Hello,

The first-ever UCI Enduro World Championships took place in September among the snowy peaks of Italy’s Dolomite mountains in Val di Fassa, a classic and loved venue for enduro racing.

After enduro-ing through the lengthy after-party and then going straight into production week for our latest yearbooks, our post-Worlds newsletter got sidelined… until now.

Hope you enjoy looking back on what was a truly brilliant event in an epic setting. Photos below by Boris Beyer, Sven Martin and Seb Schieck, with ponderings from our notebooks and some extracts from the latest World Stage book.

Cheers,

James
+the Misspent Summers team

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PRODUCT: CHOOSE MTB PRINT

LOST AND FOUND: Notes from the 2024 Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships, Val di Fassa, Italy

• Enduro Men: 1 Alex Rudeau (FRA) 21:54.131 2 Louis Jeandel (FRA) +22.860 3 Richie Rude (USA) +24.261
• Enduro Women: 1 Isabeau Courdurier (FRA) 26:24.168 2 Mélanie Pugin (FRA) +11.003 3 Morgane Charre (FRA) +1:01.854
• E-Enduro Men: 1 Kevin Miquel (FRA) 29:02.250 2 Andrea Garibbo (ITA) +6.221 3 Kévin Marry (FRA) +13.597
• E-Enduro Women: 1 Estelle Charles (FRA) 34:14.036 2 Florencia Espiñeira (CHI) +32.460 3 Raphaela Richter (GER) +1:21.863
• Full results here
• Read Val di Fassa stats in our pre-race notes
• Val di Fassa was important for various reasons: Worlds gets widespread press and recognition; it certifies a discipline within cycling, and winners get to sport the rainbow jersey for a season and the stripes for life. In a turbulent time for the bike industry and concern for the future of the Enduro World Cup, the announcement mid-season 2024 of the Worlds event put some minds at rest
• It was also the final race on the calendar and the last chance for racers and teams to get together in one place before going into an off-season of unknowns, with many riders and staff uncertain what would come next
• Despite the wintry weather, the local organiser put on one of the best enduro races ever (the hundred volunteers shovelling snow off the trails was perhaps a metaphor for enduro’s resilience)
• Everything came together to make an unforgettable first World Champs, with shortened but brilliant technical stages that were easy to access for spectators, a lively event village with a big festival stage and epic surroundings, and of course flat-out fast racing throughout the day. The weekend culminated in a big old party, with a who’s-who of enduro dancing long into the night
• Since then, the 2025 racing calendar has been revealed and some format changes across the mountain bike disciplines announced. Enduro has an extra round of racing in ’25 (2024 had the fewest races ever, bar the 2020 Covid season) and will go to some classics and some fresh destinations, sharing several venues with its downhill brethren
• E-Enduro will be ‘on pause’ in 2025, meaning there is no E-EDR series, which is disappointing for the riders and teams whose careers will be affected. Conversely, extra time in the schedule should mean EDR (non-e) gets more exposure, better scheduling and more of the event organisers’ time
• We started hearing more positive talk from riders, teams and brands as soon as the schedule and format updates were announced, hard information allowing them to plan, budget and sign on dotted lines

Continued below…

VDF EDR WRLDS: Notebook jottings

• Three stages altered for the snow (start heights lowered)
• Diary of an EDR Worlds spectator: holding up bars, snow drifting, brain freeze
• ‘It started many years ago on the Mediterranean’ – extract from Enrico Guala’s event-opening speech during the Friday evening teams parade. The Enduro World Series started in 2013 in Punta Ala, Italy
• ‘We are stronger than any adversity’ – Guala commenting on the snow
• Word: downlift
• Local organisers did everything right in promoting the event: leaflets, billboard ads, local bars and businesses equipped with info
• Met a retired Brit who lives in a nearby valley and knows nothing about mountain biking but caught a series of buses just to come and spectate the event. He loved it
• Thought Shell had been replaced by Kettle Chips as British Cycling’s green partner?
• We’re proud to say that Morgane Charre’s custom wrap helmet with Misspent Summers logo in shiny silver was judged and awarded helmet of the year by commenter @Coolcmsc on Ed Bull TV’s ‘Loose in Loudenvielle’ film
• Charre is the only rider ever (so far) to have won an elite DH World Champs medal and an EDR World Champs medal
• There were other previous World Champions on the EDR and E-EDR podiums though: Rudeau (junior trials; team trials); Richter (4X); Espiñeira (E-MTB XC); Pugin (junior DH; E-MTB XC); Rude (junior DH)
• #1 coffee and gossip spot: Bar Esso, Canazei
• 10/10 for the flamethrowers warming up the finish area
• UNESCO World Heritage Ski Resorts CorporationTM
• Good day for grease lovers: the trails were pure slip and slide
• Knee pads around the ankles is back in fashion
• Where was the champagne?
• Louis Jeandel is the vice World Champion of vice. Second in the race, first in the after-party
• Swimming pool entry cost comparison: €3 Loudenvielle. €18 Val di Fassa
• Continuing dominance: we keep repeating this, but only British or French racers have won women’s Enduro World Series, Enduro World Cup or Enduro World Champs races since records began in 2013
• 4 x French: every available World Champion title (2 in EDR, 2 in E-EDR) was won by a French rider. That’s a lot of French national anthems
• Indeed, France won 8 of the 12 available medals
• Champion longevity: Fabien Barel and Tracy Moseley both raced the first-ever Enduro World Series in 2013 after legendary downhill racing careers. Over a decade later, they were still at it, and both raced this first-ever E-Enduro Worlds

• Massive thank you to Boris Beyer, Sven Martin and Seb Schieck for the work all year documenting the sport and inspiring people to ride bikes. It ain’t easy getting out there in all conditions, spending days in ditches and rushing to capture all the action, then uploading photos through the night. We appreciate it – mountain biking is all the better for your efforts
• And thank you to everyone reading our notes newsletters this year. It was fun! We’ll be back with our regular newsletters soon
• Don’t forget to get your yearbook orders in. Your support is much appreciated

Further reading:
Analog bike zine issue six
Hero Mode: Mont-Sainte-Anne 2024 notes

Notes newsletters are compiled with the help of many contributors. Thank you to everyone who chips in – we love doing this stuff and you make it possible.