Words: Shimano
On a mission to create the world’s best E-MTB system and reach the pinnacle of E-Bike Enduro World Series racing, Shimano joins forces with Yeti Cycles to introduce the Yeti / Shimano EP Racing Team. Join the team for a behind-the-scenes look at its first season of racing the E-Bike Enduro World Series. This four-part series follows riders Mick “Sik Mik” Hannah, who has years of experience racing on the World Cup DH circuit, and Keegan Wright, who is young and hungry with a previous EWS win under his belt. Joined by engineers and product development teams from Shimano and Yeti, these riders play a critical role in the development process as the season brings them many new challenges. Follow along with the team’s journey with the highs and lows of the development process and an unfiltered look at the team’s hunt for that elusive top step of the podium.
Episode 1: The Team Meets
The newly formed Yeti / Shimano EP Racing Team and Shimano engineers converge in Ironton, MO, for the Big Mountain Enduro season opener and their first in-person test session. New team, new bike, and new discipline, Mick Hannah, who recently retired from full-time World Cup downhill racing, tries his hand at e-bike Enduro. With the first E-Bike Enduro World Series (EWS-E) race just a few weeks away in Tweed Valley, Scotland, the team must work quickly to determine what is needed to create the best e-MTB setup for racing.
Episode 2: The E-EWS Season Begins
The Yeti / Shimano EP Racing Team arrives on the world stage for round one of the EWS-E in Scotland. Mick reunites with teammate Keegan Wright who missed the testing event in Ironton a few weeks prior. An updated drive unit is hand-delivered from Japan the day before practice, and the riders eagerly get to know their new machines. Mick finds some stage success, and both riders learn a lot, especially on the power stage! Testing and data collection continues.
Episode 3: Rounds 2 & 3 of the E-EWS & Quality Testing in Finale
Eager to get more racing experience under their belts, the Yeti / Shimano EP Racing Team heads to Slovenia and France for rounds 2 and 3 of EWS-E racing. Things don’t go quite as well as the first round in Scotland, but luckily the team has a few weeks off between events and heads to Finale Ligure, Italy, for more testing and more learning. Despite progress in testing, Keegan has a crash and cannot race round 3 in France, leaving Mick to carry the torch for the team only to find several issues out on the trail.
Episode 4: The Season Wraps
After a long gap between EWS-E racing, the Yeti / Shimano EP Racing TeamEP Racing team reunites in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, for the penultimate round of the series. Keegan cannot make the trip, and Mick is riding injured from a crash at another event. However, the testing must continue, and Mick does his best to collect data for the team’s engineers. With a week off before the final round of racing in Finale Ligure, Italy, the team sets in for some rest and, of course, more testing. In Italy, former EWS champion Richie Rude jumps into the mix to try his hand at e-bike racing since the EWS season is over. The season wraps up with the team’s engineers looking forward to a winter of examining data and working to ensure the team is ready to fight for the top step of the EWS-E podium when the season kicks off in June of 2023.