2024 Commonwealth MTB Cup

Written By Dennis Dempsey

APRIL - OCTOBER 2024

Five great venues, five great races, one cup to rule them all!

Back again for 2024! The Commonwealth MTB Cup is a 5-race XXC series that will “officially” kick off on April 21st with the Ride the Ridge race at Blue Ridge School and then we are off to Douthat State Park on May 5th with an MTB classic and one of the longest standing XC/XXC races in Virginia - the Middle Mountain Momma. Then we’re off to Bedford Country for the 4-Hour Firecracker and the Filthy 50 / Dirty 30 before bringing it all home with the always epic Virginia MTB Marathon State Championship on October 6th at Pleasant Grove Park!

The buzz around the MTB Cup has been amazing and we are currently in discussions with other race directors and venues who want in. So, we may add more races to the series. Stay tuned to this event page and our email blasts to get all the dirt and stay in the loop.

Get ready because this XXC race series is always fun & rowdy!

PLEASE NOTE - SERIES POINTS REGISTRATION:

You MUST REGISTER for the Commonwealth MTB CUP Series POINTS to be eligible for Series Standings! 

In order to be entered into the Commonwealth MTB Cup Series competitions, participants must register for the SEREIES POINTS. 

Anyone can participate in any of the Commonwealth MTB Cup Series races. Series POINTS Registration is not required to participate in any of the individual races but is required if you want to compete in the series for the championship jersey. 

Series POINTS Registration can be found by clicking button below:

RACE FORMAT

We’ll start the fire – for 2024, the Commonwealth MTB Cup will have 5 amazing races with XXC distances that count towards the series points. We will designate which categories are eligible on this event page and BikeReg. We will crown our Commonwealth MTB Cup Champions when the dust settles after the Virginia State MTB Marathon Championship race!

You bring the smoke - All races county towards the series and points are earned based on category and place. You accumulate points in your race category and from there it’s pretty simple, we have a sliding scale of points based on where you place. Most races, most points takes the win for the category! Please note that points are not transferable between categories (more on this below).

Ready to go? Click on any of the event links below to register.

April 21 - Ride the Ridge @ Blue Ridge School
May 5 - Middle Mountain Momma @ Douthat State Park
June 29 - 4-Hour Firecracker @ Bedford County
September 7 - Filthy 50 / Dirty 30 / Unclean 15 / Slimy 7 @ Bedford County
October 6 - The Virginia State Marathon Championship @ Pleasant Grove

RACE FORMATS EXPLAINED:

XXC/XCM Format Races*: Double (or Extreme) Cross Country (XXC) or Cross Country Marathon (XCM) format races are similar to an XC race, but on either a longer course or run for extra laps/more time. These XXC/XCM races are typically mile or time based. 34 miles or 4-hours is the typical minimum to be considered XCM or XXC. We will do set laps for the Cup and hold to that 34-40 mile distance for our XXC categories. Racers will start in waves by category. Fastest time to complete designated distance/laps wins.

XC (Cross Country) Format Races: Lap distances will vary for each race but will typically be between 6-12 miles. Racers in each category will do a set number of laps. Racers will start in waves by category. Fastest time to complete designated laps wins their category.

* XXC or XCM format races will typcially carry additional or bonus points for a series.

POINTS CALCULATION:

Individual Competition: You must be registered for the series to be included in series competitions. Series registration is done on BikeReg.com.

REGISTER FOR SERIES HERE

How to qualify: First register for the series and then be sure to select the same category when you register for each race. Complete as many races as possible and you begin to earn points to qualify for series standings. Points are calculated by category. If you decide to change categories between races, your points will remain in each category and cannot be combined or transferred over to another category. For this series we don’t drop a race, most races and best places wins!

How points are calculated: Points will be awarded based on finishing position according to the points schedule below. Certain races will have bonus categories (more on this below). Basically, this is a most races and best places wins system

Series Awards: Series Category winners will be awarded a series champions jersey. In most categories 2nd and 3rd in each class will receive an award or trophy except in those categories with less than 10 series registered racers. In those classes only a series champions jersey will be awarded.

Cancellations & Tie-breakers:

  • If a race has to be cancelled, the number of races scored may or may not be reduced by 1 race for each cancelled race.

  • In the case of any ties at the end of a series, we will first look at who has the most 1st places, 2nd places, etc. If that is also a tie the finals will be the tie breaker.

Age-graded classes: are determined by your racing age. Your racing age is defined as your age on December 31st of the current year.  To explain –  for classes like U19 (Under 19) the racer CANNOT turn 19 in the current race year.  Same for U15 (Under 15), the racer CANNOT turn 15 in the current year.  Parents – please take note of this for your juniors.

Race Categories (with age breakouts):

  • Pro/Elite*

  • Expert (CAT1)

  • Sport (CAT2)

  • Beginner/Novice (CAT3)

  • Masters (50+)

  • Veterans (60+)

  • Single Speed

  • Clydesdales

  • JUNIORS (with age breakouts) 

Bonus Races: Fact is some races are just tougher than others and true backcountry races bring different terrain, elevation, maybe even a sasquatch or few.  So, for certain categories in these races we will add bonus points on top of the points schedule described above to each category. So that means you get more points for completing those races.

Points Schedule: Series competitors will earn series points in the 2024 Commonwealth MTB Cup based on the schedule below. The following races present “bonus categories” for our series competitors to earn an extra fifty (50) points against their category standings, also outlined in schedule below:

  •  Middle Mountain Momma: XXC Categories

  • Filthy 50 - Dirty 30 - Unclean 15 - Slimy 7: Filthy 50 Categories

  • Four Hour Firecracker: XCM Solo Categories

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

That’s it for points. Now “Get Dirty and Race Clean!”

USA CYCLING (USAC) LICENSE OPTIONAL
- HYBRID FORMAT -

We get it and understand not everyone is chasing USAC points to qualify for State or National races, qualifiers or callups. And we’ve listened to your feedback. So, our Race Directors have worked with USAC to arrange for the Commonwealth Cup to be a “USAC optional” series. Meaning that while the whole race is USAC sanctioned, only certain categories (like Pro/Elite and some Junior) will require a USAC license.

This means two things for USAC Racers: First, only certain categories will be designated as USAC. To enter in these categories, you must hold a USAC annual license. Second, we will NOT require or sell USAC DAY LICENSES for this series. If you want USAC points, you must hold a USAC annual license, register for the appropriate category, and note your USAC# when you register. Look for the USAC flag logo on those categories when you register.

For Non-USAC Racers: All other categories do NOT require a USAC license. These will be all categories that do not have the USAC flag logo. You will NOT receive USAC points and no points will be uploaded to USAC if you register for these categories, even if you hold a USAC annual license.

The 2024 Commonwealth MTB Cup is brought to you by:

Dennis Dempsey https://www.rvaracing.com
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