The future of enduro sport: Interview with enduro riders Ines Thoma & Leni Eller
Sissi Pärsch
· 26.12.2023
When Ines Thoma from the Allgäu region switched from cross-country to enduro in 2011, the discipline was still in its infancy. The Enduro Mountain Bike Association was founded the following year and the Enduro World Series (EWS) was launched in 2013. Ines accompanied the development for over a decade as Germany's most consistent and successful enduro rider. In 2023, the EWS became the UCI World Cup EDR.
Enduro sport seems to be in a phase of discovery. The future? Uncertain. The industry and the athletes? Uncertain. One athlete who still wants to give it a go is the German U19 runner-up in enduro and downhill, Leni Eller. The 18-year-old has two bike veterans as parents, Karen Eller and Holger Meyer. However, her first port of call for enduro tips is Ines Thoma ...
BIKE: Leni, why did you seek dialogue with Ines if you have such parents?
Leni Eller: My mum is no longer an active racer and I wanted to get some food for thought from outside. I raced my first World Cup race in 2023 and realised that I still had a lot to learn. Ines always seems extremely relaxed - exactly the opposite of me. I would like to know how you prepare for a race, how you organise yourself, how you stay clear in your head and concentrate.
Ines, before we get to your tips - would you advise Leni to get into enduro racing at all?
Ines: In any case. Enduro is and remains the best discipline. But honestly? If Leni had said that she really wanted to turn pro now and find a team straight away as a World Cup rookie, I think her chances are zero at the moment. It's not the easiest of times. It's unclear how the discipline will develop. There are persistent rumours that there will no longer be an Enduro World Cup in 2025, and that is already affecting sponsors. In addition, the industry is currently on shaky ground. I know some top riders who can't find sponsors at the moment. It would probably be easier to find a professional team in e-racing. I also think that a few will switch.
Leni: I think e-MTBs are cool, and people have actually said that I have a good chance. But it doesn't really appeal to me yet. I want to concentrate fully on the EDR races after my A-levels, but I will probably study in Innsbruck in the future. Of course it would be cool to ride in a professional team, but I'm afraid that I'd put too much pressure on myself to achieve results.
Ines: Although your parents also set an example that you can't make a living from bike racing with just top racing results. Wouldn't their concept be something for you too?
Leni: It's cool and inspiring, of course. But I'd rather see for myself what comes next. And I've already realised that I'm ambitious.
As a young athlete, how do you view the development of the sport, Leni?
Leni: Of course I'm concerned about that, and it would be a shame if there was no more World Cup. But I honestly can't imagine it. There are more and more riders because people are realising what a great sport it is. I therefore believe that there will still be races at world level. The industry is seeing how enduro racing is growing and becoming more and more important.
Ines, your daughter Romy was born in 2021 and your partner Max Schumann is also a professional cyclist. Were Leni's parents role models for you in terms of how a "bike family" can work?
Ines: Yes, absolutely. The question came up again and again as to whether you can do such an unsteady job, a job that requires so much flexibility. There are a few examples where one parent continues to make a living from biking, but the other keeps everything together at home. That's why Karen and Holger were definitely a role model for us. But Leni, I'd be interested to know if your parents were always a racing role model for you.
Leni: I have to say that I wasn't that interested in racing. I always just wanted to ride for fun. My brother Lois said to me at some point that I wasn't that slow and should give it a go. In 2021, I rode the Enduro One race in Innsbruck and came third in the women's category despite crashing. That totally surprised me. But it also got me hooked.
Ines: I can imagine that your base speed was high without you knowing it. Simply because you're such an abnormal family. Other parents would certainly have noticed that you were super fast.
Leni, you were also a successful downhill racer. Why did you decide to switch to enduro racing now?
Leni: CC is too much up for me, not enough down. I love riding downhill, that's my element. But I'm also a bit of a chicken and think too much - you shouldn't do that in DH. Enduro is more complex and I also find the community more relaxed than downhill.
Ines: For me, it's still the best format - super varied, super people. In my eyes, it's the most complete discipline.
But you also said that it is a discipline that is currently changing ...
Ines: Yes, apart from the step from the EWS to the EDR, I have the feeling that enduro racing is becoming more extreme. If you want to be at the top, you now have to ride every corner a little over the limit - and that doesn't always feel so great ... I think you have to realise that and think about whether you want to do that. You don't necessarily need to overpace to be in a good midfield. I came seventh after Romy was born and stayed in my comfort zone. But to be at the top, you have to ride at the limit.
Leni: I realise that too. At my first World Cup race in Chatel, I realised how demanding it is at top international level, what the smallest mistakes can mean and where I'm still lacking. I want to work on this specifically, ride a lot with my brother, who is extremely good downhill skier, and build up my self-confidence - and talk to someone like Ines. My problem is that I worry too much. Ines always seems like nonchalance personified ...
Ines: I'm only relaxed when I know that everything is in place. The preparation is complete in the start area, but I can be a perfectionist beforehand, you can ask the people around me ... I have to get everything ready the day before: from the safety pins to breakfast or the catering at the pit stop. I'm meticulous about that. Cycling itself actually relaxes me.
Leni: And between the stages?
Ines: Have you ever tried taking notes? I don't memorise every turn, but the ones that are out of the ordinary and where I deviate from my line. I write this down on index cards - "before the drop up left" or similar - and then go through it again. This helps me to focus and shorten the often long waiting times before the stages.
Leni: I really must try that out.
What is particularly important during training?
Ines: Enduro is so versatile and therefore incredibly complex and difficult to train. There are many components and therefore many rider types and different ways to be fast. The most obvious thing is always to work on your weaknesses. For me, that means big jumps, taking real risks, switching off your head. But I've learnt that you shouldn't forget your strengths. Maybe you shouldn't have a 3 everywhere. Instead: jumps 6, endurance 1.
Leni: I hadn't yet trained in a structured way and then realised in the World Cup that it wasn't enough. It was extremely difficult to maintain my strength and concentration until the last stage. Now I'm motivated and will work with a training plan.
Any last tips, Ines?
Ines: That's a personal thing, but for me it was important that I was quite broadly based and not just focussed on racing. Of course, some people say that you can only be successful if you are fully focussed on racing. But it took the pressure off me to always have to perform at my best. I like the variety: racing, travelling, writing books and reports, social media, podcasts. I also have the trust of my sponsors and now the freedom with Romy. And today I think to myself: imagine if you had only raced in all those countries - Tasmania, Colombia. I always stayed longer and travelled the countries. Those are the experiences that stay in your head. Not the results.
Profile Ines Thoma
Ines Thoma (34) comes from the Allgäu region and switched from cross-country to enduro racing in 2011. She immediately became Germany's first female enduro champion, regularly finished on the podium at the EWS and won four Megavalanche races. After the birth of her daughter Romy in 2021, she raced both enduro and e-MTB - in 2023 she came third overall in the E-EDR. Ines studied to be a primary school teacher, writes bike travel guides and talks about the bike scene in her podcast "MTB Pasta Party".
Profile Leni Eller
Leni Eller (18) has won the DH Rookies Cup twice and is German U19 runner-up in both downhill and enduro. She also received a Golden Card for her first EDR race in 2023. Her parents, lawnmowers Karen Eller and Holger Meyer, have played a decisive role in the development of mountain biking in Europe - as one of the first providers of bike tours and schools and inventors of cult events. Leni's brother Lois (14) has his sights firmly set on the Downhill World Cup.
How do I become an Enduro Pro?
Do I have to be a member of an association?
If you really want to go pro, you need a licence - and your cycling club can apply for one from the German Cycling Federation (BDR).
Which races do I start with?
The best way to do this is with popular sporting events such as the Enduro One, Enduro Tirol or Swiss Enduro series. You don't need a licence for these if you don't want to start in the elite category. For the EDR, you collect points at the open race the day before or at qualifier races and national championships (in which any licensed rider can take part), which are saved on your UCI licence. Only those with enough points are allowed to compete in the EDR.
What will it cost me?
Depending on the race, the entry fees range from around 70 to 100 euros, and up to 200 euros for the EDR. If you are not part of a pro team, the travel budget can be high ...
How can I earn money with it?
The prize money for winning the Enduro One is 100 euros, the prize money for winning the EDR is 1500 euros (the seventh-placed rider receives 75 euros). For the overall World Cup, the winner receives 10,000 euros and fifth place another 1,000 euros. So without sponsors, you can't make a living from enduro racing.
