"The Shock Still Hasn't Faded" Pro Rider Gutted To Learn Her Contract Won't Be Renewed
It is a tough time for enduro racers right now. As sales are down in the bike industry, and bike companies struggle to sell off their inventory, many bike companies are pulling their Enduro teams.
Ibis, Devinci, and Polygon are among the brands that will not field a team in 2024.
At the successful Yeti/Fox Factory team, cutbacks are going differently. Read about how Bex Baraona was ousted from Yeti below.
This cutback is unique because rather than close its doors, Yeti is simply moving on from Bex. The reasoning they gave was that she did not meet her performance standards.
This seems like a dubious reason for firing her. Baraona won the first round of the Enduro World Cup in 2023 and finished outside the top 10 only once. She finished 5th in the overall standings. Those results are pretty darn good!
Yeti appears to be sticking with Richie Rude, a rider who is no stranger to controversy. Rude served an 8-month suspension in 2019 after testing positive for banned substances the summer prior.
Whatever the reason for the termination was, Baraona is gutted. She performed about as well as an enduro racer can in the past few years and was kicked to the curb while a controversial male teammate was not.
Sadly, her attempts to find a new ride have shown her that contracting racing budgets are not unique to Yeti.
Related: Bryn Atkinson And Jill Kintner Part Ways With Norco
In her caption, she says she might be forced to begin an electrician’s apprenticeship if racing does not work out. However, she reassures her fans who may be worried that they won’t see her riding with the following message: “Uncertain times but you know I’ll be riding bikes and being silly in 2024.”
Baraona also runs a popular apparel company called Gowaan with her longtime friend Martha Gill. even if she is unable to find a sponsor for racing, Bex clearly offers a lot to the sport of biking.
We at Bikemag wish Bex good fortune on her journey and hope to see her racing at next year’s Enduro World Cup.
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