One Second in the Trees: The EUC Story of Northwest Electric Fest 2026
Joshua Fagerness won the Mens Pro division at Northwest Electric Fest 2026, a USA EUC sanctioned off-road electric unicycle race held July 16-19 at Havenroot in Veneta, Oregon. Fagerness finished in 10:11.700, beating Zac Darnell by 5.5 seconds, with Justin Davis third among 11 Pro riders.
Deep in the woods at Havenroot in Veneta, Oregon, Northwest Electric Fest delivered the closest, most dramatic EUC racing of the 2026 season. Over four days of camping, games, and competition (July 16 through 19) on trails cut by Jesse Cargile and a crew of volunteers, the Mens Pro division came down to a heat decided by a margin you could miss if you blinked: one second.
Teen EUC winner Kyler Brown racing the KingSong F18 at Northwest Electric Fest 2026 - Photo @eridelife.
The Format
The race format rewarded consistency over raw bursts of speed. Riders got two heats: a downhill run on Friday and an uphill run on Saturday, with the best time from each combining for the overall. The course itself was narrow singletrack loaded with stumps, roots, rocks, and switchbacks, and it demanded roughly five minutes of full commitment per run.
Justin Davis described what those five minutes take out of a rider: "The race is five minutes so minute one, minute two you're amped. Minute three you're like ah let me get up. Minute four, minute five you're like when will this end?"
Mens Pro: Decided by Seconds
1st: Joshua Fagerness, 10:11.70
2nd: Zac Darnell, 10:17.20
3rd: Justin Davis, 10:35.30
Mens EUC Pro Podium (Left to Right) Zac Darnell, Joshua Fagerness, Justin Davis - Photo @eridelife.
Eleven riders lined up in Mens Pro, the deepest field of the weekend, and the combined times tell the story: five and a half seconds separated first from second after two counted runs, and just 1.4 seconds separated Justin Davis in third from Jace Cundiff in fourth.
Fagerness took the win on the KingSong F18, capping a season that already includes victories at Let It Ride and Seek n Shred, and doing it at the venue where his racing career began. Two years ago he showed up here unprepared and finished fifth. This year he arrived a week early to help clear trails, dialed his suspension for the terrain, and left with the biggest win of his Best of the West campaign.
"I took first place. I was super happy," Fagerness said. But the win did not come easy, and the mental battle was as real as the physical one.
"I went to bed on Friday night thinking that I was in the lead by six seconds," he recalled.
Then came Saturday. "I get told, oh Zach Darnell beat you by a second. And I'm like, what?"
Darnell, racing in his fifth Northwest Electric Fest, pushed the defending course knowledge of a rider who helped build these trails to its limit, taking one heat off Fagerness before settling into second overall. Ask him who keeps him sharp and the answer comes instantly: "Well the first name that comes to mind as to who keeps me awake at night is Josh Fagerness. That guy is on a completely different level."
For Darnell, that pressure is the whole point. "It really brings the fire back to racing, which is what I live for," he said, "knowing that someone is just right there. One second away."
Behind the two frontrunners, Justin Davis fought his own battle for the final podium spot. After finishing around sixth here last year, Davis found himself trailing New Mexico newcomer Jace Cundiff by one second after day one and had to dig deep on the uphill to reclaim third. Racing without his usual support system and battling low energy all weekend, he kept it clean when it counted.
Jace Cundiff pushing for the finish on heat 2 at NW Electric Fest - Photo by @eridelife.
Cundiff, at his first race ever, announced himself as the dark horse of the division. "This is the wildest ride of my life by far," he said. Pad failures cost him time in his first heat on day two, and fellow racers, including Douglas Marshall, handed over their own gear to keep him on course. Fourth place at a debut against this field is a statement.
A Rivalry Worth Watching
Joshua Fagerness and Zac Darnell racing electric unicycles at Northwest Electric Fest 2026 - Photo by @eridelife
If you want to understand what happened at Havenroot this weekend, listen to Eric Hylton, a Portland rider who raced his first event and came away sounding like a broadcaster. In his view, Fagerness and Darnell are the two best off-road EUC racers in the world, trading seconds across long, technical courses all season.
"It's like Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson type of like history for this sport," Hylton said.
He is not wrong. This rivalry did not exist a year ago. Now it is the defining storyline of the 2026 season, and with the Best of the West Series still unfolding, every event between these two carries weight.
More Than a Race
Northwest Electric Fest has never been a spectator event. It is a participant event, and that is by design. Between heats, the venue turned into a playground: axe throwing, pie eating contests, raft battles, and a pull-up competition.
Scott Chew putting the rest of the field to shame claiming 16 pull-ups in the annual contest6 - Photo @eridelife.
That atmosphere is what keeps pulling new riders in. Jeremy Ridgway drove down from Seattle for his first event and his first race of any kind, finishing second in Mens Novice. "As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I found a group of guys, I was like, hey, can I set up camp next to you? And everybody was like, yeah, come on in," he said.
Lauren Ford, who learned to ride an EUC at this very event a year ago, returned this year on the InMotion V14 Pro and won Womens Pro with a 15:35.800. She put the culture of the sport simply: "This community as a whole is so loving, caring, and supportive."
Womens Pro winner Lauren Ford racing the InMotion V14 Pro at Northwest Electric Fest 2026 - Photo by @eridelife.
The next generation was on course too, and they delivered. Fifteen-year-old Kyler Brown of Eugene, riding a borrowed F18 in his home event, won Teen Boys with an 11:37.000, a time that would have slotted him mid-pack in Mens Pro. Sixteen-year-old Archer Chew of Estes Park, Colorado, racing his sixth event of the year, took second. And in Youth Boys, 11-year-old Seth Brown, the youngest competitor in the field, claimed the win at 14:32.200.
Youth Boys winner Seth Brown, at 11 the youngest competitor in the field - Photo @eridelife
As Zac Darnell said of the whole experience:
"You can't bottle up and sell it you got to come and experience it."
What Comes Next
The season rolls on toward Wheel Life Rally, Best of the West, and the Bentonville Season Finale, and if this weekend proved anything, it is that off-road EUC racing has arrived at a genuinely competitive era. New wheels, new riders, and a rivalry separated by single seconds.
If you were not in the trees at Havenroot this year, the riders have one piece of advice: be there next year.
Amped Electric Games coverage of Northwest Electric Fest 2026 was made possible by HyperDonkey.com, the Official IT Provider of Amped Electric Games.
Northwest Electric Fest 2026 Full Results (EUC Off-Road)
All times are official USA EUC combined results from two counted runs, one downhill and one uphill.
Mens Pro
Pos | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | 10:11.700 | |
2 | 10:17.200 | |
3 | 10:35.300 | |
4 | 10:36.700 | |
5 | 10:51.700 | |
6 | 10:58.800 | |
7 | 11:31.500 | |
8 | 11:34.200 | |
9 | 11:49.600 | |
10 | 13:45.900 | |
11 | 14:07.700 |
Mens Amateur
Pos | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | 14:52.400 | |
2 | 17:09.000 |
Mens Novice
Pos | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | 15:51.400 | |
2 | 19:08.800 |
Teen Boys
Pos | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | 11:37.000 | |
2 | 12:25.400 |
Womens Pro
Pos | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | 15:35.800 |
Womens Novice
Pos | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | 16:02.200 |
Youth Boys
Pos | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
1 | 14:32.200 |
Complete results and points are posted on the Northwest Electric Fest 2026 event page, and season points are tracked in the USA EUC standings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Northwest Electric Fest 2026?
Joshua Fagerness of Centralia, Washington won the Mens Pro EUC division with a combined time of 10:11.700 on the KingSong F18. Kyler Brown won Teen Boys, Lauren Ford won Womens Pro, Travis Bachman won Mens Novice, Robert Cordingly won Mens Amateur, Nicole Friel won Womens Novice, and Seth Brown won Youth Boys.
What is Northwest Electric Fest?
Northwest Electric Fest is an annual four-day electric unicycle and Onewheel racing festival in Veneta, Oregon, organized by Jesse Cargile at the Havenroot venue. The EUC racing is sanctioned by USA EUC and counts toward the Best of the West Series.
Where is Northwest Electric Fest held?
The event is held at Havenroot, 24487 Bolton Hill Rd, Veneta, Oregon, about 15 miles west of Eugene.
What is the race format at Northwest Electric Fest?
Riders complete two heats on narrow singletrack: a downhill run on Friday and an uphill run on Saturday. The best time from each heat is combined for the overall result.
How do I race at a USA EUC event?
USA EUC offers ladder classes from Novice through Pro, plus Youth, Teen, Womens, and Legends divisions. Membership and the full 2026 schedule are at usaeuc.com.
