A password will be e-mailed to you.

Day 5 of the 2019 La Ventana Classic filled in for the event’s fifth straight day of wind. The 10K Mountain Bike Race took off from the Hot Springs in the morning with a shotgun start. The men, women and youth category riders all began at the same time but within the first 10 feet, there was a 6-8 person pileup, slowing traffic at the start. Riders made their way through the congestion for a 10km race on six of La Ventana’s world-class trails. Racers pedaled up and around Pista Pista then down Mala Mujer, Azadon Grande, Las Rampitas and finished off on Palapas. In the men’s category, Juan Barella finished first with a time of 32:03, Josh LaSalle came in second (33:47) and Panchito Geraldo crossed the finish line third with a time of (33:53). The youths were not far behind with Gabriel Geraldo finishing the course in 35:14, Guillermo Geraldo crossing the finish line in second with a time of 37:15 and Hernan Cosio coming in third with 52:45. In the women’s category, Katy Jablonsky crossed the finish line first with a time of 38:06, Katrina Stand crossed second (38:43) and Julie Mann finished third with a time of 38:53.

Foil course racing got underway as the first discipline on the water and kiters completed 3 races for a total 10 races over the course of 4 days. Connor Bainbridge led the pack all week long finishing first in every foil race throughout the week. Just as the foilers finished their races and landed their kites the Go Slow Race bike race began at the event site in which the last one across the finish line was the winner. Colored wigs poked out from beneath riders’ helmets who were clad in glitter and beads for the costume mandatory race. Staged in a rectangle that had been marked off and broken into lanes, at the sound of the starting whistle, bicyclists were required to take off, put their feet on their pedals and maintain a forward motion at all times. Their feet could not touch the ground and they had to stay in their bike lane. Although backward pedaling or stopping was not allowed, bouncing was permitted and the last bicyclist to the finish line won!

As soon as the Go Slow race had finished, officials and spectators turned their attention to the Freestyle competition. With solid wind filling into the Hot Springs, riders rode hard, fast and powered. The Womens Competitors hit the water first for a technical heat that included Justi Vonada’s kiteloop and frontroll downloop, Sam Chivers’ powered raleys and surface handle passes as well as Kris Kinn’s unhooked kiteloop and 313.Next up in the Mens Competitor round, Jack Reider’s megaloop at the start of the heat sent the crowd wild even before he landed a late mobe and a KGB but it was La Ventana local Luis Diego who really caught the attention of the spectators, sending it huge right in front of the crowd with a variety of tricks including a megaloop, deadman and an s-mobe.After a short break in the action, the Womens Strapless Freestyle heat hit the water. Justi Vonada rode out on a surfboard while Kris Kinn and Rachel Callahan both competed on skimboards. Kris was the only woman to unhook and landed an unhooked surface handless while Rachel Callahan performed a variety of strapless airs, air transitions and a strapless backroll.For the final heat of the day, the Mens Strapless Freestyle competitors took to the water. Luis Diego performed massive strapless airs, Mac Skaggs landed some huge sent airs, a shuvit, a handplant transition and entertained the crowd with a Jesus walk, while Leonardo wowed the crowd with a strapless frontroll, a frontroll kiteloop and a backroll kiteloop. However, it was Canadian Reece Myerscough who landed some of the most technical strapless tricks of the day including huge 360 shuvit, a tic-tac and a strapless frontroll.Towards the end of the Strapless Freestyle heat the wind began to pull offshore signaling the end of the day. Athletes and spectators alike waited for the final raffle of the event before heading to Dalaney’s for the awards ceremony, pizza and bidding on the last big items of the live auction.


We are stoked to announce that over the course of the 2019 La Ventana Classic, we raised $46,926 to go towards local student scholarships and community projects. Thanks for all of your help and support!


Photos: @sebastiantronmedia


Freestyle Results
Competitors
1. Luis Diego
2. Jack Reider
3. Leonardo Perez

Womens Competitors
1. Justi Vonada
2. Kris Kinn
3. Sam Chivers

Sportsmen
1. Sammy
2. Adam
3. Jay Senior

Sportswomen
1. Rachel Lentz
2. Megan Monroy
3. Rhonda

Competitors Strapless
1. Reese Myerscough
2. Leonardo Perez
3. Mac Skaggs

Womens Competitors Strapless
1. Kris Kinn
2. Rachel Callahan
3. Justi Vonada

The Crossing (Kiteboard Competitors)
1. Luis Diego
2. Mac Skaggs
3. Reed Bardy

The Crossing (Kiteboard Women Competitors)
1. Justi Vonada
2. Rachel Callahan
3. Rachel Hettinga

The Crossing (Kiteboard Sportsmen)
1. Jabe Harpote
2. Jay Senior
3. Ichiro Igor Gutierrez

The Crossing (Kiteboard Sportswomen)
1. Emanuele de A La Porta
2. Megan Munroy

The Crossing (Windsurf)
1. Tyson Poor
2. Wyatt Miller
3. Sammy Perez

Windsurf Criss Cross
1. Arne Hettman

Slalom Racing (Kiteboard Competitors)
1. Luis Diego
2. Mac Skaggs
3. Leonardo Perez

Slalom Racing (Kiteboard Womens Competitors)
1. Kris Kinn
2. Rachel Callahan
3. Justi Vonada

Slalom Racing (Kiteboard Sportsmen)
1. Scott Barnes
2. Steve Shugart
3. Nathan Tucker

Slalom Racing (Kiteboard Sportswomen)
1. Rhonda Reyna
2. Emanuele de A la Porta
3. Megan Monroy

Foil Results:
Criss Cross
1. Xantos Villegas
2. Connor Bainbridge
3. Kai Caulder

Course Racing
1. Connor Bainbridge
2. Evan Hefferman
3. Xantos Villegas

Women’s Criss Cross
1. Maddy Anderson
2. Jemima Crathorne
3. Terry Yung

Women’s Course Racing
1. Eleanor Aldridge
2. Jemima Crathorne
3. Maddy Anderson