Shawn Neer is one of several classy cats who work for the Yeti/Fox Factory enduro team. He also roasts delicious coffee. At this first round of the 2021 Enduro World Series, he decided to teach a master class on dirt-naps, spilling spectacularly in front of a hoard of photographers. There were multiple crashes on the steep and slippery peak of stage four’s Tutti Fruitti trail, but Shawn wore it best.
Since he’s okay, we decided to share the class here so everyone can learn the art of rolling beneath the bike – like a pro. Despite this little tumble, Shawn finished 38th on the stage to come in 25th overall.
At this point, Shawn has just finished sliding down a rocky chute. At the entrance of the turn his rear tire suddenly whipped to the right on a slab of rock that’s covered in dust. The next bit of track that he’s peering into is far steeper than it looks, with an awkward sort of grip.
Unfortunately, this is not a bar-drag competition. The brown powder that looked like it might hold his front tire didn’t.
Still clipped in, Shawn is demonstrating what not to do with your hand while crashing. It looks like his left hand might still be clutching the grip.
Fully unclipped and being ridden by a Yeti SB150. See that rock right near his butt? That’s one reason why back protectors are mandatory in enduro racing.
The chain stayed on! It looks like Shawn runs a pair of Maxxis Assegai tires with DH casings. They’re not helping him so much in this frame.
Here’s a moment that every mountain bike racer knows well. Shawn is fighting to stop sliding down the trail so he can get back on the bike as quickly as possible.
Back on the bike with a graceful cyclocross remount. This crash likely cost him a couple of seconds, and some cranky muscles the next day. The riders will be racing this track again on Saturday so hopefully Shawn can forget about the crash and rail this turn in round two.
