Words by Leni Eller | Photos by Rick Schubert
The 2026 Enduro World Cup has delivered just about everything. Now, after five rounds of racing, it all comes down to one final stop in Morillon, with a handful of riders still holding all the cards.
In the Elite Women, the spotlight is firmly fixed on Ella Conolly. The Brit has been the benchmark all season, combining outright speed with the kind of consistency that wins championships. Her victory in Aletsch only strengthened her grip on the overall lead and leaves her arriving in Morillon as the rider everyone has to beat.
But if anyone is capable of turning pressure into motivation, it’s Mélanie Pugin. The French rider has quietly put together one of the strongest seasons of her career, repeatedly finding herself on the podium and never letting Conolly disappear completely. Pugin is the only rider who can still go for the overall title, but she’ll need to outscore Conolly by 170 points to do it. For Conolly, a seventh-place finish in Morillon is enough to secure the championship, regardless of what anyone else does.
Safe to say, we’re in for some seriously close racing, and we’re here for every second of it.
Then there’s the storyline everyone has been waiting for: Isabeau Courdurier is back. After more than a year away from the Enduro World Cup, the French legend returns between the tapes for the final round of the season. Anyone who’s followed enduro over the last decade knows Courdurier never lines up simply to make up the numbers. Racing on home soil, her return adds another layer of excitement to an already stacked women’s field.
The men’s overall title fight has taken an even more dramatic turn.
For much of the season, it looked like Alex Rudeau had everything under control. Fast, calculated and consistently near the front, his campaign took a dramatic twist in Aletsch when a post-race disqualification slashed his advantage and blew the overall standings wide open.
That opened the door for Lief Rodgers. The Canadian hasn’t finished outside the top ten all season, and no rider who’s contested every round has a better average finish. He arrives in Morillon leading the overall on 820 points, ahead of Adrien Dailly (738), Raphaël Giambi (701) and Rudeau (695). That means Rudeau realistically needs a second-place finish or better to have a shot at the title, while a podium is enough to crown Rodgers overall champion, whatever anyone else does.
One rider who deserves a special mention is Giambi. Still one of the youngest riders in the Elite field, he’s backed up his raw speed with remarkable consistency all season and heads into the finale sitting third overall. Whether or not he’s fighting for the title, he’s already proved he’s one of the sport’s brightest young talents.
With 22.6 km of racing and 4,110 metres of descending on the cards, Morillon has all the ingredients for an unforgettable season finale. Nothing is decided until the final finish line has been crossed. Real Enduro!
We’re ready for whatever these next two days of racing bring!
Update: Raphaël Giambi received a five-minute time penalty before the race started as he rode the Les Carroz stage in the week between the course map being released and the start of practice. Giambi said on his Instagram: ‘For those who are going to wonder tomorrow why I’m starting Saturday with a 5-minute penalty… Last Saturday, I went riding at Les Carroz to ride the bike park. I had looked at the map, but not carefully enough to see where the race stages were located. I simply ended up riding one of the race stages, with absolutely no intention of cheating. Unfortunately, two riders saw me and, instead of warning me, chose to film me entering the stage. “You, completely my responsibility for my mistake. I’m young, and l’Il learn from my mistakes to make sure this never happens again. Unfortunately, this means the end of my season. All my hopes of a podium in the overall standings are gone, but that’s racing. We’ll come back even stronger next year, that’s for sure!’
