© WBD Sports Events Limited. 2025
MTB World Series
Article - 12 Sep 23

Enduro World Cup favourites prepare to face off in final showdown

Who will win the first-ever UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup titles in Châtel, France?

As riders prepare for one more battle in the seven-round UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup series, we take a look at the elite racers likely to take the inaugural titles in Châtel.

Leaders Richie Rude (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Isabeau Courdurier (Lapierre Zipp Collective) are sitting on healthy leads but they still need to finish the finals in decent shape to take the spoils.

Courdurier currently boasts a 212-point lead going into the final round and only second-placed Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) could possibly deny her the title. If France’s Charre was to win every stage in Châtel and therefore take the race win itself, her compatriot Courdurier would need 335 points to guarantee her the series lead. As an example, that would equate to 5th place in each stage and 4th in the race standings at the end of the day. So far this season, Courdurier has averaged 451 points per round, so providing she rides to form, the inaugural elite women’s crown will be her’s. It would be Courdurier’s third world title having been Enduro World Series champion in 2019 and 2022.

If she is unable to overhaul Courdurier, Charre is guaranteed second place in the overall series standings this year as she’s leading third-place Harriet Harnden (Trek Factory Racing Gravity) by 554 points with a maximum of 540 on offer. That battle for third will be tough though. Harnden, Gloria Scarsi (Canyon CLLCTV Dainese) and Bex Baraona (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) are all in contention and go into the final race separated by just 165 points. Mathematically, third place could go to Melanie Pugin (WeRide Fulgur Factory Team), Rae Morrison (Liv Factory Racing) or Raphaela Richter (Ibis Enduro Team) but it would require Harnden, Scarsi and Baraona to all have a shocker.

In the elite men’s category, Richie Rude has a 238-point lead going into Châtel and is clearly favourite to take the title. Alex Rudeau (Commencal Enduro Project) is his closest rival and could potentially overhaul the American but it would require Rude to have an uncharacteristically bad day. If France’s Rudeau won the race and every one of the Chatel stages, Rude would need 303 points. That equates, for example, to finishing fifth place or better in all seven stages, and sixth place or better in the race itself. Rude has averaged 366 points per round so far this season so, whatever another rider does, barring disaster, it’s well within his gift to take the inaugural World Cup title.

With a maximum of 540 points available for a rider in Châtel, seven riders are still in contention for a place on the series podium. Just 84 points separate Rudeau in second, Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team) in third and his countryman Rhys Verner (Forbidden Synthesis Team) in fourth. There’s a 230-point gap back to Specialized Gravity’s Charlie Murray in fifth meaning the battle for overall podium places will likely play out between Rudeau, Melamed and Verner.

In the team standings,Yeti/Fox Factory Racing are favourite to take the title with a 698-point lead over Lapierre Zipp Collective. A maximum of 1,150 team points are available in Chatel - calculated by combining the points total from the top-three riders in each team. 

Yeti/Fox Factory Racing are guaranteed a podium place this year, but three other teams are theoretically capable of passing Lapierre Zipp Collective and taking their place on the podium, however this would involve both Forbidden Synthesis and Canyon CLLCTV Factory Enduro Team to score 1,000+ points and Lapierre Zipp Collective to score less than 375 points - something which hasn’t happened at any round this season. 

Pivot Factory Racing are currently sitting in third some 554 points behind Lapierre Zipp Collective and just 164 points clear of fourth place. Pivot have averaged 740 points per round and 4th place Forbidden Synthesis have averaged 713 per round, meaning it'll be a tight finish for the last podium spot in France. Behind the favourites for the podium, Giant Factory Off-Road Team, Commencal Enduro Project and Ibis Enduro Race Team are still theoretically capable of a third-place finish this year, but each would need to score approximately double their season-average points-per-round and would require Pivot Factory Racing to score less than 400 points in Châtel which is 340 points less than their average per round this season.

You can catch all of the highlights from the UCI Enduro World Cup on the UCI Mountain Bike World Series YouTube channel.

Share

Latest news

Article
19 Aug 25
Wildcard Teams Unveiled for WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports can confirm that 14 wildcard teams (eight cross-country and six downhill) have been selected for round 14 of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide (Switzerland), presented by Le Gruyère, on September 18-21. While all six teams that applied for a downhill spot secured a wildcard, it was another competitive selection process in cross-country, with only eight of the 19 applicants selected. The majority of qualifying teams have already featured in the 2025 series, but there will be a first appearance for Swiss Endurance outfit Thömus Akros - Youngstars. The nine-strong cross-country team is the development arm of WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team Thömus Maxon and has a strong focus on supporting the future stars of Swiss cross-country mountain biking. A number of its riders have already lit up this year’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series too, having qualified based on their UCI ranking points. Monique Halter has recorded two second place finishes in the Under 23 UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup, most recently in Pal Arinsal (Andorra), and sits in 10th place in the overall series standings, while her younger brother Nicolas Halter has also recorded two podium finishes this year to find himself in eighth. Elsewhere, Lexware Mountainbike Team is the only Endurance team to continue its 100% wildcard qualification record, while Goodman Santacruz, Rogue Racing - SR Suntour, Team High Country and Kenda NS Bikes UR Team do the same in downhill. As we enter the final three rounds of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, there will start to be greater focus on teams’ UCI points (a combination of the four highest scoring team riders’ points) which determine whether a team is offered UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status for two years (teams ranked 1-10) or one year (teams ranked 11-15). At the time of writing, BIXS Performance Race Team occupies 12th place in the Endurance teams rankings and would therefore earn itself UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status for 2026. The 14 wildcard teams for round 14 of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide are: UCI Cross-country World Cup: BIXS Performance Race Team Bike Team Solothurn Lexware Mountainbike Team KTM Factory MTB Team Thömus Akros - Youngstars Cabtech Racing Team Trek Future Racing Massi UCI Downhill World Cup: Kenda NS Bikes UR Team Rogue Racing - SR Suntour Goodman Santacruz Team High Country Future Frameworks The Alliance

Article
18 Aug 25
Schurter to call time on career in Lenzerheide

The Swiss UCI World Cup round will be the record-breaker's last after 17 seasons.  Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team) has announced that he will be lining up at a UCI World Cup for the last time in Bike Kingdom - Lenzerheide (Switzerland) on September 19 and 21.  The 39-year-old shared his retirement news on a post on social media, adding “it’s been one hell of a ride”.  In the video, Nino Schurter said: “Dear mountain bike family and beyond. For the past two decades, I've given my body, my mind and my soul to mountain biking. A beautiful sport, but also brutal at pro level. You either win races, you are a contender, or you're gone. There's no place for passengers. It's all or nothing. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “When I raced my first World Championships, I was just a kid chasing a dream in Lugano 2003 and I left with my first international medal. What I didn't know then: that dream would carry me through countless unforgettable moments and let me win more than half of all of those championships along the way. “It's been one hell of a ride. But now it's time. Time to let my mind breathe and to spend more moments with the people who have supported me through it all. This year gives me the perfect goodbye. Crans-Montana will be my final XCO World Championships and Lenzerheide, my favourite race, will be my last World Cup. Two home races. I couldn't have scripted it better. “I want to thank everyone of you teammates, competitors, fans and the entire mountain bike community. You made this journey unforgettable. You were the reason I pushed harder. And you were the magic behind the medals. “I'm not disappearing. I'll still be riding, even racing (just not between the World Cup tape) and diving into new projects I can't wait to share soon. But for now, I'm giving it everything one last time. See you in Crans-Montana. See you in Lenzerheide. Let's make it legendary.” The Swiss rider is widely regarded as the greatest of all time, claiming 10 UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Championships, nine UCI XCO World Cup overall titles, 36 UCI XCO World Cups and bronze, silver and gold medals at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016 respectively.  Not only will Lenzerheide give him a home send-off on his record-extending 132nd UCI XCO World Cup start, but with three wins at the venue (2016, 2017 and 2023), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Schurter going out at the top with win number 37 – another record. The retiring star added: “I’m incredibly thankful for everything I achieved in my life as a professional mountain bike racer. Now it's time to take all this experience into a new chapter of my life. I'm sure what comes from here is going to be just as exciting. Yes, I'm saying goodbye to cross-country World Cup racing but I will remain in the exciting world of cycling with all the great people involved.” We wish Nino the best in retirement from the UCI World Cup race tape!

Article
15 Aug 25
Race for second goes to the wire in Morillon, Haute-Savoie

While the UCI Enduro World Cup overall titles have already been wrapped up, it’s still all to play for in the battle to be best of the rest. The 2025 UCI Enduro World Cup has been a series for the ages with the return of two-day rounds, new venues, a first night stage, debut wins, and privateers going toe-to-toe with factory-funded teams. The main story of the season has been the dominance of two riders – Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) and Ella Conolly. The former has managed to step out of the shadows of teammate Richard Rude Jr (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team), winning half of the series’ six rounds to date and podiuming in the three to clinch his first overall series in La Thuile, Valle D’Aosta (Italy). Connolly, meanwhile, has been even more clinical, finishing in the top two all year and picking up a hat-trick of consecutive wins in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France), Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria) and Val di Fassa - Trentino (Italy) to claim the women’s title – all without the support of a factory team. But while the overall series might be wrapped up before a rider even takes on the final round’s first stage, the battle for second place will go to the wire, with five riders mathematically in contention in the men’s field, and three in the women’s. MURRAY AND MELAMED FAVOURITES While five riders can still finish runner-up in the men’s series, the focus is on Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity) and Jesse Melamed (Canyon CLLCTV Factory Team). The pair are separated by just 20 points, with the New Zealander holding the marginal advantage over his Canadian rival. For Murray to stand the best chance of staying in second, he has to win in Morillon – something he hasn’t managed all year – or place higher than Melamed. But there are still scenarios where he can remain second if the Canyon CLLCTV rider finishes higher in the round. For Melamed to leapfrog the Specialized Gravity rider, he has to win for the second time this series or finish with a points gap that is greater than 20 – for example, Melamed comes 2nd (350 points) and Murray 4th (280 points). Although these are the more likely scenarios, there are also some outsiders, starting with two-time UCI Enduro World Cup winner Daniel Booker. The Australian privateer is 165 points behind Murray, and must be ruing his 90th and 95th place finishes in Val di Fassa – Trentino and Loudenvielle – Peyragudes. To finish second, he needs to win his third round of the series, for Murray to finish 9th or lower and for Melamed to finish third or lower. And then we get to highly unlikely but mathematically possible. Fifth-placed William Brodie has to win, and for Murray to finish 31st or worse, while sixth-placed Greg Callaghan needs to score maximum points and for Murray to finish 97th. Although both are feasible, neither has won a UCI Enduro World Cup before, so there would need to be a lot of firsts for the stars to align. KUCHYNKOVÁ IN DRIVING SEAT The contest in the women’s overall isn’t as tight as the men’s, with Simona Kuchynková (Cube Action Team) holding a 180-point lead over third-place Nadine Ellecosta (Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team), but the Slovakian isn’t a shoo-in for second, with Morgane Charre (Pivot Factory Racing) also in contention. To guarantee the runner-up spot, Kuchynková can afford to finish as low as seventh, with 230 points enough to give her an unassailable lead. For Ellecosta, she needs to win and Kuchynková to finish eighth or below, or to outscore the Slovakian by 240 points – a scenario that hasn’t occurred all year. Things are even tougher for Charre, who has to win and hope Kuchynková finishes ninth or lower. JUNIOR TOP TWOS EFFECTIVELY TIED UP In the Juniors, the men’s top two can’t change regardless of what happens in Morillon, with Melvin Almueis dominating the series with four wins to take the overall and Cooper Millwood the best of the rest despite missing a round in Val di Fassa – Trentino.   Lacey Adams (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) just needs to score one point to mathematically secure the junior women’s overall title, with Lucile Metge needing to win and for Adams to effectively not start. While Adams’ teammate Chloe Bear (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) can’t contest for the overall series, she can still make it a one-two for the American factory outfit but needs to outscore Metge and for the Frenchwoman to have a bad weekend in front of a partisan home crowd.

Don't miss out

Sign up for latest news now
Series partner
WHOOP
Main partners
AWSMichelinShimano
Official Partners
MotulOakley
Official Suppliers
FacomGoProCommencalMavic
Brought to you by
UCIWarner Brothers Discovery Sports
©WBD Sports Events Limited. 2024