This enduro season had everything

This enduro season kept us on our toes with new venues, new races, the full gamut of inclement weather, and one of the most thrilling overall battles you’ll ever see.

The final two races were a fitting end, highlighted by Hattie Harnden’s overall World Cup title. She won in a deluge in Loudenvielle, leapfrogging the legendary Isabeau Courdurier at the final World Cup race of the year. Emily Carrick-Anderson returned to form and secured her first ever U21 World Cup win as the cherry on top. Then the duo went to Canazei, where Harnden took fourth in the snow at the first ever Enduro World Championships.

Those two races capped a rollercoaster year that began last May in Finale Ligure with Harnden’s fifth career elite World Cup/Enduro World Series win. The Trek Factory Racing Enduro program has experienced a lot of highs and lows in its 10-year history, but it’s never seen a season quite like this.

Harnden quickly got to work setting the tone for the season. Finale Ligure had never been her most successful track, but you wouldn’t know it from the World Cup opener. She won two stages and pipped Courdurier by a little less than nine seconds, taking the early lead in the overall race. 

Harnden entered the season ready to attack after taking third place on the overall standings in back-to-back seasons. The result validated the hard work she put in during the offseason to make that sought-after leap up the ranks. Harnden’s form shined on Stage 3, the longest of the race, which she won by more than 20 seconds.

“I think the stage played to my strengths,” Harnden said. “I know I’ve been training really hard, and I know I have really good fitness at the moment, so I definitely wasn’t worried about that stage. And I knew I could claw a bit of time back.”

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A rider as skilled and savvy as Courdurier will never make things easy. 

The World Cup took on a brand new venue in Bielsko-Biala, and it proved to be a hit. Harnden entered the fifth and final stage of the day with a lead of 2.251 seconds over Courdurier. She shipped 2.487 seconds to the Frenchwoman, which was enough to give Courdurier the win by the miniscule margin of .236 seconds. For context, that margin would have been whisper thin in a downhill race, which features, on average, roughly one-tenth as much timed racing as enduro. 

“The bike was amazing. [TFR Enduro support manager] Andy [Lund] and I were super happy with our choice,” Harnden said. “Andy did an amazing job building it up late Wednesday night before practice on Thursday. The team had everything dialed so it was a great day, and a great week.”

After the race, Coudurier overtook Harnden on the overall standings by just two points. Harnden would take second and fourth in the next two World Cup races, but Coudurier only widened the gap with a win and a second-place finish. Courdurier, a three-times Enduro World Series and World Cup overall champion, appeared to be on her way to a fourth title.

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Harnden shined on the second brand new venue of the World Cup series. 

Aletsch Arena took place at high altitude in the Swiss Alps. Harnden won the first stage to establish a strong lead, but after crashes on Stages 2 and 3 she assumed that she had given up her advantage. Then TFR Enduro support manager Andy Lund informed her that, despite how she may have felt, she was still the leader on the day by 6.5 seconds.

With a shot of confidence, Harnden slammed the door on the competition by winning Stage 4, the longest of the race, as temperatures creeped up to their highest levels of the season. As her rivals wilted in the heat, Harnden seemed to get stronger.

“I don’t try to think about if I’m leading or not during the race. I just try and look at the stages and know which ones I can claw back some good time,” Harnden said. “I think for some of the other women who perhaps aren’t quite as fit as me, they fade towards the end of long stages, whereas I can really attack all the way down.”

With the win, Harnden moved to within 63 points of Courdurier on the overall standings, setting up a thrilling World Cup finale in Loudenvielle. She’d have to beat the odds, but with a big performance, Harnden could take the top step at last. 

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As if the last race of the season needed more drama, pouring rain made a mess of the course in Loudenvielle on the morning of race day and the day before. Good thing Harnden doesn’t mind a bit of mud. 

She took fourth on the day after winning Stage 1. More importantly, she was five placings better than Courdurier. Harnden beat the reigning overall champ on three of four stages and earned enough points to retake the top of the overall standings. After a brilliant season-long battle, Harnden finished just 21 points better than the Frenchwoman.

“She’s one of the most, if not the most consistent rider there has been,” Harnden said of Courdurier. “She’s won the overall three times. With other people, you can kind of pick and choose where you know you’re gonna beat them, or be stronger than them, but with Isa you genuinely just gotta go faster [laughs], which is a tall order because she’s been the fastest for a long time.”

Adding to the festive occasion, Carrick-Anderson rode her first World Cup race since taking fourth in Poland. The Under-21 rider smartly took her time coming back from a concussion, and was champing at the bit to show out for the finale. The Scotswoman knew exactly what to do in the mud, dominating the longest, hardest stage of the race to take the first U21 World Cup victory of her career.

“I was super happy to win. I didn’t really expect it to be honest. I had no idea how I was going to do,” Carrick-Anderson said. “I just thought, ‘I’m good in the mud. Everyone else is in the same boat. It’s gonna be super messy, but I probably have more experience racing in these conditions, so use that to my advantage.'”

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After Loudenvielle, Harnden and Carrick-Anderson went straight to Canazei, Italy for the first ever Enduro World Championships to cap the year. Snow fell during the week, pushing back competition from Saturday to Sunday. Against a stunning backdrop, Harnden took fourth, a mildly disappointing finish by her standards, but also a strong example of just how competitive elite enduro racing has become.

The fact that Harnden finished no lower than fourth in any World Cup-level race this season is a testament to how consistently strong she was all year, despite how much chaos was thrown her way. More importantly, she got to take her victory lap as the overall champion, finally trading in the “No. 3” faceplate that had been on her bike for two years for the “No. 1.”

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