4 Key Stats from Enduro Racers in the Pinkbike State of the Sport Survey
Welcome to the 2023 Pinkbike State of the Sport Survey. This anonymous survey is designed to help shed light on key issues affecting the professional field and elite competition. We surveyed the best riders in the world to hear their thoughts, ideas, concerns, and criticisms on mountain biking as we go into 2023, all in an anonymous format. To read the introduction to the survey click here, and to see all the other currently published SOTS articles click here.
![photo]()
To help make more sense of the mountains of data we're taking a look at the data from each of the major disciplines surveyed and talking about some noteworthy or eye-catching pieces of information. Now it’s enduro’s turn.
Enduro has seen the EWS be the pinnacle of the sport since it started to become one of mountain biking's major disciplines ten years ago in 2013. The sport has continued to evolve and adapt over the years with some big changes coming this year as it drops the EWS to become the Enduro World Cup or EDR as it's been strangely shortened to. Riders were sent out surveys before a lot of the big changes were announced and will now act as the final say on the ten-year legacy of the EWS. So what’s the current state of Enduro heading into 2023?
Enduro Cohort Details
![Dimitri Tordo on Stage 2.]()
Our survey brought in 49 responses from Enduro riders that were among the best ranked overall last season. Our numbers for this year were slightly lower than the 68 riders we surveyed last time but for this year's State of the Sport, we did adjust our criteria slightly. While the last survey featured seven riders racing the EWS who mainly raced downhill this time there were just two multiple-discipline downhill riders with one XC racer also taking on EWS races.
Of the Enduro racers surveyed, there was a heavy male skew with 63% of respondents identifying themselves as male and the rest of the 37% of respondents identifying as Female. Among all categories including Junior and U21, there were seven top five overall finishers for both male and female racers, while there were six top 10 male finishers and 4 female.
When it came to a rider's home continent the results remained very similar to the last State of the Sport with a heavy swing towards Europe. 51% of respondents call Europe home with North America holding 29%. The only other continent to feature more than one response was Oceania with 16% of our Enduro racers. Asia was home to one rider with South America being a newly represented nation for the State of the Sport survey in Enduro.
Enduro Racing Shouldn't be Totally Blind
![Practice was a bit spicy but by race day things should be dusty and blown out once again.]()
Of the 49 primarily Enduro racers surveyed we found that an overwhelming 80% believe that racing should not be totally blind. The data shows a marked increase of 5% over the last State of the Sport where 75% of respondents answered in the same way. A similar percentage of riders still want blind racing compared to the last survey with 12% of racers agreeing with the idea.
While we found the majority of riders do not want blind racing, 34 riders found it concerning to them that "riders who live nearer to a race venue get more track time and, as a consequence, get an advantage". Only seven of the racers asked disagreed with this. It seems that while riders do not want truly blind racing they do worry about the advantage that can come from a large amount of track time.
Despite not wanting blind racing and the worry of over practicing most racers feel that is already enough practice time with 78% either agreeing or strongly agreeing to the idea that "Enough practice time is allocated at enduro events". Unsurprisingly all six of those who thought enduro racing should be blind either agreed or strongly agreed to there being enough practice time already. Although within those who disagreed to blind racing only seven think there should be more practice time than what is currently offered, suggesting that while tracks shouldn't be unknown there is a danger to knowing the course too well.
Of the three riders who either primarily race Downhill or XC we found that two of them strongly disagreed with the idea of blind racing with one feeling neutral on the topic.
86% Feel Their National Governing Body Doesn't do Enough for Enduro
![Jesse making signature shapes]()
One of the clearest problems found in the survey is that Enduro is struggling to receive support from national governing bodies for cycling.
Of the riders who primarily race Enduro a huge 86% feel their national governing body does not currently do enough for Enduro. Only 6% agree with the statement "My national governing body supports its athletes well," with 12% remaining neutral on the issue.
The lack of Enduro support from a national governing cycling body makes things hard for riders who aren't as well financially support as from our 49 respondents 78% find that riders from their home countries cannot compete at an international level without significant financial support. Without a national cycling body to support a sport it can be hard to form national and local races that can bring up future talent to the sport and help already established riders secure financial support.
As part of the survey, we asked the riders what they would like to see done differently by their national body, here are some of their responses:
Racers Want Shuttles/Lifts for Practice but maybe not in the Main Race
![Big shuttle trucks are in hot demand during an EWS week in Finale so Richie Rude and Shawn Neer went with a smaller local option to get themselves around.]()
While the 'spirit of enduro' back in 2013 seemed to be big days out on the big and blind racing it seems like today's racers want more help getting around the courses for practice with 61% of respondents either agreeing or strongly agreeing to the idea that "Shuttling should be allowed in training for enduro events." Only 27% would disagree or strongly disagree to this idea.
Despite a small majority of riders wanting more assistance during training, it seems like most are either neutral or disagree with a suggestion that shuttling and lifts should have more involvement on race days. 39% either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this while most found they were neutral on this idea. Only 20% thought this could be a good idea.
Breaking the data down into those who want extra assistance during practice, 40% of these respondents would not want this included in the race days.
Shuttles for practice offer a clear advantage in that they allow the riders to complete their practice without exerting as much energy so more can be saved for the actual racing. When it comes to race days things are less clear with the current top riders not being sure if having these included in racing is a definitive positive or negative for the sport.
Of the three riders who either primarily race Downhill or XC we found that two of them either agreed or strongly agreed to practice shuttles with the other rider remaining neutral. When it came to race shuttling and lift it was no surprise that the XC rider strongly disagreed to this with the Downhill riders either being neutral or strongly agreeing with this idea.
Enduro Racers are Still on Average Paid More than Downhill Racers
![Jack Moir takes his first win and is joined on the podium by Richie Rude and Charlie Murray]()
Just like our last State of the Sport survey, we will be releasing the full breakdown of riders' earnings in full, but we thought it is worth highlighting again that Enduro riders continue to be better compensated on average than fellow Downhill racers.
To protect each rider's anonymity we won't be breaking down these results to the point where anyone could be identified but we can share a few interesting statistics and comparisons. Firstly, while Enduro does seem to pay riders better on average there is a pay ceiling in the bracket of $100,000-$250,000 USD whereas Downhill sees two riders earning $250,000 and higher.
The most interesting details seem to come in at the lower end of the pay spectrum with 20% of Enduro riders in the lowest bracket of $0-$5,000 USD compared to a sizeable 43% of the Downhill riders. It's troubling to see that despite Downhill receiving far more coverage and even live broadcasting so many more riders are struggling with zero or at best very little pay.
Whereas in Downhill it seems that riders are even earning the big bucks or struggling to get by Enduro seems to offer a far more secure source of income for most with 48% sitting at earnings between $20,000 and $100,000 USD. Only 29% of the Downhill field are making this level of income.
Other Comments from Enduro Racers
To help make more sense of the mountains of data we're taking a look at the data from each of the major disciplines surveyed and talking about some noteworthy or eye-catching pieces of information. Now it’s enduro’s turn.
Enduro has seen the EWS be the pinnacle of the sport since it started to become one of mountain biking's major disciplines ten years ago in 2013. The sport has continued to evolve and adapt over the years with some big changes coming this year as it drops the EWS to become the Enduro World Cup or EDR as it's been strangely shortened to. Riders were sent out surveys before a lot of the big changes were announced and will now act as the final say on the ten-year legacy of the EWS. So what’s the current state of Enduro heading into 2023?
Enduro Cohort Details
Number of Riders Choosing Enduro as their Main Discipline: 49
Men/Women: 31/18
Top 5 Finishers: 7/7
Top 10 Finishers: 6/4
Home Continent:
Asia - 1
South America - 1
Oceania - 8
North America - 14
Europe - 25
Median Wage: 20,000-30,000 USD
Men/Women: 31/18
Top 5 Finishers: 7/7
Top 10 Finishers: 6/4
Home Continent:
Asia - 1
South America - 1
Oceania - 8
North America - 14
Europe - 25
Median Wage: 20,000-30,000 USD
Our survey brought in 49 responses from Enduro riders that were among the best ranked overall last season. Our numbers for this year were slightly lower than the 68 riders we surveyed last time but for this year's State of the Sport, we did adjust our criteria slightly. While the last survey featured seven riders racing the EWS who mainly raced downhill this time there were just two multiple-discipline downhill riders with one XC racer also taking on EWS races.
Of the Enduro racers surveyed, there was a heavy male skew with 63% of respondents identifying themselves as male and the rest of the 37% of respondents identifying as Female. Among all categories including Junior and U21, there were seven top five overall finishers for both male and female racers, while there were six top 10 male finishers and 4 female.
When it came to a rider's home continent the results remained very similar to the last State of the Sport with a heavy swing towards Europe. 51% of respondents call Europe home with North America holding 29%. The only other continent to feature more than one response was Oceania with 16% of our Enduro racers. Asia was home to one rider with South America being a newly represented nation for the State of the Sport survey in Enduro.
Enduro Racing Shouldn't be Totally Blind
Of the 49 primarily Enduro racers surveyed we found that an overwhelming 80% believe that racing should not be totally blind. The data shows a marked increase of 5% over the last State of the Sport where 75% of respondents answered in the same way. A similar percentage of riders still want blind racing compared to the last survey with 12% of racers agreeing with the idea.
While we found the majority of riders do not want blind racing, 34 riders found it concerning to them that "riders who live nearer to a race venue get more track time and, as a consequence, get an advantage". Only seven of the racers asked disagreed with this. It seems that while riders do not want truly blind racing they do worry about the advantage that can come from a large amount of track time.
Despite not wanting blind racing and the worry of over practicing most racers feel that is already enough practice time with 78% either agreeing or strongly agreeing to the idea that "Enough practice time is allocated at enduro events". Unsurprisingly all six of those who thought enduro racing should be blind either agreed or strongly agreed to there being enough practice time already. Although within those who disagreed to blind racing only seven think there should be more practice time than what is currently offered, suggesting that while tracks shouldn't be unknown there is a danger to knowing the course too well.
Of the three riders who either primarily race Downhill or XC we found that two of them strongly disagreed with the idea of blind racing with one feeling neutral on the topic.
Enduro racing should be totally blind:
Agree: 12% (6)
Neutral: 6% (3)
Disagree: 45% (22)
Strongly Disagree: 35% (17)
Left Blank: 2% (1)
Agree: 12% (6)
Neutral: 6% (3)
Disagree: 45% (22)
Strongly Disagree: 35% (17)
Left Blank: 2% (1)
I am concerned that riders who live nearer to a race venue get more track time and, as a consequence, get an advantage:
Strongly Agree: 39% (19)
Agree: 31% (15)
Neutral: 16% (8 )
Disagree: 14% (7)
Strongly Agree: 39% (19)
Agree: 31% (15)
Neutral: 16% (8 )
Disagree: 14% (7)
Enough practice time is allocated at enduro events:
Strongly Agree: 18% (9)
Agree: 59% (29)
Neutral: 8% (4)
Disagree: 10% (5)
Strongly Disagree: 4% (2)
Strongly Agree: 18% (9)
Agree: 59% (29)
Neutral: 8% (4)
Disagree: 10% (5)
Strongly Disagree: 4% (2)
86% Feel Their National Governing Body Doesn't do Enough for Enduro
One of the clearest problems found in the survey is that Enduro is struggling to receive support from national governing bodies for cycling.
Of the riders who primarily race Enduro a huge 86% feel their national governing body does not currently do enough for Enduro. Only 6% agree with the statement "My national governing body supports its athletes well," with 12% remaining neutral on the issue.
The lack of Enduro support from a national governing cycling body makes things hard for riders who aren't as well financially support as from our 49 respondents 78% find that riders from their home countries cannot compete at an international level without significant financial support. Without a national cycling body to support a sport it can be hard to form national and local races that can bring up future talent to the sport and help already established riders secure financial support.
As part of the survey, we asked the riders what they would like to see done differently by their national body, here are some of their responses:
 | To have a structure to support athletes. At this moment enduro is 100% privateer. |
| Firstly - recognise Enduro… British Cycling does not recognise enduro so we don’t have even an official national championships event. |
| Actually support Enduro racing. |
| Cycling NZ shows no support for Enduro racing and very little for DH racing. |
| More/any support for enduro riders at events like the trophy of nations, better organized national championship races. |
| I would like the national body to recognise and start to support Enduro. |
| As of now I get no form of support from my federation so anything would be better. |
My national governing body supports its athletes well:
Agree: 6% (3)
Neutral: 8% (4)
Disagree: 29% (14)
Strongly Disagree: 57% (28 )
Agree: 6% (3)
Neutral: 8% (4)
Disagree: 29% (14)
Strongly Disagree: 57% (28 )
For riders from my home country, it is too expensive to compete at an international level without significant financial support from brands or sponsors:
Strongly Agree: 37% (18 )
Agree: 41% (20)
Neutral: 14% (7)
Disagree: 8% (4)
Strongly Agree: 37% (18 )
Agree: 41% (20)
Neutral: 14% (7)
Disagree: 8% (4)
Racers Want Shuttles/Lifts for Practice but maybe not in the Main Race
While the 'spirit of enduro' back in 2013 seemed to be big days out on the big and blind racing it seems like today's racers want more help getting around the courses for practice with 61% of respondents either agreeing or strongly agreeing to the idea that "Shuttling should be allowed in training for enduro events." Only 27% would disagree or strongly disagree to this idea.
Despite a small majority of riders wanting more assistance during training, it seems like most are either neutral or disagree with a suggestion that shuttling and lifts should have more involvement on race days. 39% either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this while most found they were neutral on this idea. Only 20% thought this could be a good idea.
Breaking the data down into those who want extra assistance during practice, 40% of these respondents would not want this included in the race days.
Shuttles for practice offer a clear advantage in that they allow the riders to complete their practice without exerting as much energy so more can be saved for the actual racing. When it comes to race days things are less clear with the current top riders not being sure if having these included in racing is a definitive positive or negative for the sport.
Of the three riders who either primarily race Downhill or XC we found that two of them either agreed or strongly agreed to practice shuttles with the other rider remaining neutral. When it came to race shuttling and lift it was no surprise that the XC rider strongly disagreed to this with the Downhill riders either being neutral or strongly agreeing with this idea.
Shuttling should be allowed in training for enduro events:
Strongly Agree: 14% (7)
Agree: 47% (23)
Neutral: 12% (6)
Disagree: 12% (6)
Strongly Disagree: 10% (5)
Strongly Agree: 14% (7)
Agree: 47% (23)
Neutral: 12% (6)
Disagree: 12% (6)
Strongly Disagree: 10% (5)
The races, in general, should involve more shuttling and chairlifts:
Strongly Agree: 8% (4)
Agree: 8% (4)
Neutral: 41% (20)
Disagree: 29% (14)
Strongly Disagree: 10% (5)
Strongly Agree: 8% (4)
Agree: 8% (4)
Neutral: 41% (20)
Disagree: 29% (14)
Strongly Disagree: 10% (5)
Enduro Racers are Still on Average Paid More than Downhill Racers
Just like our last State of the Sport survey, we will be releasing the full breakdown of riders' earnings in full, but we thought it is worth highlighting again that Enduro riders continue to be better compensated on average than fellow Downhill racers.
To protect each rider's anonymity we won't be breaking down these results to the point where anyone could be identified but we can share a few interesting statistics and comparisons. Firstly, while Enduro does seem to pay riders better on average there is a pay ceiling in the bracket of $100,000-$250,000 USD whereas Downhill sees two riders earning $250,000 and higher.
The most interesting details seem to come in at the lower end of the pay spectrum with 20% of Enduro riders in the lowest bracket of $0-$5,000 USD compared to a sizeable 43% of the Downhill riders. It's troubling to see that despite Downhill receiving far more coverage and even live broadcasting so many more riders are struggling with zero or at best very little pay.
Whereas in Downhill it seems that riders are even earning the big bucks or struggling to get by Enduro seems to offer a far more secure source of income for most with 48% sitting at earnings between $20,000 and $100,000 USD. Only 29% of the Downhill field are making this level of income.
Enduro Rider Pay:
0-5,000: 20% (10)
5,000-10,000: 8% (4)
10,000-20,000: 12% (6)
20,000-30,000: 12% (6)
30,000-40,000: 6% (3)
40,000-50,000: 14% (7)
50,000-100,000: 16% (8 )
100,000-250,000: 8% (4)
0-5,000: 20% (10)
5,000-10,000: 8% (4)
10,000-20,000: 12% (6)
20,000-30,000: 12% (6)
30,000-40,000: 6% (3)
40,000-50,000: 14% (7)
50,000-100,000: 16% (8 )
100,000-250,000: 8% (4)
Downhill Rider Pay:
0-5,000: 43% (18 )
5,000-10,000: 12% (5)
10,000-20,000: 2% (1)
20,000-30,000: 7% (3)
30,000-40,000: 5% (2)
40,000-50,000: 5% (2)
50,000-100,000: 12% (5)
100,000-250,000: 7% (3)
250,000-500,000: 2% (1)
500,000+: 2% (1)
0-5,000: 43% (18 )
5,000-10,000: 12% (5)
10,000-20,000: 2% (1)
20,000-30,000: 7% (3)
30,000-40,000: 5% (2)
40,000-50,000: 5% (2)
50,000-100,000: 12% (5)
100,000-250,000: 7% (3)
250,000-500,000: 2% (1)
500,000+: 2% (1)
Other Comments from Enduro Racers
| Access to health resources would be really cool. I find I have great support in training and racing, but there is a gap in resources around injury and body maintenance (without spending a lot of personal money). I also understand it is part of being an athlete and I am okay to spend money here. |
| There needs to be more help to organize high-level events. |
| Our national cycling federation puts all the money and effort into road cycling. Even though we have several really good mountain bike athletes. |
| More funding. |
| It is incredibly difficult for privateers at an EWS, from the costs of the event to having to figure out logistics for shuttling. It's hard when pro teams are able to sort this easily. Also, they’ve provided a camping field for privateers but no toilet facilities. You are forced to get accommodation when it’s not affordable to do so. |
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The current enduro format is actually more similar to how rally races are run as opposed to your proposed signage.
The safest thing to do might be to have racers run down a gravel road, sped limited of course, after they’ve had an infinite number of practise laps serviced by private shuttle trucks to the top for everyone, to get acquainted with the amount of drift required,
We can call it re-repack racing, what do you think?
We don't care who is the fitest... There is XC for that.. they still have to be for racing 20-30min at max intensity... So what's the point of adding more pedaling? That you spend the whole f*cking day with your ass pedaling up when what you want actually is going down and enjoyy...
Groups of riders had their defined shuttle at a defined time,that took them to the top of 4 different tracks,with no prior training.
It was one of the most memorable races to everybody that participated,and we still talk about it after more than 20 years.
It was called the Bici-Enduro,at Lousã (Portugal).
Then it changed to shuttling was allowed in practice. I remember Tracey Moseley being outspoken against it. Her logic was:
- Gives an unfair advantage to big factory teams (harder for lone privateers to shuttle)
- Puts more vans and cars on the roads causing congestion around the area. Increased environmental impact.
- It's an endurance sport, pedalling is to be expected
- Puts more wear on the trails (more runs being done in practice)
Since then the last point (and to a certain degree the first), has been mitigated by only allowing one practice run per stage. The rest are probably still valid though. It does seem that since the rule change enduro has got more DH - focused. Bikes have got burlier. There's been less two-day races, and from this year there won't be any (changes to EDR rules).
I can see why racers wouldn't want to spend hours and hours during practice slogging up fire roads. I think it would be ideal to minimise private car/van shuttling during practice, like using chairlifts or community uplift vehicles. But that puts more pressure on race organisers and finding a suitable venue.
Enduro= Bud Light, something for everyone and way more ads
(Feel free to ridicule my beverage examples)
They are both f*cking close to water!!!
I think Cannondale did this back in the late 90s for Moutain Bike Action Magazine. It was cool to see how much the top riders were actually making verse the rest of the team mates and management staff. Don’t hold me to the exact numbers, but I am thinking it was around $2.5M for total team employee payout yearly. Lopes making $1M, Missy $500k, Tinker $500k, and I think the rest of the team and staff (6 total) shared the rest of $500k. That was a long time ago.
Just my 2cents.
And maybe a handful of roadies.
I’m not a cynic, I think it’s cool that the industry exists, but it’s far less glam than you’d think. I feel like I’d rather make cash, pay full price for bikes, and have time to ride than go back to getting some free parts and cheap stuff but having 0 money and no time to ride.
Even the worst road pro earns more than most DH and Enduro racers. On the other hand side, road cycling calendar is more intense with easily 50 race days per rider per year.
Given how British cycling treats the gravity side of cycling I'm not sure I want them involved (see providing no support to downhillers when they were supporting XC at the same venue on the same weekend as an easy example) but isn't it time that the cyclists got something back. Its not as if the UCI or federations could suggest all the money went on national series or prize money.....
the big British names select not to race the BNES champs race, this year its held by Welsh enduro in DYFI
Have the authors gotten any support from a professional statistician? If not I suggest so before publishing.
But anyway, I've always had more respect for amatuer athletes than professionals. How hard is it to just go train all day every day if you love it? Not hard at all. How hard is it to do it and live a normal life? Much harder and deserving of way more respect.