2024 Maxxis Eastern States Cup Season Preview – Mountain Bike Press Release

Time and bikes fly by when you’re having fun. The Maxxis Eastern States Cup racing series enters its 15th season of gravity racing on the East Coast and continues to set the standard for regional racing organization. Before we dive into the details of the upcoming season, let’s take a moment to highlight some Eastern States Cup highlights from the last 15 years of racing.

It all started in 2010 when George Ulmer and Rich Rude launched the new series with a handful of downhill MTB races in Mount Snow and Plattekill. The overall DH winner of the first season was none other than Richie Rude Jr., who would go on to dominate enduro racing on the world stage. In the years that followed, the series continued to grow with more races at more venues and more athletes.

In 2013, enduro joined the racing party and the Maxxis ESC series opened up to a whole new generation of racers. Steve Battaglini was instrumental in getting the new format off the ground and in the coming years the sport experienced a resurgence with record-breaking attendance at events. The Maxxis ESC enduro series became a major player in the global enduro scene.

In 2016, the enduro season began with several sellouts and MAXXIS ESC introduced the ESC North American Downhill Team for juniors. George Ulmer has always sought to provide opportunities for young racers, and the team enabled some of the East Coast’s fastest young racers to compete in UCI World Cup events. The initiative was a huge success and two of the team’s racers qualified for the 2017 UCI World Championships in Australia.

In 2017, Maxxis ESC ended its affiliation with USAC to simplify and reduce racing costs and began a multi-year collaboration with the Enduro World Series. This partnership has brought multiple EWS Gold Level Qualifiers and Continental Championships to the East Coast, and many of our local pros have been able to advance to the EWS world stage through these efforts.

The Maxxis ESC survived the global pandemic with 11 virus-free events in 2020. The series continues to evolve and adapt with new events such as night enduro racing, junior cross-country, enduro lite racing, eBike classes and better Racing experiences for racers to new timing equipment and seeding laps. Long story short: Gravity racing on the East Coast is lively and on a strong trajectory. Our own Chris Gilbert and countless volunteers have kept the Maxxis ESC series fun and professional at hundreds of events. Here’s to the next 15 years! Now let’s take a look at how the 2024 season unfolds.

Maxxis returns as title sponsor of the ESC. Maxxis Tires has demonstrated its commitment to grassroots sport for years and its support keeps our series running. As a global tire giant, Maxxis’ continued sponsorship is critical to the success of the Maxxis ESC series. Their unwavering commitment to the sport ensures that riders of all levels have the opportunity to compete and excel in mountain biking competitions across the Eastern United States. We are deeply grateful for Maxxis’ continued support, which plays a critical role in fueling the passion and excitement of the mountain biking community.

Kate’s Real Food, maker of all-natural energy bars, returns for a fourth season. In addition to being a presenting partner, Kate’s sponsors our Kate’s classes for children under 12. “Kate’s Real Food is excited to enter our fourth season as a presenting sponsor of the Eastern States Cup racing series. The ESC continues to set the standard for mountain bike racing in the Northeast by creating a great atmosphere for riders of all ages to test their skills and, more importantly, have a great time with friends. Kate’s Real Food Bars are rich in protein and complex carbohydrates and are sweetened with only the finest organic honey, making them a premium source of energy for big days. We also have a little surprise this season with a new line of protein bars that will help riders to recover after a long day on the bike.” – Jimmy Christensen, Senior Vice President Sales

A quick greeting to our other series partners: Stans NoTubes, manufacturer of proven tire sealants, returns as title partner of the Enduro Series. “The decision to work with the Eastern States Cup was easy for me. Quality racing, fantastic venues and camping with friends – what’s not to like? Stan’s is proud to support one of the premier gravity series in North America.” – Stan’s Marketing Director

Intense Cycles, a favorite of series racers since the beginning, also returns as our Downhill Series title partner. Intense proudly presents the “Podium Payback Program,” an initiative aimed at rewarding the top-performing Maxxis ESC racers with cash prizes.

Thule, manufacturer of high-quality luggage rack systems, is joining us this season as the new title partner of the Showdown Series. “Thule is thrilled to be involved in the 2024 Eastern States Cup! Thule was founded in Sweden, but since we opened our American headquarters here almost 40 years ago, we have called New England home and have been part of this great racing series.” fits perfectly. Riders of all disciplines have relied on our bike racks to get them to and from the trail for decades, and we are excited to be part of ESC this year and introduce riders to some of our new racks and bags.” – Tyler King: Events Marketing Manager in the USA

We also have a new sponsor for our eBike series in Canondale. Look out for a groundbreaking new e-bike from them in the near future. Box Components will once again be our license plate partner and Monster Energy will be our energy drink partner.

We’re excited to announce some updates to our racing classes! Introducing our new Expert Women’s Downhill Class and an 8U Brat Class for downhill enthusiasts. We have also adjusted the age groups for certain junior classes. We can’t wait to welcome everyone and hope for clear skies throughout the racing season!

2024 STAN’S NOTUBES ENDURO RACING CLASSES
CANNONDALE E-BIKE
KATE’S KIDS 12U
KATE’S ENDURO LITE
YOUTH 14U
JUNIOR GIRLS 16U
JUNIOR BOYS 16U
20U WOMEN
20U MEN
21-29
30-39
40-49
50+
AMATEUR WOMEN
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN
PRO MEN

2024 INTENSIVE CYCLE DEPARTURE CLASSES
BRAT CLASS 8U
KATE’S KIDS 12U
YOUTH 14U
JUNIOR BOYS 16U
JUNIOR GIRLS 16U
AMATEUR 18U
AMATEUR 19-29
AMATEUR 30-39
AMATEUR 40 -49
MASTER 50+
AMATEUR WOMEN
EXPERT 16U
EXPERT 18U
EXPERT 19-29
EXPERT 30-39
EXPERT 40+
EXPERT WOMEN
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN
PRO MEN

Get out your calendar, here is our list of races for the upcoming season. We return to some tried-and-tested favorites, delve deeper into some newer additions, and, as usual, introduce a brand new venue: Monteau, New Hampshire. Monteau is a defunct ski resort near Haverhill that closed nearly 35 years ago. Our overall men’s professional enduro winner from last season, Adrian Hayden, has expanded the network in recent years and it promises to be an exciting stop on the enduro tour.

2024 Maxxis ESC presented by Kate’s Real Food Schedule

Intense Cycles Downhill Series
May 19 Powder Ridge, CT
June 23 Jiminy Peak*
June 30 Killington, VT *
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA*
August 11 Mount Snow
Aug 18 Sugarloaf, ME*
August 25 Powder Ridge, CT
September 15 Blue Mountain, PA
September 22 Thunder Mountain, MA*
Oct. 13 Jiminy Peak, MA Finale **

Stan’s No Tubes Enduro series
May 5 Powder Ridge, CT
June 9 Glen Park, PA
June 23 Jiminy Peak*
June 30 Killington, VT *
July 14 Arrowhead, NH
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA*
July 28 Burke Mountain, VT
Aug 18 Sugarloaf, ME*
September 8 Woodstock, VT
September 22 Thunder Mountain, MA*
Oct. 5. Monteau, NH
Oct 20 Arrowhead NH **

Thule Showdown series
June 23, Jiminy Peak
June 30 Killington, VT
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA
August 18 Sugarloaf, ME
September 22 Thunder Mountain, MA

Cannondale EBike series
May 5 Powder Ridge, CT
June 9 Glen Park, PA
July 14 Arrowhead, NH
July 21 Thunder Mountain, MA *
Aug 18 Sugarloaf, ME *
September 8 Woodstock, VT
September 22 Thunder Mountain, MA *
Oct. 5. Monteau, NH
Oct 20 Arrowhead NH **

*Thule Showdown bonus – All Showdown events will award 110% Maxxis ESC Series points
**Bonus for the series finale – All Series Finals events award 125% Maxxis ESC Series points

Intense Cycles Downhill Series – Top 8 races based on series points collected
Stan’s No Tubes Enduro series – Top 10 races based on series points collected
Cannondale EBike series – Top 7 races based on series points collected
Thule Showdown series – Top 5 races based on series points collected