RYAN Gilchrist has been crowned a world champion for the second time.
The Coffs Coast rider won the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike Men Elite Enduro World Championships in Italy.
The 24-year-old won his second rainbow jersey, after he won the UCI Pump Track World Championship in 2024.
Enduro is mountain biking’s equivalent of a car rally, as each racer faces multiple descents across a day and has to pedal themselves to the top of each.
Gilchrist completed the six stages of 60kmin in a time of 36:20.262, beating Canadian Elliot Jamieson by 4.860 seconds in Finale Ligure, Italy, which is widely considered the birthplace and spiritual home of modern enduro racing.
His world-title win capped off a stellar season in which he won his first-ever round of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Switzerland, before finishing third overall.
This year also saw him win his third straight King of Crankworx title, becoming the first rider in the history of the Crankworx World Tour to achieve this feat.
The newly crowned world champion said it was extremely special to once again be on top of the world.
“This team invests so much in me, my family, my girlfriend, my country, myself, there is just so much commitment,” he said.
“And when it pays off like that it’s really, really special.
“That sort of thing, it sometimes never happens in a lifetime, and for me to do it twice, I’m beyond grateful.”
By Aiden BURGESS
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