This year's Kings of the Coast went off once again without a hitch. The weather looked to be more than cooperative and with that a solid crew from Delta 9 Racing road tripped down to show a little love from the Oregon contingent. Now, not only were they kind enough to share some of their photos and stories from the event, but there is a good chance that they were repping some classy looking socks as well. Congrats to all who were at the event, it continues to expand our ideas of what bike races can and should be. 

Photos - Ben Adams & Aden Kailin
Words - Andrew Ratzke

I had heard about the King of the Coast ride from my teammates Ben and Aden and a few other friends who had done it last year. When they mentioned they were going again this year I had to jump on. I love road trips and I love riding bikes so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a break from all of the rain we have been having in Portland. The trip ended up being just that.

The weather Saturday was perfect (Portlanders - I didn't even need leg warmers) and the course was even better. It was rad to pull up to the starting line and see so many crushers and strong riders from all over the country ready to have some fun on the trails. As we rolled out of the park and up Hawk Hill the sun came out and lit up the Golden Gate Bridge. From there we spent the day climbing through rolling hills with beach views, washed out peanut butter clay trails through redwoods, and up Mt. Tam, all of which meant a change in scenery with every turn.

This year the race was much shorter but heavy hitting with over 7000ft of climbing in just over 50 miles. By the time we rolled into the hotel, burritos in hand, we were already ready for next year. This is a race that has quickly become a staple in the community, doubling the amount of riders from last year.  The riding was unreal and the scenery is nothing short of majestic, oh, and all the rad people made it even better. I can't believe myself and Aden did it single speed (our legs still hurt) while Ben slapped the mud around on his Wraith Fabrication Paycheck.

No one yard-saled, dented a helmet, or punctured their tire; all of which happened last year.  Big thanks to Christian and crew for putting it on and to all of the riders who we got to share some climbs and much needed breaks with.

Congrats to Kyle Murphy on the win!