Kain Leonard charges onto podium at Angel Fire downhill

“I kind of surprised myself”

Crested Butte Mountain Resort pro downhill rider Kain Leonard has a thing for the downhill bike track at Angel Fire, New Mexico.
“Angel Fire has tons of rocks and it’s long,” says Leonard. “I’d say two thirds of it is rocks. For some reason the rough stuff suits my style. I’ve always done well at Angel Fire.”

The Chile Challenge at Angel Fire is the fourth stop on the Mountain States Cup bike racing series and the first opportunity for regional gravity-fed riders to put their preseason practice to the test under the watchful eye of the clock.
Rather than milk whatever downhill terrain was available in the valley the past two months, Leonard followed a different plan.
“I’ve just been riding a lot of cross-country at Hartman’s and on my moto,” says Leonard. “I was pretty fit.”
The plan paid off as Leonard was riding against several downhill bike racers with anywhere from four to five races under their belts this season but held his own from the opening day.
Leonard opened the weekend on Friday, June 3 posting the fastest time on the track in the qualifying round despite the fact it was his first time on a downhill bike this season.
“I kind of surprised myself,” says Leonard. “Normally, I don’t win qualifying.”
With the top finish in qualifying, Leonard was the last rider in the finals on Sunday and found the energy different riding last.
“It gets kind of quiet at the top of the course,” explains Leonard. “Most of the spectators are at the bottom waiting for the last finisher.”
Leonard admits he started off his final run out of character and that may have cost him the win, but he still crossed with the second fastest time of the day to step onto the podium once again at Angel Fire.
“I just pushed a little too hard in the rocks and couldn’t find my flow,” says Leonard. “I was happy with second. I really didn’t think I’d be able to hang with those guys.”
Leonard has the next week off from racing before heading to Sol Vista for the next Mountain States Cup race, the Triple Dip, a three stage downhill race.
In addition, Leonard is coaching two younger downhill riders, a kid from Carbondale and local athlete Teo Bradbury.
“There are some really good riders out there that are horrible racers,” says Leonard. “It’s a fine line between being aggressive and being impatient. It’s a process to get riders to ride best on Sunday.”
Leonard will finish his season early at the Wildflower Rush in Crested Butte and then turn his attention to the upcoming birth of his child, due in August.
He hopes to go out with a bang at the Wildflower Rush, which is part of the Pro Gravity Race Tour this year and should bring some serious talent to the valley.
“We’re going to see some of the world’s top riders here in Crested Butte,” says Leonard. “I definitely want to put the hammer down in Crested Butte.”