Kneisly Brothers Racing 2015

KNEISLY BROTH E R S RACING

S E A S O N NO.1

Jeremy Kneisly Hometown: Aptos, CA Current residence: Laguna Hills, CA Birth year: 1985 Racing class: Cat 2 Height: 6’1” What year did you begin racing? 2008 How did you first get involved? First with DH racing Favorite competition track? Fontana Favorite training zone? Santiago Oaks Personal goals: have fun, travel and ride expensive bikes.

Favorite artist that gets you motivated: OFF!, Black flag, any hardcore 80’s punk

Nick Kneisly Hometown: Aptos, CA Current residence: Anaheim Hills, CA Birth year: 1987 Racing class: cat 2 Height: 6’0�

What year did you begin racing? 2012 How did you first get involved? Moto - DH - XC Favorite competition track? Fontana Favorite training zone? Santiago Oaks Personal goals: Continue to progress on all levels throughout the season.

Favorite artist that gets you motivated: Thrice and Pennywise at the moment

Last year around this time we started throwing around ideas about starting a racing team. The concept was to create a product development race team. We would focus on working with our partners to help develop great products by putting them through real world racing and training.

We got the ball rolling and it just took off, its has been so much fun to have design freedom, with little outside input or direction. Its quite refreshing to just let the creative juices flow and follow our instincts. Because of this we had a blast creating many items for the team.

After we completed the team visual identity, we began the team kit design process. The original tiger head was a minimalistic version. We wanted the team kits to be simple yet impactful. We achieved this by using a bold orange and dark red color pallet and a large aggressive tiger face. The focal point became the sponsor logos, which was an important aspect of the design.

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The water bottle was a fun project. The design was an evolution of the jersey which we felt was a little rushed.

The tiger is further developed and the “ tiger camo� that fills the background was designed specifically for this project. We decided on two color options, and went with the premium Purist bottle produced by Specialized.

Training together as a team has been a great motivator and helped both Nick and Jeremy progress in fitness and in their race strategy.

Team KBR has created several training rides. “Dos Laps� is a Strava segment we created to mimic race day efforts, and prepare team KBR for the racing season.

Fontana winter series was a great way to build fitness for the Kenda Cup series later in the year. Another advantage of the Fontana race series was the track experience and technical skills development.

The Fontana track would be the third stop of the Kenda Cup series, and is widely accepted as the most technical track, requiring the most bike handling skill.

This would later prove to be a great advantage for both Jeremy and Nick.

The Kenda Cup series kicked off in Temecula California.

The conditions were extreme with overnight rain and very cold morning temps, Sure to make for a memorable race.

After getting ready huddled under an easy-up. The team made their way to the start line. Unfortunately the race had already begun, and Jeremy had missed his start time. Nick was able to catch his, however he had a less than ideal starting position.

Jeremy pushed through the crazy conditions eventually finishing in third place, just 10 seconds off second place.

Nick went on to dominate, easily taking the win.

The second race in the 7 race series brings KBR to Frank G Bonelli park in San Dimas California.

The large park is located next to Raging Waters, with many trails all wrapping around a body of water called the puddingstone reservoir.

This race was special as it shared with the US Cup series, the premier professional North American XC race series.

Naturally the event was much larger than the series opener with many factory supported riders and teams.

After completing the training lap it was clear that this was a very challenging track with lots of short choppy climbs and little chance to recover.

Jeremy broke out front of the pack and lead most of the first lap. After a dropped chain and a ferocious battle would finish 3rd place.

Nick had a good ride, Feeling out the pace and learning much about strategy and technique, This race was his first CAT2 race, as he moved up a class after an easy victory the previous week.

Back home for round 3! Or at least thats what it felt like. Team KBR raced the SRC winter series prior to the Kenda Cup, Fontana was basically their home track. The dirt, the climbs, and the technical nature of the course was sure to work in favor of both riders.

This event was another that housed both the Kenda Cup and the US Cup. There was a great turnout and much anticipation, but the best part for KBR was the opportunity to pre-ride the track with professional rider Russell Finsterwald. After completing a training lap with Russell and picking his brain about everything from strategy to nutrition, both KBR riders felt a boost in confidence and motivation heading in to the race.

Race day did not disappoint. Nick and Jeremy went on to capture their best finishes of the season. Fifth and First respectively.

Round 4 saw team KBR back to Bonelli park. Now with the experience of racing this track, Both riders felt much more prepared and confident in race day strategy.

Jeremy, just coming off the top step had his sights set on the win, but knew he would have a battle on his hands.

Getting out front early and putting in the work, he was able to build bit of a gap. However not quite enough to cruise to an easy win. The last 1/3 of the last lap turned in to a battle, ending with a victorious all out sprint to the finish.

Nick had a strong start, but an unfortunate mistake caused by a course change that was not clearly marked sent him to the back of the pack. With his work cut out he was able to fight back to a 11th place finish.

Sea Otter Classic is the annual event that KBR had been looking forward to all year!

This is the worlds largest cycling festival, and comes with so many exciting events, products and people.

This is the first year for KBR participating in the XC race. Both Nick and Jeremy were fired up and excited to ride some new trails.

This track was by far the longest of the season, and only being one lap. The strategy was sure to be unique.

The morning of the race was foggy and cold ( as most are in Monterey ). After warming up on the world famous Laguna Seca race track KBR headed to the line, only to find the race had already begun! Nick had missed his start time, but jammed through the crowd and took off. Jeremy was able to catch his start by mere seconds.

The race it’s self was just plane fun. The fact that there was not multiple laps kept the riders on their toes and the miles flew by because of it.

Los Olivos CA! This was one of the exciting locations. The track is located on a private vat of land in some of the most amazing rolling hills of California, and just a short drive to the Danish tourist town of Solvang.

Nick decided to skip this round, but luckily Jeremy’s family joined for this trip. With plenty of entertainment and amazing pea soup, it was sure to be a fun weekend.

The track was interesting. Jeremy decided to skip the training lap, and without a preview the, strategy had to be created on the fly. With super dry conditions and some very rough sections the track seemed be in a constant state of evolution.

The race went well for KBR, but in the end it wasn't good enough to secure three wins in a row. It was one of those days that seemed to lack power and endurance. The good news is that hanging on to a second place finish, Jeremy was still in the mix for the series overall.

The last two races of the Kenda Cup Series took place in Big Bear Lake California. This location is one of the best in California, and offers many challenges. The elevation plays a huge roll, paired with the lung busting 3 mile climb right out of the gate, this was sure to be a challenging track.

After a long warm up KBR lined up at the start. Nerves were tingling, but as usual, as soon as the gun fires all nervousness disappears and the focus turns to the job at hand.

This was another track the KBR had not pre-rode. Because of this it’s difficult to know where to attack and recover, but both riders new that the last part of the track raced down the Skyline trail. A technical single track that would suit their technical ability and bike handling skills. Strategy became, survive with the group until the single track, and then attack! This worked well, sending both riders to the podium and preparing them for the series finale.

The FINALE. This was the one that counted. The only double points event. Jeremy was sitting in second place, just 4 points from the leader. Nick had the opportunity to break in the top six.

The race kicked off on the same track as the last race, with one small change. The route utilized more of the skyline trail that suited team KBR so well. This was a huge plus and all the mental boost needed to get the win.

At the end of the day Jeremy had taken the win with commanding dominance, and Nick had secured his second best finish of the season, with a strong ride and a dusty smile.

With the finish of this race, team KBR wrapped up the their first race season, with great finishes and many lessons learned.

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Fontana B o n e l l i Pa r k # 2 S a n t a Yn e z Big Bear

Big Bear #2

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