Monster Army Mountain Bike Team Riders Claim Championship Titles in Dual Slalom and Downhill Disciplines at 2025 USA Cycling National Championships in Big Bear
- U.S. National Championship Contested in Partnership with Stop 4 of 2025 Monster Energy Pro Downhill Mountain Bike Series
- Downhill Racing: 20-Year-Old Ryan Pinkerton Takes U.S. National Championship Win in Elite Men Division, Monster Energy's Luca Shaw Takes 4th Place, Monster Army's Dante Silva Lands in 5th Place
- Downhill Racing National Championship: Samantha Porras Claims 1st Place in Downhill Women Junior 17-18 Cat 1 (PDS), Sara Ligman 2nd Place
- Downhill Racing National Championship: Luke Mallen Claims 3rd Place in Junior Men 17-18, Samantha Porras Claims 3rd Place in Junior Women 17-18 Division
- Downhill Racing National Championship: Tyler Wagoner Earns U.S. Championship in Junior Men 15-16 Division, Ainsley Wolf Takes 3rd Place in Junior Women 15-16 Division
- Dual Slalom Racing: Monster Army's Dante Silva from San Diego Takes National Championship in Elite Men Division, Ryder Lawrence Wins Championship in Junior Men 17-18, Luke Mallen 2nd Place
- Dual Slalom Racing: Sara Ligman Wins Championship in Junior Women 11-18 Division, Tyler Wagoner Takes 1st Place in Junior Men 15-16 Division and Connor Knipscheer 3rd Place
BIG BEAR, Calif., Aug. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Please welcome our new National Champions! Monster Energy congratulates its team of Monster Army mountain bike athletes on claiming victories in Downhill and Dual Slalom racing at the 2025 USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships at Big Bear's Snow Summit on this weekend.
From July 31 to August 3, the 2025 USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships featured the best mountain bike racers in the country in pro and amateur divisions at iconic Snow Summit. The championships were contested in partnership with the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series.
Downhill Mountain Bike Racing: Monster Army's Ryan Pinkerton Claims Elite Men National Championship
The team earned a major victory in one of the weekend's key events, the Elite Men Division Downhill National Championships on Saturday. In what also counted as round four of the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series, 20-year-old Monster Army rider Ryan Pinkerton from Aliso Viejo, California, rose all the way to the top spot to claim the 2025 U.S. National Mountain Bike Championship.
Pinkerton emerged from the grueling qualifier rounds as the second-place seed for the finals. Raising the bar in the title race, Pinkerton put down a heater of the run with the day's fastest times in Split 3 and Split 4 sections.
When the dust settled, Pinkerton finished the technical track with a total time of 2:47.838 to win the 2025 USA Cycling National Championships, the coveted Stars and Stripes jersey, and $4,000 in prize money at Big Bear.
"Laying down that run felt amazing. The win is great, but more than anything, I'm just proud of how I rode," said Monster Army's Pinkerton upon claiming the 2025 Elite Men Downhill Mountain Bike U.S. Championship.
This marks Pinkerton's first national title as a pro competitor in downhill racing. In 2023, Pinkerton won the Junior Men division title in the discipline at the 2023 USA Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships.
Pinkerton was joined on the podium 28-year-old Monster Energy team rider Luca Shaw from Hendersonville, North Carolina, in fourth place with a finish time of 2:49.420. Rounding out a great performance, 22-year-old Monster Army rider Dante Silva from San Diego, California, took fifth place with a 2:50.190 finish time.
The Downhill Junior Women 17-18 Cat 1 (PDS) Division saw 17-year-old Monster Army team rider Samantha Porras from Los Angeles, California, take first place. Finishing the course in 3:20.096, Porras also ranked in third place in the Junior Women 17-18 Pro Division as well as fifth place in the fourth round of the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series scoring. Porras' teammate, 17-year-old Monster Army athlete Sara Ligman, took second place in the Downhill Junior Women 17-18 Cat 1 (PDS) Division.
In Saturday's Junior Men 17-18 Division Downhill MTB Championships, 17-year-old Monster Army rider Luke Mallen from Sandy, Utah, took third place with a total time of 2:57.468.
On Sunday, the Monster Army team also scored a title and podium spot in heated final races in the junior categories.
The new U.S. Champion in the Junior Men 15-16 Division Downhill class is Monster Army rider Tyler Wagoner from Canyon Lake, California. In a dominant performance, the 15-year-old finished the track in 2:59.036, more than 1.4 seconds ahead of the next rider.
In the Junior Women 15-16 Division Downhill MTB Championships, 16-year-old Ainsley Wolf from Colorado took third place with a finish time of 3:34.475.
Dual Slalom: National Championship Titles for Dante Silva (Elite Men) and Ryder Lawrence (Junior Men 17-18)
On Thursday, the action kicked off by crowning the 2025 USA Cycling National Champions in Dual Slalom racing across Elite and Junior categories. Track conditions proved dry and dusty, meaning speed was not an issue. But the key element was retaining bike control. Countless riders were knocked from the competition in qualifying on Thursday morning, leaving only the strongest and most skilled to battle it out for that USA Jersey in the afternoon.
In Thursday's Elite Men Division Dual Slalom final Monster Army rider Dante Silva dropped in as a championship contender after qualifying in third place earlier on the same day. The intense qualifiers foreshadowed the action in the finals, with only 0.4 seconds separating the top three contestants.
When it all came down to the wire, Silva took the upper hand in the final showdown for the top spot and secured the National Championship title at Snow Summit Resort. The victory for Silva means he will carry the prestigious USA Jersey for the next twelve months and wear it with a bit of bragging rights to each slalom event in the United States.
The team also scored a major win in the Junior Men 17-18 Division Dual Slalom National Championship. Riders in this class are just one step removed from pro level and showcase the bright future of the sport.
In a close battle for the title, two Monster Army riders put on a spectacular show for the crowd in Big Bear: 17-year-old Monster Army athlete Ryder Lawrence from Menifee, California, competed in the final race against Luke Mallen.
On the last run, Lawrence beat Mallen with just hundredths of a second. The crowd went wild, and Monster Army earned another championship title with Lawrence taking first place and Mallen claiming a close second.
The team earned another Championship title in the Junior Women 11-18 Division: Putting down a dominant performance all weekend, Monster Army athlete Sara Ligman took first place and the U.S. Championship title in Dual Slalom.
The wins continued in the Junior Men 15-16 Division Dual Slalom National Championship, where 15-year-old Wagoner secured the title with a dominant performance. The young Monster Army rider from Canyon Lake, California also earned the title in Downhill! He was joined on the podium by 16-year-old Connor Knipscheer from Yucaipa, California, taking third place.
For more on Ryan Pinkerton, Dante Silva, Tyler Wagoner, Ryder Lawrence, Luke Mallen, Samantha Porras, Connor Knipscheer, Ainsley Wolf, Sara Ligman, and our team of mountain bike athletes, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Also make sure to follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.
For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.
Contact: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: [email protected]
SOURCE Monster Energy
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