BME.1
One-Two Punch
BME.1 Ironton, MO
The Yeti / FOX Team delivers a one-two punch, claiming the top two podium spots in both the Pro Men and Pro Women’s categories in the teams 2022 debut season.
Flying in from all over the world, the Yeti / FOX team converged for the first time in 2022 with three new additions. Joining Richie and Kapser on the Factory Team this year is Bex Baraona, of the UK. Kate Lawrence of Boulder, Colorado joins Warren Kniss on the National Team, and Jack Brown from Athens, Georgia rounds out the Devo Team with Quinn Reece.
Ironton, Missouri once again kicks off the first Big Mountain Enduro of the season, and they are just as welcoming and stoked to have us here as last year. Shepherd Mountain comes in at a modest 675 ft elevation gain. But what it lacks in height it more than makes up for in rocky terrain. This little angry mountain is host to all nine stages, including two brand new tracks, and each one serves up its own mix of tech.
An unseasonable heat wave rolled into the Arcadia valley bringing high humidity and temperatures well into the 90’s. A break in the heat came race day, although still very hot, a 10-degree drop in temperature shifted conditions from potentially dangerous to uncomfortably hot.
Day One // Stages One – Five
Rude and Woolley lead the pack in the Pro Men’s category alternating stage wins throughout the day. Richie put over 15 seconds on Kasper going into day two. Jack Brown and Warren Kniss finish P12 and P18 respectively.
Bex set the tone early on, claiming 4/5 stage wins and led the charge on day one. Kate Lawrence, winner of this stop last year, started the day with a P6 and P5 in the first two stages, but she quickly found her tempo and claimed second going into day two.
Day Two // Stages Six – Nine
The day began with the longest, most pedal intensive stage.
Baraona continued her winning streak, claiming stages six through nine, and 8/9 stages total. “I need to work out my race day jitters on the first stage, after that I’m fine.” Teammate, Kate Lawrence, continued to lay down consistently fast times to earn her second place behind Bex.
Rude continued his lead from the prior day and put just under five seconds into Woolley straight out the gate. Not a stage win was given up between Richie and Kasper. The pair held a dominating lead on the rest of the field, with a 37-second gap to the next closest time. In the end, Rude went on to claim his second win at the Ironton Big Mountain Enduro, with Kasper taking second.
Jack Brown gained two spots, finishing tenth overall, and Warren Kniss climbed up three spots to finish 18th.
New to Yeti Cycles, Mick Hannah charged out the gate creating an impressive lead from the start and went on to win every stage and the overall in the E-Bike category. And an honorable mention goes out to our very own Yeti Sports Marketing Manager Damion Smith - who took third on his 160e in the E-bike category.
Up Next:
The Yeti / FOX Factory Team take to Baraona’s home turf of Tweed Valley for the first stop in the 2022 Enduro World Series.
“It was a fun day out there with the team, switching stage wins with Kappy the entire time. Ironton is a good race to warm up and get the intensity going before heading off to Scotland. Stoked to spend time with the team and get bikes dialed for the season.”Richie Rude
“It’s been really beneficial for me to see how the team works, get to know everyone better. It’s cool to come to a new area - the tracks here are incredibly physical, rocky, and a good test on the equipment. tracks in prep for world enduro in a few weeks.”Bex Baraona
