Ella Conolly returned to the top for a second consecutive season, winning three UCI Enduro World Cups on her way to defending the overall crown. While the Briton’s campaign was defined by consistency, the men’s competition could hardly have been more unpredictable. A different rider won at every round, and with six still in contention heading into the finale, Adrien Dailly (Speed Project) chose the perfect moment to take his only victory of the season and secure a surprise UCI Enduro World Cup overall title.
Defending men’s champion Sławomir Łukasik (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team) struggled to replicate the form that took him to the 2025 crown, eventually finishing ninth in the standings and opening the door for a new pool of contenders. Dailly ultimately emerged on top of an incredibly open title fight, writing his own underdog story in the process.
The women’s field told a very different story. Conolly picked up where she had left off in 2025, combining outright speed with consistency to retain her title and establish herself once again as the rider to beat.
While the UCI Enduro World Cup reached its conclusion in 2026, the season culminated at the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Championships, with the coveted rainbow jerseys decided in the spiritual home of Enduro racing.
CONOLLY CLAIMS SECOND UCI WORLD CUP OVERALL
After an incredible 2025 campaign that saw her stand on the podium at every UCI World Cup round, including three victories, Ella Conolly carried that momentum straight into 2026 as she set about defending her first overall title.
She made the perfect start, winning the opening round in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes (France) by more than five seconds ahead of Mélanie Pugin (Speed Project). But it would not all be smooth sailing. Winnifred Goldsbury claimed her maiden UCI Enduro World Cup victory in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria), before Pugin took the win in Val di Fassa – Trentino (Italy), with Conolly finishing runner-up on both occasions.
Any suggestion that Conolly’s grip on the title race was loosening was quickly put to rest. She returned to the top step in La Thuile – Valle d’Aosta (Italy), pairing speed with remarkable consistency across the demanding Alpine terrain, before following it up with another victory in Aletsch Arena – Bellwald (Switzerland). DNFs for Raphaela Richter and Goldsbury strengthened Conolly’s position in the standings, but the Briton needed little assistance from her rivals as another dominant display saw her tighten her grip on the overall.
By the time the series reached its final round in Morillon, Haute-Savoie (France), Conolly held a 170-point advantage over Pugin and needed only a sixth-place finish to retain the title. The opening day did not go entirely to plan, with the Briton struggling in the intense heat and ending the day seventh, almost 40 seconds off the race lead. Pugin was also unable to fully capitalise, sitting just one place ahead overnight.
Conolly recovered to finish fifth, comfortably enough to secure the UCI Enduro World Cup overall title for a second consecutive season. She ended the campaign 220 points clear of Pugin, with Elly Hoskin completing the overall podium in third, capping another season in which Conolly remained the benchmark from start to finish.
DAILLY COMPLETES UNDERDOG STORY WITH SHOCK OVERALL CROWN
Adrien Dailly (Speed Project) entered 2026 as an unlikely overall contender. After finishing just 68th in the UCI Enduro World Cup standings the previous season, few would have tipped the Frenchman to challenge for the title in a field packed with proven winners. But the reigning UCI E-Enduro World Champion steadily built his challenge before delivering when it mattered most.
Dailly’s campaign began quietly. While fellow Frenchman Alex Rudeau took the opening victory in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, Dailly finished fifth. Another fifth followed in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland, where defending overall champion Sławomir Łukasik returned to winning ways, before a 12th-place finish in Val di Fassa left Dailly seemingly well outside the title conversation.
But his season turned around in La Thuile. Dailly claimed his first podium of the campaign with second place behind Speed Project teammate Raphaël Giambi, before finishing runner-up again in Aletsch, this time behind another surprise contender in Ryan Gilchrist (Yeti/Fox Factory Race Team). Without yet winning a round, Dailly’s consistency had suddenly propelled him into the heart of an increasingly unpredictable overall battle.
Heading into the finale in Morillon, Canadian privateer Lief Rodgers led the standings, with Dailly just 82 points behind. Rodgers needed a podium to guarantee his maiden overall crown, but with the margins so tight, each of the top six riders remained mathematically capable of taking the title. Dailly, Rodgers, Giambi, Rudeau, Gilchrist and Łukasik all arrived with a chance, setting up a final-round showdown.
Faced with his biggest opportunity of the season, Dailly produced his best performance. The Frenchman delivered a composed weekend to claim his first UCI Enduro World Cup victory of 2026 at exactly the right moment. With it came the overall crown, completing a remarkable rise. Dailly ultimately finished 43 points clear of Rodgers, with Gilchrist completing the overall podium in third.
LIBNIK AND MARTI MONTESSINOS DOMINATE JUNIOR RANKS
Two riders stood head and shoulders above the rest of the Junior field in 2026, with Nežka Libnik and Hugo Marti Montessinos delivering dominant seasons on their way to the overall titles.
After missing the opening round, Libnik wasted little time making her mark on the Junior Women’s competition. She claimed an outstanding four victories from six UCI World Cups, alongside a third-place finish in Aletsch. That remarkable run of form saw Libnik secure the UCI Enduro World Cup overall title by 35 points.
In the Junior Men’s field, Marti Montessinos was even more dominant, winning every round he contested bar a runner-up finish in Val di Fassa. Such was his advantage that he had already wrapped up the overall crown at the penultimate round in Aletsch, meaning he arrived at the season finale in Morillon with the title already secured.
UCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BRING THE SEASON TO A SPECTACULAR CLOSE
The Enduro season was not finished there, with the spotlight turning to Finale Outdoor Region, Liguria (Italy), a venue synonymous with the history of the discipline, for the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships. It was the first time the battle for the rainbow jerseys had been staged at the iconic destination, which has hosted Enduro racing every year since 2008.
The Elite Enduro titles produced thrilling racing right to the final stage. Ryan Gilchrist (Australia) added a rainbow jersey to his breakthrough UCI World Cup season, holding off Elliot Jamieson (Canada) by just four seconds to claim the Men’s Elite title, while Raphaela Richter (Germany) edged Isabeau Courdurier (France) by a single second to take the Women’s Elite crown. In the Junior categories, UCI World Cup overall winners Hugo Marti Montessinos (France) and Nežka Libnik (Slovenia) capped dominant seasons by adding rainbow jerseys to their 2026 honours.
There was more success in E-Enduro, where Adrien Dailly (France) capped a memorable year by successfully defending his UCI World Championship title just weeks after securing the Enduro UCI World Cup overall, while Helen Weber (Germany) produced a commanding performance to win five of six stages and claim the Women’s Elite rainbow jersey.
