THE NIK NESTOROFF INTERVIEW - Moving Up To Intense Factory Racing - Mountain Biking Pictures

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After a successful year under the guidance of Shaun Palmer and the rest of the crew, Intense welcomes Nik Nestoroff to their Factory Team for the 2016 season. Palmer in audio.

The Palmer Project train.

Mammoth Kamikaze Bike Games Dual Slalom, 2015.

Good ol' Fontucky, CA. This SoCal race series has helped shape some of the greatest talent in U.S. mountain biking.

Intense, Shaun Palmer, and Nik's father. The commitment and support of all parties represented in this photo is proven by Nik's quick rise from local talent to Factory Team rider.

Little bikes and bone-dry conditions will likely be few and far between next year once Nik hits the World Cup circuit. But we can name another SoCal native who's made the transition just fine.

Teammate, friend and "nemesis," Stephen Walton and Nik topping the podium at the U.S. National Championships in Mammoth, CA.

2015 U.S. National Champs - Bullet DH.

Mud? Pffft...try pumice.

The support and mentorship from the Intense Palmer Program looks to have paid off dividends.

Study study...or just look at DH photos.

Eyes up at Mammoth.

Nik's 2016 Intense Factory ride, the M16C, fully decked out in RockShox, SRAM, Renthal, Maxxis and DT Swiss goodness. Everyone here at Vital will be rooting for you next year. Get 'er done!

Nik Nestoroff spent his 2015 season as part of the Intense Palmer Program, which set out to help develop young U.S. talent. After having a successful year under the guidance and support of the team, Nik saw multiple podiums and a U.S. National Title. Today, Intense announces that they will be bringing Nik to their Intense Factory Racing team for 2016 and he'll be attending the full UCI World Cup tour. We sat down with Nik and Shaun to discuss how the Intense Palmer Project helped prepare him for his first World Cup season, what he's looking forward to most and what he may be worried about... and a few silly, rapid-fire silly questions, too.

Nik would like to thank his family, friends, Shaun Palmer and Intense Cycles, as well as SRAM, RockShox, DT Swiss, Renthal and Maxxis.

Photos courtesy of Intense, Nik Nestoroff and CL Photography.

Intense