Leogang Race Recap

After a week off between Loudenvielle and Leogang, we were back into race week once again.

The last week seemed to fly by. First was an 11-hour drive from Loudenvielle to Morillon, all on B-roads because I wasn't willing to pay the ridiculous French toll fees. We spent a couple of days riding on the tracks we raced in 2025 before making a quick visit back to Yeti HQ in Germany to return the SB160E. A super sad day, as my World Champs bike was no longer in my possession.

I spent a day there with Alex and Shaun, checking over my race bike ahead of Leogang before heading off again.

Monday morning, I drove to Leogang, stopping at a supermarket and laundromat before arriving at the campsite around 2pm. After hanging the washing out to dry, I headed down for a river dip as it was absolutely roasting.

Tuesday started with an early interval session before returning to the van to refuel. In the afternoon I hit the bike park for some laps before the rain rolled in. Thankfully it wasn't too bad, so I headed back up the gondola and did a track walk of the new Stage 5. All the other stages were the same as previous years, but this one was completely new and definitely needed a walk.

Wednesday all the women in mountain biking were invited to a breakfast, so of course Winni and I went along. Free food in a fancy hotel? How could we not!

It was a really nice morning catching up with familiar faces and making some new connections. Back at the van, I made a banana cake in my rice cooker. If you're not already following me (@Georgeswift_212), make sure you do for all the rice cooker recipes going down this season!

The rain continued through the afternoon, so I kept busy giving a few haircuts and hanging out with friends.

Thursday was all about getting the bike ready for practice. With the forecast looking terrible, I swapped to Maxxis High Rollers front and rear but kept my spare wheelset with dry tyres mounted just in case the weather changed overnight. The rest of the afternoon was spent stretching, relaxing, and watching last year's GoPro footage to refresh my memory of the tracks.

It was also Ollie the Aussies birthday so mandatory rice cooker birthday cake was made !

Friday arrived and so did the rain.

I dressed appropriately: plastic bags over my feet inside my shoes, base layer, heavy rain jacket, latex gloves, and a backpack stuffed with snacks, tissues, spare gloves, and hand warmers.

We left the van at 10am and had a two-hour pedal through the rain to the first stage. By the time we arrived it was 2°C, raining sideways, and absolutely freezing.

Stage 1 was incredibly wet, but the moisture actually made the dirt surprisingly grippy. Stage 2 was a little more intimidating, with plenty of rocks and the classic equation of water plus mud equals slippery rocks. There were some new sections added from last year and, despite the conditions, it was a really fun stage.

Another big pedal took us over to Stage 3. By then the rain had stopped, but the ground was still saturated. The stage began with a huge root garden which I managed to get through cleanly before dropping into an off-camber root section leading into a pretty terrifying river crossing. Somehow I made it through and cleaned the climb out the other side.

Back to the van for lunch, a dry set of clothes, and then off to Stages 4, 5, and 6.

These were all gondola-accessed, which was a welcome break from pedalling. Stage 4 sat high in the cloud, making the ridge traverse feel a little sketchy. Stage 5 was the brand-new stage and wow, what a track. So many roots and ruts. It was an absolute laugh to ride, although I was slightly terrified about racing it at full speed.

Stage 6 used the bottom section of the downhill track, so it didn't open until around 5:30pm after the DH riders had finished. A short stage at just over a minute long, but very bike-park style and good fun.

From there it was straight to the bike wash where we cleaned both the bikes and ourselves before heading back to the van for a warm shower and dinner. By the time we got back it was nearly 7pm. A big day out on the bike.

Saturday was a complete contrast.

The sun came out and suddenly everyone was complaining about being too hot.

I was super thankful we had a rest day between practice and racing, as it gave us time to clean and dry everything out. Luckily a friend staying nearby had access to a washing machine, so I managed to get all my riding gear washed and dried. I also gave the bike another clean along with my shoes and helmet.

The best part of the day was that my coach Jamie arrived for the weekend. It was awesome to have him there in person and spend some time catching up. The rest of the day was focused on recovery, staying cool, and preparing for race day.

Sunday was race day.

Nobody really knew what the weather was going to do, but I stuck with my plan and prepared for a wet day. Good thing too.

I rolled out at 10:47am and rode through the rain to the gondola. From there we traversed across to the neighbouring valley where the heavens truly opened.

After regrouping at the gondola station, refilling my bottle and making a quick toilet stop, I headed up to the start of Stage 1.

It was so cold at the top that I decided to keep my rain jacket on for the race run. I started strongly, but halfway down I began overheating and making mistakes. I could feel another rider closing in and, sure enough, Winni caught me just before the finish. She was absolutely flying.

I ended up 9th on the stage. Not where I wanted to be, especially as I really liked that track.

For Stage 2, the jacket went straight into the backpack. I felt smooth and confident until a small slide-out on a drainage pipe put me on the ground. Back up quickly and on to the finish, but it was enough to leave me 10th on the stage.

The pedal to Stage 3 gave me time to reset mentally. Again, I felt like I'd ridden well, but another 10th-place stage result showed just how fast the women were riding that day.

Back at the van I was lucky enough to have Nigel and Doug take care of me. They washed the bike, lubed the chain, and helped save both time and energy before the final three stages.

For the afternoon I ditched both the rain jacket and backpack.

Stage 4 started well, but an unfortunate slide-out on an off-camber root section cost me momentum and valuable seconds.

By Stage 5 I'd accepted that it just wasn't my day. The conditions were so different from practice and I never quite found the flow I was looking for. It was still an incredibly fun stage, even if an 11th-place result wasn't what I was chasing.

Going into the final stage I was sitting 10th overall, a minute behind 9th and a minute ahead of 11th. Realistically there were no positions to gain or lose, so the goal was simple: stay on the bike and bring it home.

Meanwhile, it was shaping up to be a massive day for Winni.

She had led the race all day and carried a 30-second advantage into the final stage. My job became keeping her calm and reminding her to trust herself.

The final stage was re-seeded, meaning I came down before the top riders and got to stand in the finish area watching everyone cross the line one by one.

Then came Winni.

And she'd done it.

Not only her first Enduro World Cup win, but the first-ever female Enduro World Cup victory for New Zealand.

The entire women's field stayed in the finish area to celebrate with her. It was a pretty special moment to be part of.

Looking back, I'm incredibly proud of her and also proud of myself.

10th in the world is nothing to be ashamed of. It's a long series, and in conditions like we had all weekend, anything can happen.

The day finished with celebratory pizza, a big crew of friends, and a few non-alcoholic drinks to round out the evening.