Details Announced for the East Coast Junior MTB Championships in Pennsylvania

Developing a passion in young people is one of the noblest of callings. If that passion happens to involve two wheels and some dirt then the future for mountain biking will be bright. With an eye to that future, the Maxxis Eastern States Cup presented by Kate's Real Food is proud to announce details for the 2022 GT Bicycles East Coast Junior MTB Championships. This will be the third year for the Junior MTB Championships. With this weekend of racing the Maxxis ESC organization, known for putting on events of the highest caliber, is offering young riders the opportunity to compete with their peers in a series of professionally run mountain bike events that will draw athletes from all over the east coast.


After a hugely successful junior championship in 2021, Blue Mountain Bike Park in Palmerton, Pennsylvania will again play host to the event. Blue Mountain's varied terrain makes it perfectly suited to a multi-discipline race weekend and with the mountain's continuing investment in their bike park, the rider experience just keeps getting better. This year's championships will take place from July 15-17, 2022.


GT Bicycles will be on hand at the event and giving away a GT La Bomba to a lucky competitor. The La Bomba is a competition-worthy dirt jumper purpose built for the bikepark and your local pump-track.


Joining the fun for a second year from GT Bicycles will be veteran racer and bike wizard Phil Kmetz, host of the popular "Skills with Phil" YouTube channel. Phil will be on hand for course and racing strategy tips and to generally raise the stoke level.


The racing schedule will kick off on Saturday, July 16th with the cross-country event. This endurance-based event will have racers competing on a 1.5 mile lap for a certain number of laps. Lap counts will be determined by age category. Laps consist of uphills and downhills on varied terrain. Usual laps times will be 10-15 minutes per lap.


On Saturday afternoon, the dual slalom event takes center stage. Dual slalom is popular with spectators and consists of two racers racing head-to-head down parallel tracks. The courses are short, one run usually lasts about 30 seconds.


Enduro riders will test their skills on Sunday, July 17. Enduro has become the fastest growing type of racing in our region. It is a gravity-based event with multiple timed stages. The timed stages are the downhill portions. The uphill portions are not timed. The podium results will be based on an accumulation of time for all the downhill stages.


The final event of the weekend will be the downhill race on Sunday, July 17. Downhill is pretty straight forward, start at the top and race to the bottom on a designated course. Riders get one attempt to reach the finish line as fast as possible. The fastest riders will be those that find the shortest possible line that can be traveled at the highest speed. Riders start at intervals and a run usually takes take two to five minutes to complete. With winning margins typically being pretty tight, this is an exciting event for both participants and spectators.


We're thrilled to have the support of GT Bicycles for the event this year, here's what Global Marketing Manager Rachelle Boobar had to say "What an awesome event to be a part of! To see the next generation of young east coast rippers coming together to show off their skills was truly inspiring. Not only are these kids fast and talented, they are also great young ambassadors for the sport. The vibes were high, the fist bumps many, and the support they showed for each other as they raced their hearts out was truly great to see. We can’t wait to come back year and continue supporting the growth of this event, and these young riders in their mountain bike journeys."

The GT Bicycles East Coast Junior MTB Championships is a place for the top young talent from all over the USA to come and test themselves amongst the nation’s best! All junior racers are invited to compete in their prospective age categories, amongst their peers. There will also be an elite category where any junior who feels they can be the fastest in the nation can accept the challenge!

Registration is now open!
Register here

Friday
Registration 10:00am – 4:00 pm
10:00 am – 5:00 pm Courses Open
Friday lift passes available from Blue Mountain (Friday Lift Pass is not included with race registration)

Saturday
7:30am – 8:30am Late XC Registration
9:00 am – 2:00 pm DS, DH and Enduro Registration
Saturday and Sunday Lift Passes Included with DH and Enduro Race Registration

All Day: Neutral onsite support from GT Bicycles sponsored Pro Tram, Defiant Racing

XC RACE
13 and under classes
Start time 9:30 am: Boys 11-13 – 6 laps (estimated completion time 10:30 am)
Start time 9:35 am: Girls 11-13 – 6 laps (estimated completion time 10:40 am)

10 and under class
9:40 pm: 10 & under: Boys and Girls Combined – 3 laps (estimated completion time 10:15 am)

14 – 15 classes
11:00 am: Boys 14 – 15 – 8 laps (estimated completion time 11:50 am)
11:05 am: Girls 14 – 15 – 8 laps (estimated completion time 12:00 pm)

16 – 18 classes
12:30 pm: Boys 16 – 18 – 10 laps (estimated completion time 1:15 pm)
12:35 pm: Girls 16 – 18 – 10 laps (estimated completion time 1:25 pm)

DUAL SLALOM RACE
11:00 am – 1:50 pm Open Practice all ages
2:00 Qualifying
3:00 pm Race Start

DOWNHILL – ENDURO PRACTICE
10:00 am – 6:00 pm Open Practice all ages

Sunday
7:30 am – 8:30 am Last-minute onsite enduro and DH registration and packet pickup open

ENDURO RACE
No Enduro Practice Allowed
8:30 am Mandatory Enduro racer meeting at registration tents
9:00 am All racer staging (Elite – 12U)

DOWNHILL RACE
Practice 9:00 am-11:30 am
12:00 noon Race (12U- Elite)

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