Incredible catch-up at the Erzbergrodeo

In perfect enduro weather conditions and with an extremely selective race track, the “mountain of iron” fought with all its might on Sunday against the 500 starters who entered the infight with the Erzberg at exactly 13 p.m. The toughest Extreme Enduro Race in the world offered a spectacular backdrop for the tens of thousands of visitors, who created a breathtaking atmosphere in the visitor zones along the 35 kilometer long race track.

Immediately after the start, Will Hoare (UK, Rieju) and the young Bulgarian Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) took the lead, closely followed by Jonny Walker (UK, Beta), Wade Young (RSA, GASGAS) and the Austrian Michael Walkner ( GASGAS). Top favorite Manuel Lettenbichler (DE, KTM) didn't have an optimal start and didn't leave the starting bowl at the lowest point of the Erzberg at the front of the starting field.

Incredible comeback What happened next will forever go down in the Extreme Enduro history books. The 26-year-old German unleashed all his driving skills and overtook one driver after the other. “Letti” took the lead from Teo Kabakchiev at Checkpoint 24MX Wasserleitung and didn’t relinquish it until the finish. The Red Bull KTM Factory factory rider put in a more than dominant performance in the mountain of iron and finally reached the finish in the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Arena after 2:47:23 hours, where thousands of fans frenetically celebrated his third overall victory in a row.

The Erzbergrodeo is considered the toughest extreme enduro race in the world. © www.redbullmediahouse.com

Behind Lettenbichler there was initially a fierce fight for the podium places, which Canadian Trystan Hart from the FMF KTM Factory Racing Team was ultimately able to win. Although Hart went down immediately after the start and had to plow through the entire front row from behind, he was in second position after just 50 minutes. Trystan fought his way through the extremely tough route with all his might, but was no longer able to catch up with Lettenbichler. Finally, 20 minutes behind and with a time of 3:07:40 hours, he reached the finish in an excellent second place.

The podium, from the right Mario Roman (3rd), winner Manuel Lettenbichler and Trystan Hart (2nd). © www.redbullmediahouse.com

Spaniard Mario Roman (Sherco) also presented an impressive performance today. Roman was at the back of the leading field at the start of the race, but was able to make up valuable ground from the Carl's Dinner checkpoint onwards. In the last third of the race, the Spaniard came under enormous pressure from 5-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo winner Graham Jarvis (UK), but ultimately celebrated his second podium on the Erzberg in third place.

Only eight riders make it to the finish The Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is considered the toughest challenge in the hard enduro scene, and the 35 kilometer long race track did not disappoint in 2024 either. In particular, the relocation of the legendary “Carl's Dinner” section of the route to the first half of the race (checkpoints 10 and 13 of 27) significantly increased the level of difficulty for the 500 starters. In the end, only eight of them reached the finish line - that shows how ruthless the Erzbergrodeo is.

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Incredible catch-up at the Erzbergrodeo

The Erzbergrodeo is considered the world's toughest extreme enduro race. On Sunday, out of 500 starters, only eight made it to the finish. A spectacular comeback caused a stir.

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