The 2026 UCI Enduro World Cup season finally kicked off on Saturday in officially kicked off Loudenvielle, France. It’s a different year this year; Canadian Enduro legend Jesse Melamed was not on the start list. And honestly, that’s a bit of a bummer.
But the first round provided exactly what Loudenvielle is known for providing; rough, steep terrain, high speed stages and dust absolutely everywhere. Loudenvielle has hosted the Enduro World Series since back in 2021. This year the riders spent the day trying to conquer nearly 50 kilometres of racing spread across the region.
French riders battle for the men’s win
The elite men’s field saw a tight battle between a couple of French riders. But it was Alex Rideau who eventually beat Raphaël Giambi by just seven-tenths of a second after a full day of racing.
“It feels so good,” Rudeau said afterward. “It has been since 2022 that I haven’t won here. I wanted it. I’m really happy about this one. It’s a good start to the season and good points for the overall.”
When defending overall champion Sławomir Łukasik went off course in the first stage, it looked like it was anyone’s race.Giambi took an early lead on Stage 1.
Australian rider Ryan Gilchrist was in 11th place at one point, but managed to race his way back to the thirdspor on the podium.
Canadians Leif Rodgers managed to crack the top ten with a ninth place finish. And Evan Wall ended up in 14th place.
Canadians show depth in elite women
The Canadian women also managed to put together a good day in Loudenvielle. Current world champion Elly Hoskin finished eighth overall in the elite women’s race while Geza Rodgers rolled into ninth.
The privateer Ella Conolly looked strong on Stage 1 and carried that success all day long. Last season she won three rounds of the tour and she’s looking good this year as well. She eventually finished more than five seconds ahead of Mélanie Pugin from France. Raphaela Richter from Germany finished out the podium.
“It went really well,” Conolly said. “I’ve had a bit of a rough lead-up to this race, so it wasn’t expected but I was always going to come and give it everything that I had.”
Keely Bathurst lands on the podium
The top Canadian result of the day came from junior rider Keely Bathurst who came in third. She battled it out with American rider Romy Williams and Bélinda Baudet from France.
Enduro is…
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