Kona Factory team shifts focus toward endurance events

The Kona Factory team is taking a new approach for 2008. Its riders will spread out across the globe and participate in many events outside the standard racing scene. The team's schedule will include more endurance events, as well as plenty of festival-oriented races like the Kona 24-hours in Old Pueblo and the Singlespeed World Championships.

Canadian U23 National Champion Neal Kindree will continue his drive to the top of the elite fields. He is aiming to win the Canada Cup Overall, defend his national title and take on events like British Columbia's Test of Mettle.

Tracy Moseley will lead the women. The second placed finisher in the 2007 World Cup Downhill will try to make the top step of the podium at the World Championships this year after a disappointing mechanical last year.

Kris Sneddon will continue as the do-it-all racer for the team hitting events like the World Cup, Canada Cup and the La Ruta races. Sneddon is a consistent top-10 performer at the US National Mountain Bike Series and he is hoping to join his taller team-mates Barry Wicks and Ryan Trebon on the podium.

Coming off the finest all-around season of her career, Wendy Simms' 2007 season was capped by a victory in the mixed category of the Trans Rockies race with her husband Normon Thibault. The regular participant in the NMBS races and European World Cup Cross Country events finished seventh at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships last weekend.

With an eye toward the next 'cross season, which will be his focus, US National short track champion Ryan Trebon will use the mountain bike season to increase his fitness. In addition to defending his national title, he will also visit events like the Firecracker 50 Marathon US National Championships and a few Mountain States Cup races, as well as a handful NMBS events.

Barry Wicks will build on his most consistent racing season from last year and tackle some World Cups and the BC Bike race. Taking the opposite approach of Trebon, Wicks stepped back from the cyclo-cross season this year, including declining a trip to race the world championships.