Unlocking the Magic: What Makes the MTB Skills Pro Camp with Shawn Neer and Emily Cox so Unique

Ride With Shawn & Emily.

We're very excited about the upcoming Pro Camp at Ride Kanuga on May 18th and the guided ride in Pisgah the following day, Sunday May 19th.

But what makes this pro camp special, why are we excited, and can't someone book a skills lesson or "camp" with a professional instructor every day of the week, all year long at The Bike Farm? Well, yes, you can book a skills camp with a professional instructor every day of the year at The Bike Farm. We have highly skilled riders who have dedicated their life to sharing their love of the mountain bike with others just waiting to offer skills lessons. 

But the Pro Camp is different. This is an incredibly unique opportunity to ride with some of the world's best riders. Shawn Neer is a UCI gold medalist, Factory rider for Yeti, and recently retired from racing the Enduro World Series. But there's lots of riders that can ride fast. There are however very few riders in the world that are connected to their bike in the way Shawn is. Call it style, call it smooth, creative, it is nothing short of art. Shawn rides a bike as if he came out of the womb connected to one. He is connected to his bike in a way so natural, and so astonishing, that even some of the fastest and longest time riders can only dream of riding like Shawn can. But what is perhaps even more remarkable is that Shawn's skills are so instinctual to him, that he can adjust them to a wide range of audience and disseminate riding skills. There are lots of riders who rip but when it comes to coaching don't have a clue. Shawn's skill set combined with his humility allow him to be a truly inspirational and relatable coach all at once. And that is in fact, incredibly rare. 

Many of the same things could be said about Emily Cox. A ripping rider herself, Emily is one of the fastest riders you'll meet. But her skill set is accompanied by a friendliness, perhaps egoless way that allows her to at once be faster than you, but also willing to slow down and put a hand out to help you reach your goals. But that's not why we are most excited about Emily Cox joining our first ever pro camp. Emily was our lead coach before she embarked on becoming a massage therapist. Now through her schooling with her own practice (if we said we were proud it would indicate we had anything to do with it, which we didn't, but we're really happy for her!) Emily brings all of that body awareness and understanding to her coaching, which makes for a very unique offering. And we're just excited to have her back if only for a couple days!