blown and gone the next. It was a fun challenge and it made for some great racing. I had a lot of fun getting used to the Sr Suntour Rux 38 downhill fork. The stabilization that a dual crown fork provides was so cool and inspired a lot of confidence in my riding.
Saturday was qualifying/seeding day, I didn’t really have a whole lot of expectations with this being my first downhill other than to ride my bike as best and as fast as I could. I surprised myself with having the first two fastest split times and qualifying 3rd.
The next day was finals, we had an hour in the morning to practice and then would do our race run later in the afternoon.
Our start time got delayed to allow for some reruns in the amateur categories.
Having a lot of time to sit at the top of the track and wait was something I wasn’t as used to and it heightened my nerves a bit more. I dropped into my race run and almost immediately felt my arms pump up. I tried to not think about it and just made sure to hit my lines the best I could. I ended up finishing 3rd in Pro Women and I couldn’t be more stoked!
I am proud of what I accomplished this weekend. A big thank you to the KHS Pro Mtb team as I couldn’t have done it without them. I look forward to doing more downhill racing in the future!
-Bella Naughton
