CLAREMONT – The Maxxis Eastern States Cup Enduro mountain bike race series for 2026 concluded with its second event this season at Arrowhead Recreation Area on Sunday.
A chilly start gave way to a brilliantly sunny and cloudless sky with still-vibrant fall colors and temperatures reaching the mid-50s for the roughly 140 riders in 12 different categories, beginning with 12 and under and ending the day with the Masters (ages 50 and over).
“Riders requested it,” said Rob Walker, co-owner of The Wheelhouse bike shop at Arrowhead, when asked why Arrowhead secured two races in the nine-race series that began in April in Rhode Island, with a third race at Arrowhead on May 31. “People love it here. The view — it is easy to get here. Plenty of parking.”
Unlike a downhill series with just one run, Enduro participants complete up to five stages on the hill, depending on the category, with each track offering different terrain. The transfer back to a starting point at or near the top is on the steep ATV trail. Riders are only timed when they race down, with timing chips on their wrists that record each start and finish. They have four hours to complete their required stages. The best riders completed Sunday’s five stages in roughly 10 to 12 minutes total.
Walker said the stages, or tracks, vary in length from a half-mile to a little more than a mile. Jumps, roots, rock and banked curves all present the cyclists with a variety of challenging terrain, explaining why Arrowhead has become popular with riders from all over the Northeast and beyond.
Walker said Arrowhead’s steepness is “unique,” but it was not all bombing downhill on Sunday, with a flat spot here and there.
“We put in an uphill in the middle, right after a downhill,” Walker said. “Arrowhead tests a rider’s grit.”
Saturday was a practice day, and van camping was allowed at the base of Arrowhead overnight for those who traveled a distance. Spectators staked out viewing spots in the woods on Sunday to watch the riders as they sped by protected with full-face helmets, spine guards on their backs and other gear in case of a crash.
Walker said Arrowhead slowly began building a reputation among downhill riders back in 2020 when it hosted an Eastern States qualifier.
“That put us on the map,” he said.
Since then, bike shop employees and others have worked to expand the trail network to more than a dozen routes, maintaining them as well.
“We’ve been working for two weeks getting this ready,” Walkers said.
Colleges come to race at both Arrowhead and Moody Park, and there is an upcoming high school race on the schedule.
Eli Burke, a co-owner of the Wheelhouse, said hundreds of riders come to experience Arrowhead, with as many as 50 on a good weekend. “There always seems to be someone here riding,” Burke said.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
