Kabush and Paterson Win Whiskey 50

With $40,000 in prize money up for grabs and a course that challenges even the toughest competitors, the Whiskey 50 is one of America’s premier events. Held in Prescott, Arizona, it’s known as one of the toughest races on the continent and brings out the best riders in North America.

FOX riders had a great showing at the Whiskey 50 this past weekend with Geoff Kabush and Lesley Paterson confidently taking the men’s and women’s victories.

Riding her 32 FLOAT CTD-equipped Scott Scale 900 RC, Paterson caught the top riders at the turn around point and attacked on the final big climb. "My tactic was to take it steady across 15 to 20 miles and then hit it hard on the climb from Skull Valley,” she said. Paterson got away on the climb, leading the race into final singletrack descent and all the way to the finish.

Defending 2012 Whiskey 50 winner, Kabush loves long, technical races and it turns out that he’s good at them. While many riders opted to ride hardtails to maximize their efforts on the climbs and fire roads, Kabush had his own agenda. “My game

plan was to use my Fox iCD- equipped Scott Spark 900 full- suspension and win the race on the downhills. It was a great battle but everything worked perfectly and it was thrilling to pull away on the final descent and win again in front of the awesome crowds in Prescott," he said. Kabush put the hammer down at the top of the 12-mile climb out of Skull Valley, winning by over five minutes over his closest competitor.

Fellow FOX and Luna athletes, Katerina Nash and Georgia Gould, had great races to finish second and fifth, respectively.