I’m looking to understand and define the different kinds of mountain bike racing. The categories I am hearing about are not intuitive to me.
Thanks
Al S
Cross country: usually longer lap course from 1.5 to 2 hours. This one has the highest fitness component and the lowest technical component (although it can still be demanding).
Marathon cross country: just like above but longer, think 4+ hours.
Short track cross country: like cross country but shorter laps and overall time.
Enduro: a race with timed sections in between. Even though it might be 30 miles of riding there might only be 4, 5 minute stages that are timed. The stages are almost always down hill and they usually require more capable bikes. There can be some pedaling on some stages so short, strong fitness is an advantage. The part in between the timed segments (called stages) are called “transfers”.
Downhill: you start in a chute and ride only downhill. You probably won’t pedal one bit. You need skills and courage. You’re probably wearing a full face helmet (if you’re smart). You’ve got the biggest, most capable bike.
There’s more to it than just what I wrote but that’s a good overview.
6 Likes
Thanks Nate.
Hey take a night off!
The different types of mountain bike also generally align to the types of racing - cross country, enduro and downhill
The one exception is probably the trail bike category, which falls in between cross country and enduro, but isn’t usually the “best” bike for a given style of racing, as it’s more of an all-rounder bike.
Typical suspension travel is:
Cross country: 120mm or less, often hardtail, increasingly full suspension
Trail: 120-150mm travel
Enduro (sometimes called all mountain): 150-170, maybe 180mm
Downhill: 180mm or more
The most common races are cross country, of various formats and lengths that Nate described. They’re a lot of fun.
1 Like
Cross has me thinking…
I’ve never ridden CX. Would like to, but an ankle injury means I can’t run, so CX likely not a realistic option. If you like CX, I’d bet you’d like XC. Very similar, letters just in a different order 
3 Likes
Don’t forget about XCE
Further to the Short track XC, it is usually 20-25 min and now done two days before an XC World Cup race to determine starting positions for the XC race. Also done as a fat tire Crit on the Epic series for determining starting partitions.
XCE is 1:30-2:00 min with four riders going at a time and two getting dropped (eliminated) each round and continuing until there are just four left for a final. Essentially two minute sprints repeated over a few rounds.
Here is a link to a UCI XCE World Cup race
They are fast and furious and can be a lot of fun to watch and even more so to participate in😉
While the downhill is only about 2-3 minutes and all downhill, there’s definitely pedaling! Full gas!!
How do categories work in mountain biking?
categories are self-selected,
- Beginner or Cat 3, similar to Cat 5 fitness levels for the road
- Sport or Cat 2, similar to Cat 4/3
- Expert or Cat 1, will have fitness levels similar to Cat 3/2/1
1 Like
Like @Bioteknik said for the classifications, upgrades are as follows per USAC.
CAT 3 can upgrade to CAT 2 at any time or will be forced to upgrade after 5 top 5 finishes in a USAC sanctioned race that meets certain criteria is a 12 month period.
CAT 2 can upgrade to CAT 1 after 2 top five finishes at USAC sanctioned races that meet the criteria and also present a written upgrade request and resume to USAC, or forced to upgrade after 5 top 5 finished in a 12 month period.
CAT 1 rides can petition to move to a PRO license after 2 top 3 finishes or 3 top 5 finishes in the Elite/open category 1 races at USAC National MTB events.
Just get out there as a CAT 3 racer and HAVE FUN !!! That’s what it is all about!
Categories depend on what country you’re racing in.
forgot about USAC sanctioned races… There is only 1 USAC mtb race within 250 miles of my zip code… 