History will be made this week as the first ever UCI Enduro World Championships and E-Enduro World Champions take place in Val di Fassa, Trentino (Italy). Rainbow jerseys will be awarded to four new UCI World Champions: Women and Men Enduro, and Women and Men E-Enduro.
Due to predictions of adverse weather, the races have been rescheduled and will now take place on Sunday 15 September instead of Saturday 14 September. The enduro features five special stages, and the E-Enduro has nine. With individual starts, stage times are recorded and totalled to decide the winner. Liaison stages are not timed, but riders must get to each race stage within an allocated time. The stages are based around the town of Canazei in the Italian Dolomites.
The Enduro course includes five special stages across a total of 42.4 km, featuring 1,200 m of climbing and a remarkable 2,800 m of descending. The key stages—Titans, Infinity SE, and TuttiFrutti—cover 80% of the course and are expected to be the most challenging and decisive for the final result. The two shorter stages, Glühwein and Ciasates, are no less intense, with the latter providing a thrilling finale.
In the E-enduro competition, participants will face nine special stages divided into two loops, covering a total of 52.8 km and 3,439 m of descending, with a battery recharge break in the paddock at Canazei between loops. In addition to shared descents with the Enduro course, there will be two new Power Stages, Bridge 72 and Becherle. Although these stages are short and mostly uphill, they are highly technical and will play a crucial role in determining the final standings.
Val di Fassa Trentino has hosted enduro racing since 2019, including a round of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, won by Matthew Walker of New Zealand and Isabeau Courdurier, who led a French clean sweep of the women’s podium. Across Enduro and E-Enduro, five continents and 32 National Federations will be represented on Saturday.
Women Enduro: intense battle
Amongst the 46 riders from 19 nations on the Women Enduro entry list, let’s concentrate on the 2024 UCI World Cup overall top five.
With two UCI World Cup wins and two second places over the six rounds, Harriet Harnden (GBR) finished top (2514 points). 2023 winner Courdurier came second (2493) thanks to two wins and three other podiums. At the season finale in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, France, last weekend, Harnden came fourth while Courdurier finished ninth after a stage-2 crash, giving the Briton the overall UCI World Cup title.
Also in the top 5 and capable of the win on the day are France’s Morgane Charre (2291 points) who hit great form in winning the final round, Britain’s Ella Conolly (2224) and Mélanie Pugin of France (1867).
Look out for emerging under-21 riders ready to make an impact, including Emily Carrick-Anderson (GBR) and Simona Kuchyňková (SVK).
Men Enduro: top contenders
With three victories and having never been off the podium across all six 2024 UCI World Cup races, USA’s Richie Rude (2640 points) will take some beating. With 2088 points from three podiums, his trade team-mate Sławomir Łukasik (POL) will be keen to do just that.
Then there’s Alex Rudeau (FRA), Martin Maes (BEL) and the winner at Bielsko-Biała (Poland) Charles Murray (NZL), who finishes the UCI World Cup in third place overall.
The 143 riders from 30 nations also include Canadians Jesse Melamed and Rhys Verner (2nd and 4th overall in the 2023 UCI World Cup), Luke Meier-Smith (AUS) and New Zealand’s Matthew Walker who won at Val di Fassa, Trentino, in 2023. Also look out for Jakub Pivnička (CZE), recent winner of under 21 races, and Greg Callaghan (IRL) who timed his return to form with his first podium in seven years at Loudenvielle - Peyragudes.
Women E-Enduro: Espiñeira hot favourite
The favourite for the first Women’s E-Enduro rainbow jersey is Chile’s Florencia Espiñeira. Her four wins and two second-places at this year’s UCI World Cup reflect her dominance.
But the intensity of a UCI World Championship race means it doesn’t always follow the pattern. France’s Laura Charles, 2nd-placed overall with three podium finishes and 1871 points (compared to Espiñeira’s 2726) wants the jersey too.
Other standout performers in the 2024 UCI World Cup include Germany’s Sofia Wiedenroth (1734 points), Italy’s Alia Marcellini (1271) and British rider Tracy Moseley. Her 1198 points come from three podium finishes in the only three rounds she started!
But also look out for Raphaela Richter (GER), George Swift (NZL) and the winner of the most recent UCI World Cup round Estelle Charles (FRA).
Men E-Enduro: Ryan’s rainbow?
Australia’s Ryan Gilchrist – winner of the 2024 World Cup overall with 1950 points from two victories and two third places – wants the first men’s rainbow jersey in this discipline.
But there are 40 other riders from 13 nations: among them Portugal’s José Borges (1806 points); Hugo Pigeon, winner in Loudenvielle - Peyragudes, his fellow Frenchman Kévin Marry, and Italy’s Andrea Garibbo.
Also look out for the Frenchmen Antoine Rogge (winner in Combloux, France) and podium finishers Cecce Camoin, Kevin Miquel and Lévy Batista.
Photo credits: Nicola Damonte