Defending Hard Enduro World Championship and Red Bull Erzbergrodeo champion Manuel Lettenbichler dominated this year’s edition of the world’s toughest one-day hard enduro race to claim his fourth straight victory in the race, leading home British rider Billy Bolt and Bulgarian Teodor Kabakchiev. Here’s all you need to know:
– Known for its brutal terrain, daunting obstacles and a minimal finish rate, Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is the ultimate test of physical endurance. Taking place on the edge of the small Austrian town of Eisenerz in the largest iron ore mine in Central Europe, it is known as the toughest off road motorsports race weekend on the planet. The 2025 edition was no exception to the rule, with over 1,000 riders from 43 different countries descending on the quarry ready to battle the terrain of the ‘Iron Giant’.
– The opening day started with the Iron Road Prologue qualifying, which offered drama and action in its purest form. It was Spain’s five-time enduro world champion Josep García who set the fastest time on the Iron Road Prologue this year.
– Only the fastest 500 riders from the Iron Road Prologue qualified for the main race on Sunday. Amongst those were offroad racers Seth Quintero and 2025 Dakar Rally winner Daniel Sanders, who came to the mountain to perform a rally raid showrun. The pair were drawn in by the spectacle of a must-see weekend event for petrol heads.
– After the entrants were whittled down to 500 riders for Sunday’s big day, the 2025 Red Bull Erbergrodeo followed a very similar pattern to the 2024 race. The lead of the race was only shared between the two top riders – this year Lettenbichler and Bolt – who share nine world championships between them.
– After placing sixth in the Prologue, it was Bolt who took the lead from the start, laying down a blistering pace until checkpoint number 10 of 27. After that, the race saw a shift when Lettenbichler passed his great rival amid huge boulders right before the ‘George Avenue’ checkpoint.
– About an hour into the race the weather shuffled the game, with a heavy rain shower bringing some additional challenges due to reduced traction, pushing the riders to adapt to very different conditions than earlier in the race.
– None of this slowed Lettenbichler however. The German rode a supreme, mistake-free race over the second half of the course to pull clear of Bolt and reach the finish line in 2h 49m 17.58s.
– The British rider, who missed the 2024 race due to injury, had to be content with second place. He reached the finish 11 minutes behind Lettenbichler in 3h 1m 57.565s, while Kabakchiev celebrated his first Red Bull Erzbergrodeo podium finish after coming home in 3m 13m 44.94s.
– With four consecutive wins at the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo now, Lettenbichler is just one victory away from equalling Tadeusz Błażusiak’s record of five wins at the race. Few would bet against the 27-year-old achieving that in next year’s event.
– “Coming to this race when you are the title contender, there was so much pressure already before the race. It was really difficult to chase Billy in the first third of the race as the pace was so high and Theo was in between, but I managed to pass him and push on, and try to give Billy a hard time. He was riding really well in the stones, but I knew that in the trees I should have him”, summarised Lettenbichler.
– The 35km-long, rugged and boulder-strewn Red Bull Erzbergrodeo course features massive climbs and is contrasted by a backdrop of Styrian mountains, offering a mix of barren landscapes and Alpine lushness.
– The race completion rate is famously low, with an approximate 99 percent of participants failing to reach the finish. Many never even make it past the first of the 27 checkpoints. This year, only 14 riders reached the finish line before the four-hour time cut-off, six more than last year’s edition.
– For Billy Bolt, the intensity of the race became obvious once again: “This is such a special event. It’s the race that made our sport what it is. I think if you had all day to complete the track, then it would not be so difficult. But, with the time limit, start with 50 guys on the same line and the intensity that we ride, at least the first hour of the race is insane”.
Red Bull Erzbergrode 2025 result
- Manuel Letenbichler (GER) KTM –2h 49m 17.58s
- Billy Bolt (GBR) Husqvarna – 3h 1m 57.565s
- Theodor Kabakchiev (BUL) Sherco – 3h 13m 44.942s
- Mitch Brightmore (GBR) GasGas – 3h 13m 46.895s
- Trystan Hart (CAN) KTM – 3h 18m 32.642s
- Jonny Walker (GBR) Triumph – 3h 26m 53.833s
- Mario Roman (AND) Sherco – 3h 29m 17.323s
- Graham Jarvis (GBR) KTM – 3h 39m 39.218s
- Will Riordan (AUS) Sherco – 3h 42m 3.376s
- Alfredo Gómez (ESP) Beta – 3h 44m 55.805s
- Wade Young (RSA) GasGas – 3h 46m 5.313s
- Matthew Green (RSA) KTM – 3h 48m 14.153s
- Francesc Moret (ESP) KTM – 3h 51m 53.701s
- Dieter Rudolf (AUT) GasGas – 3h 58m 1.037s
Watch a recap of Red Bull Erzbergrodeo on Red Bull TV HERE.
Words and Images by Red Bull Pool Content – Joerg Mitter
