Bike
Winning the UCI Enduro World Cup Overall Title is the pinnacle accomplishment for any Enduro racer. Racing phenom Richie Rude just won his third.
Going into the seventh and final round of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Châtel, France, Rude looked poised to take home the coveted trophy. But even with the 238-point lead, Rude treated each stage as a fight for the title, knowing that nothing is guaranteed in the volatile world of enduro racing. It was a new venue with seven stages and a mix of terrain. A tough start on stage one heightened the drama, putting Rude in sixth for that stage. He needed at least an overall 5th-place race finish to reach his goal, and he started to feel the pressure. After finishing second in the all-around consecutively for 2021 and 2022, Rude set his sights on carrying the championship trophy again.
Always the fighter, Rude found his rhythm and reclaimed ground as the day went on. It was more than enough and ultimately put him in 3rd for the race. The title was his when he crossed the finish line, tying him with the existing overall wins record. “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” he reflects. This third title is a testament to Rude’s season of consistency and tenacity. Of his seven races, Rude placed no lower than 8th and finished four times in the top 3. He even won the Derby race outright. The Derby race was a particularly memorable race for Rude. He temporarily called Australia home for about two months before the event, staying at his trainer and close friend, Jared Graves’ house and prepping for the race by riding extensively. “Winning it with my teammate [Bex Baraona], who won the women’s race, and my other teammate [Slawomir Lukasik], who placed 2nd, made it a special race for the YETI team,” he explains.
Simply winning a UCI Enduro race is a feat in itself. Enduro courses demand the stamina of an XC racer and the tactfulness and power of a DH racer. The race is spread across multiple stages—typically five to eight tracks—with racers vying for the fastest times each time they drop into a descent. The cumulative time from all stages determines the victor. With long days in the saddle, massive climbs between stages, and back-to-back courses that could be stand-alone downhill tracks, these races challenge the most skilled and decorated racers.
“We had seven races this year, so there’s not many opportunities to get points. You have to make every race count, and each race has at least five stages, so that adds up to a lot of racing over the year,” Rude explains. Points from each race determine the overall series winner, awarded at the season's end. This format creates drama throughout the season, as the overall can be won or lost by one race result alone. A crash or injury can jeopardize a season’s worth of training. This combination of razor-thin margins and high competition is part of why Rude loves to compete. “I’m just competitive, and it helps to have a great team that you want to be a part of,” he explains, speaking highly of his YETI team.
Before Rude was one of America’s most prominent enduro racers, he was a kid building trails and booters in his Connecticut backyard. Those homemade features and early races with his dad sparked a passion, propelling him onto the world’s stage. By the age of 15, he turned pro and, merely three years later, took home the UCI Junior Men’s Downhill World Championship title. Shortly after, Rude dove into the burgeoning discipline known as Enduro. Rather than ditch his intense and powerful style of DH riding, Rude adapted it to work within the context of enduro. This aggressive style has left a distinct mark on the sport, demonstrating the capabilities of enduro bikes and the racers themselves. Rude claimed his first World Championship in 2015 and repeated his success the following year, making him the first man to win a back-to-back championship title in enduro racing. This season marks his 10th competing, and he’s watched the sport evolve and become a mainstay of the mountain biking community.
Despite earning a well-deserved vacation, Rude doesn’t plan to kick up his feet and relax anytime soon. He’ll don his racer jersey for the last two UCI Downhill World Cups at Snowshoe and Mont-Sainte-Anne. Last season, the racer stunned everyone with an announcement that he’ll race downhill once again. On top of this, he’s played a significant role in developing YETI’s latest downhill bike. “I figured I might as well take advantage of the fact that I’m riding well and that I can carry that success into racing something else,” Rude says, enjoying being back on the high-speed and intense DH courses. Now that the pressure of winning the title is gone, he can return to a discipline he’s always loved. “I haven’t decided how far I’ll take it, but I think I’ll do a few races next year,” he emphasizes. Whatever Rude decides to set his sights on—enduro or downhill—he will continue to make his mark.