racing

'24 EDR.3
Leogang, Austria

EDR.3 Leogang, Austria

EDR – Enduro

With two rounds complete of the Enduro World Cup (EDR), Yeti / FOX Factory racers Richie Rude and Sławomir Łukasik made the trip to the third stop of the Enduro World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland.

With a hot battle shaping up for the EDR World Cup Series lead, Rude came to Leogang to take the win, and with it, the EDR World Cup Leader's jersey back from Charles Murray (Specialized Enduro Team). Meanwhile, Łukasik was looking to take that oh so close 2nd place from the last stop in Poland and cash in with his first EDR World Cup win.

Rude and Łukasik have proven to be some of the most consistent riders so far this year, not only vying for stage and overall wins, but they have also been pushing each other as teammates. Having both had strong performances in 2023 in Leogang, this year was shaping up to be a battle.

While Charlie came out swinging with a stage win on stage one, Rude counter punched with a win on stage 2 and never fell out of the top 5 for stage results as he built his lead throughout the rest of the day. With a 7.8 second lead going into the final stage, a fast, smooth, and safe run would all but guarantee him the win. Coming in P5 on the Stage 6 was enough to grant him gold.

After missing out on the EDR World Cup win at his home round in Bielsko-Biala by (.095 second), Sławomir Łukasik was keen on bringing that momentum to Austria for his first win.

In what looked to be another great race, Łukasik had a dramatic crash on Stage 4 through a technical section, which resulted in a broken thumb. Słav showed his grit and soldiered on despite the crash to secure a remarkable 3rd place podium spot.

Concluding three stops on the Enduro World Cup (EDR), Richie Rude regained the leader’s jersey with a total of 1355 points, with Charles Murray now in second with 1159 points and Slawomir Lukasik in Third with 1111 points.

With three rounds remaining, the battle for the jersey continues, but Yeti / FOX Factory is looking strong with two riders in the top-three.

In the Elite Women’s race, Yeti / FOX Factory Devo rider George Swift set the tone for the day with a P9 on the first stage amongst the world’s best women. She continued to keep the pressure on throughout the day to score 12th overall.

In the U21 race, young American JT Fisher continues his strong 2024 campaign. JT remained in the top 5 for every stage throughout the day and finished a strong 2nd overall as he continues to edge closer to taking over the series lead.

Race Results:

Richie Rude – Winning time of 24:52.002 - scoring 496 points

Slawomir Łukasik – 3rd Place with a time of 25:06.31 – scoring 383 points

George Swift - 12th Place with a time of 31:21:196 – She now sits in 14th – scoring 186 points

JT Fisher – 2nd Place with a time of 26:26.198 - Sitting in second overall in the U21 – scoring 205 points

Overall EDR Series Standing

Yeti / FOX Factory – Retains the Team Overall lead in the UCI Enduro World Cup after 3 rounds with 3597 points with Specialized Enduro Team trailing in second with 3172 points.

Richie Rude – 1st Overall – Elite Men - 1355 Points

Slawomir Łukasik – 3rd Overall – Elite Men – 1111 Points

George Swift – 14th Overall – Elite Women –516 points

JT Fisher – 2nd Overall U21 – 567 Points – just 5 points shy of Wei Tien Ho

Lacy Adams – 10th Overall – 82 Points

E-EDR – eMTB Enduro

After a second-place finish in 2023 for Yeti / Shimano EP Racing rider Mick Hannah at Leogang and Ryan Gilchrist coming in to this round with the E-EDR World Cup leaders jersey, hopes were high for a strong day for the Yeti / Shimano EP Racing team.

Luck was not on the teams side. After a Stage 1 crash, Gilly lost a minute and a half on stage 2 after struggling to remount after a crash and never regained the dominant riding we’ve seen from his this year. Despite feeling good, Mick was unable to find the track speed that brought him to the podium last year in Leogang, but had a consistent day.

Race Results:

Ryan Gilchrist – 24th place – 32:22:535 – Scoring 149 points

Mick Hannah – 16th place – 30:56:048 – Scoring 174 points

Overall E-EDR Series Standing

Ryan Gilchrist – 2nd Overall – 965 Points

Mick Hannah – 15th Overall – 566 Points

Injury report:

Sadly, several Yeti / FOX Factory riders were treated for crash related injuries including Kate Lawrence who sustained soft tissue injures in a crash, U21 Rider Lacy Adams spraining her ankle and Slawomir Łukasik with a broken thumb. Łukasik is expecting to be back for the next round despite the injury to continue his battle for a World Cup win as well as his overall standings.