Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) completed a podium-filled series to secure his fourth title and overtake Sam Hill as the most successful Enduro rider of all time, while Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) narrowly edged Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) in a thrilling battle for the women’s crown.
After the move from the Enduro World Series and a successful first-ever UCI Enduro World Cup in 2023, this year’s competition was shaping up to be the most exciting yet for riders and fans alike.
The six-round series included some old favourites (Finale Outdoor Region, Italy; Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, France) and new additions like Bielsko-Biała (Poland), while both the men’s and women’s fields were packed full of riders capable of winning.
Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) didn’t get that memo though. The three-time and reigning overall series winner showed consistency throughout when others faltered and only sacrificed his lead in the individual standings for one round. Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) meanwhile went toe-to-toe with one of the sport’s greats, overcoming Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) in what was the Frenchwoman’s final season as a full-time professional.
RUDE REACHES G.O.A.T STATUS
Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) has been a mainstay of enduro racing since he made the switch from downhill at the start of the 2014 season, and the 29-year-old went into his 11th season as the man to beat. He could also eclipse Sam Hill’s record of three series titles, securing his status as the greatest of all time.
Rude kicked off his title defense the best way possible, winning three out of four rounds to claim 470 points in Finale Outdoor Region, Italy. The following weekend in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, saw his closest competitor Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team) leapfrog him on the day and overall, but Rude’s third place limited the deficit to just 12 points.
The American appears to thrive under pressure and edged Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) by seven seconds to win in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria), before claiming his third win of the season in Combloux, Haute Savoie (France) without winning a single stage.
With two rounds remaining, Rude’s lead was almost 400 points over his nearest challenger – team-mate Slawomir Lukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Racing) – and the American could afford not to push himself on every stage to retain his title. In the penultimate UCI Enduro World Cup in Alestch Arena, Switzerland, his third place behind Jack Moir (YT Mob) and Lukasik was enough to retain a 342-point lead entering the season finale in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France), with Rude securing the overall midway through the racing en route to finishing second behind Martin Maes (Orbea Fox Enduro Team).
HARNDEN WINS FIRST OVERALL IN DRAMATIC FASHION
All eyes were on Isabeau Courdurier ahead of the 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup– the three-time series winner announcing that this would be her final full-time season ahead of the opening round. But the Frenchwoman wouldn’t have a free pass for all six UCI Enduro World Cups, with a strong contingent of challengers looking to prevent her from going out on a high.
Harriet Harden showed that she would be pushing Courdurier from the very first round, finding just over eight seconds in Finale Outdoor Region to claim an early 50-point advantage in the overall.
The pair could only be separated by two-tenths of a second in Bielsko-Biała – Courdurier’s win seeing her edge Harnden in the individual standings by two points – while a slightly bigger margin of victory for the Frenchwoman in Saalfelden-Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria), extended this to 73 points by the midway point of the season.
Mistakes in Combloux, Haute-Savoie, saw Harden slip to fourth on the day – her first finish outside the top two – although the Brit managed to claim the only stage not won by Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) in difficult conditions. Courdurier’s second place stretched her lead to 151 points in the standings but with two rounds remaining, everything was still to play for.
A masterclass from Harnden at the upcoming 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships venue in Aletsch Arena, Switzerland, saw her claim her second win of the season, while compatriot Ella Conolly managed to separate the Brit and Courdurier on the podium and help Harnden cut the individual standings’ deficit to just 63 points.
Entering the final round in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes, fans were set for a nail-biting conclusion, where it was likely to go down to the very final stage. Harnden set the tone, winning the first to take an early lead, and when Courdurier had a second stage to forget and found herself in 11th, the gap appeared insurmountable.
The Trek Factory Racing Gravity rider couldn’t take anything for granted though and put in two more solid stages to finish fourth. Courdurier meanwhile had a resurgent stage three, but it was too little, too late – the Frenchwoman paying for earlier mistakes that ultimately cost her the title by just 21 points.
GILCHRIST OVERCOMES BORGES AND ESPIÑEIRA HERREROS DOMINATES UCI E-ENDURO WORLD CUP
Each of the six UCI Enduro World Cup rounds also saw E-enduro athletes take to an extended course on the following day to battle it out to win the UCI E-Enduro World Cup overall series title. In the men’s field, there was a Fabien Barel-shaped hole to fill – the reigning champion retiring ahead of the 2024 season – while Florencia Espiñeira Herreros (Orbea Fox Enduro Team) was the clear favourite to retain the women’s title.
From the first round in Finale Outdoor Region, a tight contest emerged between Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Manuel Soares José Borges (Canyon Collective Factory Enduro Team) – the Australian getting the better of the Portuguese rider in Italy. The pair would remain the two most consistent riders throughout the season, swapping places at the top of the standings until the sixth and final round in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes. While neither had races to remember in the Pyrenees – Gilchrist finishing 12th to Borges’ 17th – the 22-year-old Australian had done enough throughout the season to clinch his first title.
The women’s series meanwhile was a one-horse race from the start. Espiñeira Herreros seized the early advantage in Finale Outdoor Region, and when her closest rival Tracy Moseley confirmed that she wasn’t going to be competing at every round, it was hard to see who could stand in the way of the Chilean and a second consecutive overall series. The Orbea Fox Enduro Team racked up wins in Bielsko-Biała (Poland), Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria) and Aletsch Arena - Bellwald, Valais (Switzerland), and finished second in the other two rounds – enduro athlete Estelle Charles (Specialized Enduro Team) opting to also race E-enduro on the two occasions that the series visited her homeland, France.
