California Enduro Series announces Specialized as title sponsor, event registration dates, and debut of eMTB categories

Press Release // January 17, 2019

California Enduro Series today announced Specialized Bicycles as title sponsor for the 2019 season. Specialized’s support allows for the series to continue its growth as a “for-riders, by-riders organization” … a founding concept which aligns perfectly with the bike industry leader’s motto “Made for riders, by riders.”

Specialized’s Marketing Leader Sam Benedict says, “People riding trails together for fun, competition, and camaraderie … there’s not much better than that! We are happy and proud to continue supporting enduro racing along the west coast — it’s impressive what Steven and his team have built. It’s also a great avenue by which we can look for and test new ideas. Please find us at the races and let us know how we can make your ride better!”

CES director Steve Gemelos adds, “Specialized has been a valued supporter of our series for the past two years; we are very excited to have them on board at our highest level for the upcoming season.”

The series also welcomes back long time sponsors FOX, Kenda, WTB, Voler, and Adventure Sports Journal, as well as second-year sponsor Zodiac Lights, and newcomers Intense, Maxxis, and Peaty’s.

CES Sponsorship Director Megan Gemelos says, “Our non-profit series relies on the generous sponsorship of industry and community businesses. It’s not too late to get involved for the 2019 season … we are always happy to expand the CES family.”

Registration dates announced

The Ensenada Enduro not only kicks off the season, but is also the first to open registration in just over three weeks, on February 10 at 8pm. The Ashland Mountain Challenge is set to open registration on March 4 at 8pm, with China Peak Enduro and Mt. Shasta Enduro following suit on March 10, also at 8pm. Mammoth Mountain Enduro’s registration date remains to be announced.

Registration for the Northstar Enduro, which is Round 7 of the 2019 Enduro World Series, was handled earlier in the year by EWS and sold out right away; apply for the waitlist here.

eMTB categories introduced

In other exciting news, 2019 marks the debut of eMTB categories at select CES venues. Riders may register as Expert eMTB Men, Expert eMTB Women, Sport eMTB Men, and Sport eMTB Women at the Ensenada Enduro, the China Peak Enduro, the Mt. Shasta Enduro, and the Mammoth Mountain Enduro. Overall series winners in the eMTB categories will be awarded at the Mammoth event.

Of this much anticipated move, Gemelos says, “Electric mountain bikes are proving themselves time and again as legit shred machines, and CES is happy to welcome eMTB enthusiasts to four out of the six races on our schedule this upcoming season.”

Kicking off in Baja

The 2019 CES season kicks off in Baja California with the Ensenada Enduro. The event is part of the inaugural Ensenada Bike Fest, which takes place over Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26) at Horsepower Ranch in Ensenada, just 90 miles south of San Diego.

Also new this coming season is the Mt. Shasta Enduro, which is the third stop on the schedule, taking place July 13 at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park near Mount Shasta/McCloud. This event introduces riders to a fresh riding zone on the south slope of Northern California’s iconic Mount Shasta. The course features 5,000’ of descent on a variety of fast, challenging, technical terrain.

As if that wasn’t all exhilarating enough, the popular Northstar Enduro returns for a sixth season, this time as Round 7 of the Enduro World Series (EWS). The event takes place over the August 23-25 weekend.

Big mountain favorites China Peak Enduro (June 29) and Mammoth Mountain Enduro — formerly Kamikaze Bike Games Enduro — (date TBD) return to the line-up as does the Ashland Mountain Challenge which wraps the season up in style October 5.

2019 series points will be based on the top five results of the six races.

At a Glance

2019 SCHEDULE

• May 24-26 Ensenada Enduro at Horsepower Ranch in Ensenada, MX
  Registration opens Feb 10 at 8pm
• June 29 China Peak Enduro at China Peak Ski Resort in Lakeshore, CA
  Registration opens March 10 at 8pm
• July 13 Mt. Shasta Enduro at Mt. Shasta Ski Park in McCloud, CA
  Registration opens March 10 at 8pm
• Aug 23-24 Northstar Enduro EWS #7 at Northstar California Resort in Truckee, CA
  Sold out; apply for waitlist
• Date TBD Mammoth Mountain Enduro at Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes, CA
  Registration opens March 24 at 8pm
• Oct 5 Ashland Mountain Challenge in Ashland, OR
  Registration opens March 4 at 8pm

REGISTER

Register for all races except Northstar at http://race.californiaenduro.com. And don’t forget, you must have a CES Rider ID to register for these events. If you don’t have an ID, sign up for one at the link above.

SPONSOR

Be part of CES’ exciting 2019 season and/or EWS Northstar! For more information, email Megan Gemelos at sponsorship@californiaenduro.com.

VOLUNTEER

CES depends on the dedication of its volunteers. Learn more by contacting Steve Gemelos at steven@californiaenduroseries.com.

FOLLOW

Visit the CES website at californiaenduroseries.com, and follow the series on Facebook and Instagram.