Enduro
Everything you need to know about the Hard Enduro World Championship
Discover the world’s toughest Hard Enduro races and follow Manuel Lettenbichler’s remarkable career, from Red Bull Erzbergrodeo and Red Bull Romaniacs wins to his fifth Hard Enduro World Championship.
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01
What is Hard Enduro?
A hard or extreme enduro is a long-distance cross-country race on off-road motorbikes over difficult terrain with a route strewn with natural and manmade obstacles, such as logs, boulders, ditches, standing water or a mountain. With races on every continent, the discipline combines elements of enduro, supercross and trials, but the length and difficulty varies between events to give each a unique character and challenge.
Riders need a combination of skills: the pure speed of motocross, the agility of trials and the navigation skills of enduro riders. Racing for hours in the saddle for days at a time, they need strength, flexibility and endurance to get through the challenge. They also need to be able to fix their bike or to nurse it back to a mechanic. And finally, they need a sense of humour: Hard Enduro riders enjoy the best camaraderie in off-road racing.
Canada's Trystan Hart climbs the Erzberg mountain
© Philip Platzer / Red Bull Content Pool
The two toughest and most prestigious rounds are the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Austria and Red Bull Romaniacs in Transylvania, Romania. Each poses a different challenge and winning either puts the rider at the pinnacle of the sport – in fact just finishing puts you among an elite group of riders.
But Hard Enduro also brings riders of different ages and abilities together on the same circuit – so with skill, determination and a working bike, you can find yourself following in the wheel treads of a world champion like Manuel Lettenbichler.
02
Who is the top rider in Hard Enduro?
KTM Factory rider Lettenbichler has been unstoppable and dominated Hard Enduro for nearly a decade. In 2026, the big, friendly German rider continued his run of form to take a clean sweep of the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, Red Bull Romaniacs and the Hard Enduro World Championship (HEWC).
He wrapped up his fifth consecutive HEWC title on the opening day of the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro in northern Spain, having won five rounds and finished on the podium in all eight events. At Sea to Sky, he won from 15th on the grid after a 10-minute penalty.
Mani Lettenbichler is a seven-time Red Bull Romaniacs champion
© Attila Szabo / Red Bull Content Pool
“Honestly, it feels surreal to be world champion again,” said Lettenbichler. “Securing the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is an incredible feeling, and I’m super stoked to have clinched my sixth world title and fifth consecutive championship.”
That HEWC title now sits in a trophy cabinet alongside a record seven Red Bull Romaniacs, five Red Bull Erzbergrodeo crowns and the 2019 WESS title. He also tops the Hard Enduro World Ranking – an independent table of riders competing in every Hard Enduro race around the globe.
Hart, Lettenbichler, Roman and the other Red Bull Erzbergrodeo finishers
© Sam Strauss / Red Bull Content Pool
03
What is Red Bull Erzbergrodeo?
Taking place on an ancient iron mine hewn from the Erzberg mountain in Styria, the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is the toughest motorcycle race in the world. Five hundred riders line up in ranks of 50 around the lake deep in the ground at the base of the mountain and proceed to race through a series of checkpoints with just four hours to reach the finish. Only a handful will make it. The majority will spend their afternoon smashing their bikes against the rocks of the Iron Giant.
Having matched Taddy Blasuziak’s five-in-a-row record, in 2027 Lettenbichler could become the only rider to win six on the bounce.
26 min
Highlights from Red Bull Erzbergrodeo 2026
Catch up on the highlights of the toughest Hard Enduro race on the planet.
04
What is Red Bull Romaniacs?
The brainchild of former snowboard champion Martin Freinademetz, Red Bull Romaniacs is like several Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Hare Scrambles laid back-to-back. Riders compete for days in the forests of the Carpathian mountains in deepest Transylvania, and yes, there are wolves and bears. The spectator-friendly Prolog is an obstacle course around the medieval city of Sibiu, which hosts the event. Then, the riders set off for a marathon four-day ride into the wild.
In 2026, Lettenbichler became the first rider to win Red Bull Romaniacs four times in a row. It was also a record seventh title, as he joined Graham Jarvis as the event’s most successful rider.
52 min
Red Bull Romaniacs 2026: Riding beyond limits
Five days of extreme enduro racing, sending the world’s best riders deep into brutal terrain and obstacles.
05
What is the Hard Enduro World Championship?
Organised by the FIM, the Hard Enduro World Championship began in 2021 and builds on the former World Enduro Super Series (WESS), which brought together a collection of punishing motorbike races from around the world that have been testing riders for years and all disciplines of enduro, including Hard Enduro, Classic Enduro and Cross-Country.
For 2026, the HEWC is made up of eight challenging rounds, including the Roof of Africa in Lesotho, the very first and longest-running Hard Enduro race. The HEWC competes on four continents, with eye-catching rounds on the schedule such as the Extreme XL Lagares in historic Porto, Portugal; the Silver Kings in Idaho, USA; and Sea to Sky in Turkey.
Round
Date
Event
Location
Winner
1
Apr 17-19
24MX Alestrem Hard Enduro
Alès, France
Manuel Lettenbichler
2
May 1-3
Extreme XL Lagares
Porto, Portugal
Manuel Lettenbichler
3
June 18-20
Silver Kings Hard Enduro
Idaho, US
Mitch Brightmore
4
Aug 20-22
Forza Orza
Orsa, Sweden
Manuel Lettenbichler
5
Sep 4-6
Abestone Hard Enduro
Arezzo, Italy
Manuel Lettenbichler
6
Sep 23-26
Roof of Africa
Maseru, Lesotho
Teodor Kabakchiev
7
Oct 8-10
Sea to Sky
Kemer, Turkey
Manuel Lettenbichler
8
Oct 23-25
24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro
Aguilar de Campoo, Spain
Mario Román
06
Who are the other top riders?
Sherco Factory riders Teodor Kabakchiev and Mario Román are no strangers to the podium. In 2026, Kabakchiev won the Roof of Africa and was running in second place in the world championship until a controversial disqualification at Sea to Sky pushed him down the rankings. He was also second at Red Bull Romaniacs and fourth at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. Román was third at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo and won the Hixpania on home soil.
Canada's Trystan Hart climbs the Erzberg mountain
© Philip Platzer / Red Bull Content Pool
Canada’s Trystan Hart is the US national champion, an EnduroCross champ, and a serial Erzberg podium-finisher. Wade Young is a nine-time winner of the Roof of Africa as well as a Red Bull Romaniacs champion, while Alfredo Gomez is a two-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo winner. You can also never rule out the evergreen Graham Jarvis – one of the most successful riders in the discipline’s history – who is still a frontrunner at 51.
Lettenbichler’s friend and frequent training partner Billy Bolt started 2026 by claiming his sixth consecutive FIM SuperEnduro World Championship title and is the only other rider to win the HEWC. The Brightmore brothers are going places and fast: Mitch was runner-up in the 2026 HEWC, claiming victory at the Silver Mountain Resort in the US, having been a junior champion in Hard Enduro and SuperEnduro. His younger sibling, Ashton, is the 2026 Junior World Hard Enduro Champion runner-up.
Alfredo Gomez, Teodor Kabakchiev and Manuel Lettenbichler at Sea to Sky
© Alkim Sarac / Red Bull Content Pool
That title went to South African James Moore who retained his crown after a close-run season-long battle. The FIM also crowned its first female champion after Sandra Gómez won the inaugural Women’s World Cup. Gómez dominated the competition, winning the opening five rounds, competing on the same tracks as the men. “I'm so happy with this title because for me it means a lot,” she said. “I'm always racing with the boys and I'm happy racing with them.
“It's very difficult to fight every day with the boys, and this means I am the number one woman. So it's very important for me.”
07
What makes a great Hard Enduro rider?
A great Hard Enduro rider is a synthesis of the low-speed mastery of a trials rider, the pure speed of a motocross racer and the stamina of an endurance competitor. Jarvis set the bar, while Lettenbichler and his great rival Bolt are the next generation of Hard Enduro stars who are taking the sport to new levels.
08
What bikes do they ride?
The majority of riders opt for a 300 or 350cc two-stroke bike, which combines speed, low-down torque and is lightweight. The main brands come from the KTM stable, so expect to see lots of orange KTMs, Husqvarna and GasGas. Add to that Beta and Sherco, whose factory team is a perennial front-runner.
Billy Bolt on the charge
© Christian Pondella / Red Bull Content Pool
KTM factory team rider Lettenbichler uses a 300EXC TPI, but obviously, it’s not standard. “KTM’s bikes are pretty good out of the box,” he says. “But I have made quite a lot of changes to the standard bike. It’s all about personal preference and being comfortable. My bike has a different engine and suspension and my handlebars and footpegs are in different positions. Every rider is individual and has the bike set up for them. I haven’t changed my suspension for three years – I’ve kept the same setting because I know I like it.”
09
How do the riders stay in shape?
Riders need to be strong, have stamina and be flexible. Avoiding injury and recovering fast is crucial. So they need all-round fitness. Most will ride mountain bikes in their spare time and hit the gym for strength conditioning, but as Lettenbichler explains, being on the bike is the best form of training.
“I wanted to do more riding in my training, so three years ago, I changed it up," says Lettenbichler. "In Hard Enduro, you have to ride different styles, so I will train on a motocross track; I ride trials, I ride classic and extreme enduro; it makes you a better all-rounder. I’m a big mountain bike fan; it’s my second passion, and it’s good for cardio. I do a little bit of gym work in the summer; you can’t do nothing, you always have to work out a little bit.”
The bikes have to be hard-wearing
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
10
Do you need to be a good mechanic?
Field commentator Paul Bolton is a veteran of Hard Enduro and a top finisher at Red Bull Erzbergrodeo and Romaniacs. He says looking after your bike is key to surviving an enduro race. “You don’t want broken or bent brake discs, so they have to be covered, and there's also armour to protect the chain," says Bolton. "There’s a nice big skid plate to protect the engine as well.”
Mud, glorious mud
© Mats Grimsæth/Red Bull Content Pool
Understanding the bike is essential to being a good enduro rider as well: “You need to have mechanical sympathy while riding as smoothly as possible," adds Bolton. "You need to know when the bike is suffering and look after your tyres because you need a good edge on your tyre to get up the last climb. If it’s been shredded, it could ruin your race. It's all about preserving the body and preserving the bike, and your energy."
11
What makes Hard Enduro so special?
The terrain and the length of the races are all special, but the friendly spirit among the riders sets the Hard Enduro World Championship apart. Nowhere else can amateur riders find themselves competing alongside the biggest stars in the sport.
Riders help each other up the mountain
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Those riders are all closely involved in growing the competition by supporting race organisers and young riders. As well as being ambassadors for the sport, Lettenbichler and Bolt will share their insights with race organisers regarding track design or improving the experience for riders and fans.
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