Season after season of declining participation has led the UCI to a difficult decision — Enduro World Cup Racing (EDR) will no longer continue. The UCI announced the decision in a post on the homepage of its website titled “A New Chapter for Enduro.”
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) today announce that the 2026 UCI Enduro World Cup will be the final season of Enduro under the current UCI World Cup structure.
The decision reflects a shared belief that each mountain bike format has its own unique characteristics, community and development pathway, and that long-term success requires an approach tailored to its specific needs and ambitions. WBD Sports and the UCI believe that Enduro’s future will be best served through a structure designed specifically around the format’s unique identity, one that offers greater flexibility in its operating framework, more room for innovation and a stronger focus on participation and community engagement.
For over a decade, the Enduro World Series (EWS) and WBD Sports, have played a key role in helping drive the growth, professionalisation and international reach of Enduro, both at elite and amateur levels. Together with athletes, teams, organisers, partners and fans, they have helped elevate the format to new heights, broadening its reach and strengthening its position within the mountain bike landscape. Since Enduro’s integration into the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the format has benefited from increased visibility and exposure as part of a broader mountain biking platform.
Among the most significant milestones of this period was the launch of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships in 2024, cementing Enduro’s place on the sport’s biggest stage. While the UCI Enduro World Cup concludes at the end of the 2026 season, the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships will continue and take on even greater significance as the pinnacle events of the format. The UCI World Championships will become the focal point of the global Enduro calendar, bringing together the sport’s best athletes and serving as the flagship celebration of the Enduro community.
The 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships will take place in the Finale Outdoor Region (Liguria, Italy) from 16 to 18 October, bringing the world’s leading riders to what is widely regarded as the spiritual home of Enduro.
The format’s future on the world stage is also secured for 2027, with Enduro and E-Enduro confirmed as part of the UCI Cycling World Championships in Haute-Savoie, France. Among the venues selected for this landmark event is Morillon and the Grand Massif region, fresh from hosting last week’s 2026 UCI Enduro World Cup finale, which attracted more than 500 professional and amateur riders. In 2027, the French destination will once again welcome the world’s best Enduro athletes as they compete for the sport’s most prestigious title and the iconic rainbow jersey.
While the path forward is still being defined, conversations are underway among the venues, organisers and stakeholders who have helped shape the sport over the past decades. Drawing on their deep understanding of Enduro and its community, they are exploring new opportunities to ensure its continued growth and long-term sustainability, while staying true to the values that have made Enduro unique: participation, adventure, creativity and a shared passion for the ride, where the journey is every bit as important as the result. This includes initiatives such as the integration of Enduro Open side events at selected WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series weekends.
By giving Enduro the freedom to continue evolving on its own terms, this transition represents the beginning of a new chapter for a discipline with a rich heritage, a passionate community, and many more stories still to tell.
From Enduro World Series (EWS) to Enduro World Cup
Enduro racing grew in popularity in the early 2010s, with the EWS organizing in 2012. For a handful of seasons, the EWS and enduro racing in general kept growing, with more grassroots race series popping up around the world.
Clearly, mountain bikers connected well with the format. In the early days of enduro, it was about adventure, big days on the bike, and riding spectacular trails. It was the riding many of us did, or aspired to do, each weekend.
Popularity was perhaps confirmed when the EWS was added to the UCI’s calendar, giving it greater recognition even as the series maintained its independence. That changed in 2023 when enduro racing officially became a UCI-sanctioned World Cup event.
And since then, frustrations have grown over how to watch the racing. Multiple Reddit threads spanning from 2024 to a few months ago have people asking the same question: “How can I watch EDR?” And the answers seem bleak. “You can’t,” was a common response. Race coverage availability varied by country and by subscription service, leaving many fans confused.
Why the sudden decline?
Some pointed to the partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as the reason for inadequate coverage. But unlike its DH and XC counterparts, which have a single fixed track, enduro is difficult to cover. With multiple stages and sometimes multiple days, proper coverage has been a struggle throughout enduro racing history, and post-race coverage is often the go-to for many.
But we’ve also seen a consistent decline in pro racers and teams since 2023. In 2024, over 20 EDR teams registered for the World Cup race season. In 2026, it was five. And favorite enduro racers like Jesse Melamed and Jack Moir also called it quits.
Others swapped disciplines. World Cup champion and Yeti Factory racer Richie Rude transitioned from EDR to DH in past seasons and fully committed to the bigger bike this year.
Was it just time for these teams and riders to move on from EDR, or did they see the writing on the wall?
Regardless, it is disappointing to see enduro fall off the schedule. The silver lining is that enduro racing will still be part of the UCI World Championships, at least in 2027. Beyond that, we’ll see what the future holds for enduro.
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