January 22, 2004 – 26-year-old Geoff Kabush burst onto the international scene after a 9th place at the Oympics in Sydney. Since then, Kabush has been national champion, scored several top-tens at World Cups and is a serious contender for the NORBA podium. After seven years with KONA, Kabush unexpectedly found himself scrambling for a team after a lack of communication between himself and KONA president Jacob Heilbron. Pedal caught up with Kabush at his Victoria residence.

Kabush: The off-season negotiations have been a bit of a roller-coaster, but training is going very well and I'm looking forward to the race season.

Pedal: Talk about those negotiations…what happened? You were KONA's star, right?

Kabush: I've had a great relationship with everyone over the past seven years at KONA and I have some great friends at the company. I was hoping in the fall I was going to be able to re-sign without much hassle, but the offer I was given basically cut my earnings in half. As anyone would expect, I decided to see what else I could find.

Pedal: You mean, you shopped around, right?

Kabush: Yes. I talked to several teams and decided that money wasn't going to be the deciding factor and I really wanted to stay with KONA and focus on my big goal for 2004, which is the Olympics.

Pedal: So what happened?

Kabush: When I returned to KONA, Jacob had already decided that it was too late and the team was moving ahead without me. There was nothing I could do and no one else at KONA could change his mind. But at the same time, this has really motivated me for next year.

Pedal: That must have been a let down given your long relationship with them?

Kabush: I am still a little disappointed that Jacob didn't reply to any of my emails or phone calls during the entire affair. The only comments I heard from him were in a short article in Velonews. I was dealing only with KONA team manager Dik Cox who has been a great supporter and friend throughout my years at KONA.

Pedal: So what's in store for 2004? What were your other options when KONA fell through?

Kabush: It fell apart fairly late and at the time I looked very seriously at putting together my own racing program. I got a lot of support from a lot of sponsors and friends I have in the industry and I was actually looking forward to organizing it myself and having that freedom.

Pedal: What's your status now? Have you have found a team for 2004?

Kabush: After a long chain of events a spot on a major team became available to me. I'm really looking forward to working with what looks like a great line-up of new sponsors. Looks like I'll have a little more support and the program looks great for 2004.

Pedal: This team is U.S. based?

Kabush: Yes. I have been negotiating the final details over the past couple of weeks and there should be an official press release coming out in the next couple of days with all the details.

Pedal: That must be a real relief for you.

Kabush: I have had a lot of support from my room-mates and friends, who have been there to keep me relaxed and focused on riding my bike.

Pedal: What do you do when you aren't riding?

Kabush: Drink a lot of coffee, and play a lot of Foosball.

Pedal: Ever gamble on Foosball?

Kabush: Yeah, I'm up twenty bucks on this one sap.

Pedal: Well, I better let you get back to training, and Foosball, then.

Kabush: Right on, thanks Matt.

After this interview was conducted, we spoke briefly with KONA president, Jacob Heilbron. Heilbron said that Kabush leaving the team was much like the end of a marriage: “it was hard for both sides to say it's over, as we respect Geoff very much – he's a dedicated and strong rider – and we are sorry he is not racing for us. But we had to draw the line, and said we are going to move on.”

Heilbron said he did not return Kabush's calls or emails because it had always been Dik Cox who had negotiated the contracts, “and I didn't want to interfere. I don't like to muddy the waters, so I let Dik and Geoff work on things in the fall together. There was general feeling that when we signed Geoff to a three-year deal he had been underpaid, so we paid him very well until 2003. But we just didn't feel that Geoff achieved the results that we had expected of someone who was being paid the amount he was.”

Geoff Kabush's 2000-2003 Results
– 9th Olympic Games 2000
– 1st National MTB Championships 2002
– 7th Grouse World Cup 2001
– 10th Grouse World Cup 2002
– Eleven NORBA Podiums
– 2nd National Cyclo-Cross Championships 2003