Shawn Neer revives Mountain States Cup

The long standing race series is being revived by Shawn Neer

The Mountain States Cup will return this summer with downhill racing at four venues in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Details beyond the schedule are unknown after race organizer Shawn Neer announced the upcoming races in an email Wednesday morning.

The Mountain States Cup was a long standing regional mountain bike race series in the Rocky Mountain states that offered both gravity and cross country racing. It was a regular stop for racers in the 2000s, but it fizzled out in the mid-2010s. Neer himslef raced the series alongside big names like Aaron Gwin and Sam Blenkinsop. On the cross country side, racers like Howard Grotts, Keegan Swenson, and Sepp Kuss raced in the series in their formative years.

The revived series will only offer downhill racing. The website calls it the “unified , sanctioned gravity pathway for the rockies.”

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Mountain States Cup 2026 Race schedule

• Chile Challenge — Angel Fire, NM — June 13–14

• Wasatch Cup — Solitude, UT — July 4–5

• Full Tilt at Targhee — Grand Targhee, WY — August 15–16

• Durango Classic — Purgatory, CO — August 29–30

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The series begins at the classic venue of Angel Fire New Mexico, which has hosted USA National Championships and a 2005 round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

Photo: USA Cycling

Neer wrote this about the third venue at Grand Targhee, Wyoming:

“Growing up racing in Colorado, I always wanted to head up north and race in Wyoming. The Tetons felt like this mythical place we all talked about but rarely got to line up in. I’m beyond stoked to make an event at Targhee official for 26’. The loam fairy might be paying a visit too… and there may just be some fresh-cut trail waiting.”

The final round of the series will take place at Purgatory Resort in Durango, Colorado, the home of the upcoming 2030 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

Regional race series like the Mountain States Cup are important for the health of domestic racing. Racers looking to make a name for themselves can start at local or regional races before heading to national series and beyond. USA Cycling hosts a national series, but regional series are often missing from the development puzzle. The Downhill Rockies series has been running for a few years, but they have not announced a 2026 calendar yet.

The team behind the Mountain States Cup appears to be led by Shawn Neer, a former professional downhill and enduro racer for Yeti Cycles. Career highlights include winning the Trophy of Nations for the United States alongside Richie Rude and Cody Kelley in 2019 (a precurser to the Enduro World Championships), placing second and third at Trans Sierra Norte, and placing 10th at an Enduro World Series round in 2018.

More details and registration for the races is expected next month. I’ve reached out to Neer to learn more information.

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