For much of the 2026, it was looking like Lief Rodgers  might take the overall title. He’d been on the podium (or slightly off it in fourth place) for the majority of the six-race season. In this kind of racing, that kind of consistency adds up. Heading into the final round in Morillon, France, he was at the top of the UCI Enduro World Cup standings. He had an 82-point advantage.

There were a number of other riders also in a position to take the overall. With the right results, Raphaël Giambi, Alex Rudeau, Ryan Gilchrist and defending champion Sławomir Łukasik were all in the position to take the title.

But that’s racing; you never know what’s coming next.

Morillon featured eight stages, 84.4 kilometres of racing and 4,110 metres of descending over two days. And unfortunately, by the time the five-kilometre final stage on Sunday, Rodgers was chasing the result he needed to keep his title hopes alive. He couldn’t quite get there.

Dailly won the race and, with it, the 2026 UCI Enduro World Cup overall. Rodgers finished the season 43 points behind the Frenchman. But heck, second best in the world is no small achievement.

A rough start for Rodgers

Rodgers’ first day didn’t go as planned. A couple mistakes and less than perffect runs left him in seventh place after day one. The overall title wasn’t lost, but every place mattered.

Łukasik looked particularly dangerous early, winning two of Saturday’s four stages.

Dailly keeps piling on the pressure

On the Sunday a puncture near the top of the fifth stage cost Łukasik roughly 30 seconds. It basically removed the defending champion from the race for the title. Dailly immediately took advantage, winning the stage by three seconds over teammate Giambi.

Giambi answered by winning the technical Reverse River stage, but Dailly finished third and stretched his advantage in the race. On the short Morillon Village penultimate stage, Dailly backed things off slightly and finished ninth. It didn’t matter. He still carried a 27-second advantage into the final five-kilometre test. Behind him, Rodgers had one last chance to save his season.

One final stage, one last chance

The equation for Rodgers heading into the final stage was straightforward and brutally difficult: he needed to recover 16 seconds  to keep his overall hopes alive.

Tarmo Ryynänen threw down the fastest run of the stage. Dailly came within four-tenths of a second of matching him, more than enough to protect his race lead. Rodgers couldn’t find the time he needed.

Dailly had done it. One weekend after arriving in Morillon 82 points behind the Canadian, the French rider walked away as both the final-round winner and the 2026 UCI Enduro World Cup champion. He finished the season 43 points ahead of Rodgers, while Gilchrist took third in the overall standings.

“I’m super happy. It wasn’t my goal at the beginning of the season, it’s crazy,” Dailly said. “I’ve improved a lot this year and adapted better to my bike.”

Rodgers ended up in sixth place on the day, enough for a second in the overall title.

Charre wins at home, Conolly repeats

There was considerably less drama around the women’s elite overall title. Ella Conolly arrived in Morillon with a 170-point advantage over Mélanie Pugin and needed a top-six finish to secure her second consecutive overall crown. The British rider struggled in the heat on the opening day and sat seventh, nearly 40 seconds behind the race lead.

German privateer Helen Weber led after the opening four stages and carried a 10-second advantage into the finale. A crash on the five-kilometre final stage cost her around 30 seconds, dropping her from first to third.

That opened the door for Morgane Charre.

Racing in front of a home crowd, the French rider won the final stage by eight seconds to take the Morillon victory. Nadine Ellecosta finished second with Weber third. Ella Hoskin took sixth place.

Conolly finished fifth, comfortably enough to defend her overall title. She ended the season 220 points ahead of Pugin with Canadian (and current world champion) Elly Hoskin third.

On to the worlds

With he final round of the World Cup complete, enduro riders are looking to the World Championships in October. Taking place in the Finale Outdoor Region, Liguria, Italy, we’ll be watching and reporting on the results.