Nate Kitchen Is Building Momentum

Few riders have had to overcome as much adversity over the past several seasons as Nate Kitchen.

In 2023, Nate broke both arms and suffered a fracture to his T1 vertebrae. In 2024, he underwent shoulder surgery and broke another arm. When he joined the Intense Factory Racing program in 2025, he was still working his way back to full strength after so much time away from racing. Just as he was finding his speed, a devastating foot and ankle injury sidelined him once again.

Despite limited preparation, Nate returned late in the season and immediately showed flashes of the pace that made the team believe in him from the start. This offseason was the first opportunity in years for him to enter a training block healthy and motivated. Even after another preseason crash left him less than 100 percent, he stayed focused and continued putting in the work.

"Nate is really coming into his form now, with a win at Round 2 of the Pro Downhill Series and backing it up with another one at the Southwest Downhill Series this past weekend. I've watched him fight back from each of these setbacks and come out the other side stronger every time, so seeing his hard work pay off like this genuinely makes me proud. When Nate gets a taste of that top step, he does a great job carrying that momentum forward. We all can't wait to watch him have a great year."

— John Hall, Team Manager, Intense Factory Racing

We caught up with him for a mid-season check-in.

Congratulations on the win. We're about halfway through the season, how would you assess the year so far?

So far I’d say my year is going pretty good, getting more and more comfortable with our new Fox suspension and TRP brakes. Can’t lie I was a little frustrated after those first couple races but my pace was there just needed to get it across the line.

You dealt with an injury earlier in the season. What was the biggest challenge during that recovery process?

Biggest challenge after my foot injury was relearning how to walk haha. On the bike apart from a little rust and lack of fitness I felt like I didn’t miss a beat.

How much confidence do these recent wins give you heading into the second half of the season?

Confidence is pretty high right now and the next couple races being in conditions I’m more familiar with only raises it. But I think a lot of it is from doing a bunch of laps, getting the bike dialed in, and just trying to improve my riding each time I’m out there.

Have there been any key changes to the bike or your race program that have helped drive these results?

Apart from having Fox and TRP on the bike this year it would have to be the amount of riding I’ve done. Probably ridden my DH bike more this year than I have in the last 2 years combined.

Tell us about your bike setup. What are you running right now and what's the most important part of the setup for you?

Right now just working on getting the new Fox 40 dialed in and experimenting with different setups. Rear shock I’ve gotten pretty dialed in, 525 spring with compression around the middle and a fast ish rebound. The biggest thing for me is finding the middle ground of rolling fast and to generate speed but also have it working in the rough sections.

What have you learned about yourself as a rider through the ups and downs?

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that I’ll always want to race and I’ll always want to go fast on my bike. Simple as that.

Is there a quote, saying, or piece of advice that you keep coming back to throughout the season?

My dad always reminds of the navy seal quote “Embrace the suck” and “Stand on business” seems to be a common one lately.

Looking ahead, what's the biggest goal for the rest of the season?

Number 1 priority is to stay healthy and getting the Pro DH Series overall would be the cherry on top.