Mission
“The MAXXIS Eastern States Cup (ESC) is dedicated to securing the future of gravity mountain biking on the East Coast by uniting racers, venues, and sponsors as integral partners. Our mission is to provide a format that caters to all groups, promoting the growth of gravity mountain biking and offering challenging races, manageable venues, cost-effective sponsor opportunities, and a fun and comfortable environment for all. We strive to bring together racers and venues while minimizing travel costs, provide venues with a positive return, and optimize sponsors’ investments by promoting their products to our dedicated community.”
ESC History Timeline
2010: The MAXXIS Eastern States Cup (ESC) was established as a USA Cycling Eastern Regional Downhill MTB Championship Series with two USA Cycling State Championships.
2011: The series was expanded to include three USAC State Championships held at six premier East Coast venues.
2012: The series was further expanded to 14 races and five USAC State Championships.
2013: The MAXXIS ESC added an Enduro Series.
2014: The MAXXIS ESC SuperD Series was introduced.
2015: Racer attendance broke records for the DH series.
2016: The enduro season began with multiple sellouts, and the MAXXIS ESC introduced the ESC North American Downhill Team for Juniors. With the goal of helping junior racers compete in UCI World Cup events. This initiative was met with great success, with two of the team’s racers qualifying for the UCI World Championships in Australia in 2017.
2017: The ESC began the Enduro East series, with all races being EWS Qualifiers, and ended its affiliation with USAC to simplify and reduce racing costs.
2018: The ESC hosted two EWS Qualifiers and the finals for the new EWS North American Continental Championships.
2019: The East Coast Junior MTB Championships and e-bike racing were added to the ESC. The ESC hosted three EWS Gold Level Qualifiers.
2020: The “season of Covid” saw 11 virus-free events, with the ESC canceling the schedule and then reinventing the schedule to consist of 5 Enduros and 6 DH events.
2021: The Maxxis ESC sold out most events, added Night Enduro Racing, and reintroduced the East Coast Junior MTB Championships after a one-year hiatus due to covid. The ESC hosted three EWS Enduro Qualifiers. The ESC also introduced three Junior XC events.
2022: The ESC hosted one of two EWS Qualifiers in the USA under their new guidelines
2022: The ESC started offering DH seeding at all events.
2024: The ESC celebrated it’s 15th season of DH racing