The fifth round of the Enduro World Cup in the Aletsch Arena Bellwald had everything a title race needs: changing leaders, technical issues, crashes, mechanical failures, and decisions made in the final meters. After two long days of racing in the Valais Alps, Ella Conolly and Ryan Gilchrist emerged as the big winners. At the same time, Swiss junior Elena Frei provided the emotional highlight for the home crowd with her first World Cup victory.

In the Elite Women’s category, Ella Conolly reinforced her ambitions for another overall victory. After a strong first day of racing, the British rider entered the second half of the race with a lead and further extended it on the fifth special stage. On the long and grueling “Cow Safari” course—featuring more than 800 meters of descent—she appeared to have decisively distanced herself from the competition. But then the race tightened up again. A flat tire on the sixth stage put Conolly under pressure, while world champion Elly Hoskin made a strong comeback and made up a lot of time with two stage wins.

The race remained wide open on the seventh stage as well. Conolly continued to struggle with tire issues and lost more time. Nevertheless, she preserved her lead with a controlled final run to the finish. In the end, she won with a lead of just over thirty-three seconds over Hoskin. Nadine Ellecosta also secured a strong podium finish with a stage victory on the final stage.

In the men’s race, Ryan Gilchrist completely turned the race around on the second day. The Australian from the Yeti Fox Factory Race Team won the last three stages, celebrating the first Enduro World Cup victory of his career. Sławomir Łukasik had initially led the race, but several mistakes cost him a potential victory. Adrien Dailly also briefly took the lead but was unable to defend his advantage. Gilchrist launched the decisive attack on the sixth stage, remained error-free afterward, and ultimately rode to victory with a lead of more than twenty seconds.

Behind Gilchrist, Lief Rodgers delivered a consistent performance and finished second.

From a Swiss perspective, Elena Frei delivered the most important result of the weekend. The 18-year-old junior won her first World Cup race in the Junior Women’s category. Her race, however, was anything but easy. After two crashes on the fifth stage, she injured her shoulder and initially feared she might not be able to continue. But Frei persevered, found her rhythm again on the following stages, and ultimately won by a clear margin. Overall leader Nežka Libnik was able to defend her lead in the World Cup despite a difficult first day.

In the junior men’s category, Hugo Marti Montessinos continued his strong season. The Frenchman won two stages and, despite a flat tire on the final stage, held on to finish just under five seconds ahead of Nico Casey Schroder. With his fourth victory of the season, Marti Montessinos clinched the overall title in the Junior Enduro World Cup ahead of schedule.

The team standings were also effectively decided. Speed Project mathematically secured the overall victory even before the final race. The final stop of the season will take place in mid-August in Morillon, Haute-Savoie, France.

Elite Women’s Results

Elite Men's Results

U19 Women's Results

U19 Men's Results