Mountain States Cup | Rebuilding More Than a Race Series

The easiest thing Mountain States Cup race director Shawn Neer could have done was let the Mountain States Cup remain a great memory.

Fourteen years later, he chose a different path.

Not because downhill mountain biking needed another race series, but because the Rocky Mountain West needed more opportunities for riders to grow, compete, and discover what's possible.

Since the final Mountain States Cup race, Shawn has done more than revive an iconic series. He's reimagined what regional downhill racing can look like.

The 2026 season opened at Angel Fire Bike Park in New Mexico and continues this summer at Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah, Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming, and Purgatory Resort in Colorado. Together, the four-stop USA Cycling-sanctioned series reconnects some of the most iconic mountain bike destinations in the West while creating new opportunities for riders throughout the region.

What stands out most, though, isn't the schedule. It's the way Shawn thinks about the people who make up the sport.

As a former World Cup downhill racer, he could have built the series around the professionals. Instead, he's intentionally built it around everyone. Parents who can't follow their kids down the mountain can now watch every race run live. Junior riders compete on the same courses as some of the fastest athletes in the country. Volunteers, amateur racers, and families aren't treated as an afterthought. They're part of the experience.

That philosophy says a lot about the kind of leader Shawn is.

I've met plenty of talented people throughout the outdoor industry. What impressed me most about Shawn wasn't his racing résumé. It was the way he approaches difficult challenges. He isn't afraid to take on ambitious projects, and he has a knack for recognizing the people who don't always receive the spotlight. That's the kind of leadership that builds stronger communities.

The opening weekend at Angel Fire was a fitting reminder of that. High-country weather has a way of changing plans in a hurry, and this weekend was no exception. Hail rolled in, the rain followed, and conditions became anything but predictable.

The pro women raced anyway. Volunteers stayed at their posts. Sponsors kept cheering. Families stuck around. Nobody complained. They adapted, they supported one another, and they kept the weekend moving. That's what good mountain bike communities do.

To me, that's just as much a part of Mountain States Cup as the podium.

Mountain States Cup is rebuilding more than a race series. It's rebuilding a pathway for the next generation of downhill racers and strengthening the communities that make the sport possible.

That's why Shawn Neer and the Mountain States Cup are the first Wildline.

Find your line. Make it matter.