Interview with Christian Textor: EDR World Cup exit: “More of an opportunity than a tragedy”

The UCI, together with Warner Brothers, has announced that the EDR Enduro World Cup 2027 is to be removed from the calendar. This means that, following the EDR-E e-enduro series, the next category in the line-up has been scrapped. Athletes are now worried about their sponsorship deals, whilst enduro fans are concerned about the future of a dedicated platform for top-level sport. New series organisers appear to be in the starting blocks and are in discussions with the riders’ council. We interviewed one of them: a phone call with Christian Textor.

​Texi, the EDR World Cup is over. Is that a reason to be sad?

Certainly not. It’s more of an opportunity to restore the sport to what it really is. The end was predictable. The wrong people were in charge. Now something new is coming along that ties in with the roots of the enduro philosophy once again.

You mean a possible Crankworx series that’s currently being worked on?

Yes, the Crankworx concept is one building block. They’d been planning to launch a new enduro series for some time. The timing was right to dust off the concept. But there’s another potential series organiser as well. Perhaps it will end up being a combination of the two. Either way: now the right people can take the reins again and shape the sport the way the riders want it.

Many manufacturers and sponsors might say: the Champions League of enduro racing is gone, and the industry isn’t doing well anyway – so why invest now?

I think we’ve already moved past that point. The EDR had been clinically dead for a long time. That didn’t escape the industry’s notice either. Warner Brothers, with its focus on XCO and DH, made the EDR World Cup disproportionately expensive for teams. The entry fees for a single team alone were immense, the on-site costs high, and the media coverage limited. If you wanted to bring your own cameraman, you had to get them accredited – for a fee, of course. Obstacles were put in place at every turn. That’s why most people have already moved on in recent years.

So you reckon the industry’s up for a new series?

Yes, if you build something now that’s cool and unique again, manufacturers will say – we want to be part of that. And it’s very likely they’ll have to spend less money to do so.

The concept is not only intended to be linked to the existing Crankworx events in New Zealand and Canada, but also to include standalone events.

Exactly, that’s what’s being discussed right now – in close consultation with the drivers. Over the last few years, we’ve built up a drivers’ union. We’re currently holding meetings with this group again, including with the industry. All I know is this: the consensus amongst many potential sponsors is: “We want to.”

So, what mistakes must you avoid making?

Not always the same venues, an exciting points system, dialogue with organisers and, most importantly, making the new series accessible to more athletes once again.

You mean an amateur class?

Yes, they’re needed. Because enduro is a participatory sport. And they existed back in the EWS days too, because organisers used the entry fees to fund the events. Warner Brothers wanted to keep it exclusive – a mistake, in my view. Because that meant only major tourist destinations like Leogang could afford to host events. And that’s exactly how you lose the very locations that make enduro interesting in the first place.

​Uwe Buchholz – a veteran of the German enduro scene – said that hard enduro (motocross) sets the example: give the organisers room to be creative; that’s what makes a series interesting in the first place. Do you see it the same way?

This is actually being discussed. The hard enduro model certainly serves as a blueprint – there, riders can choose which races they want to compete in, based on a points system. My ideal scenario, for example, would be: ten World Cup-level races, five in Europe, two in America, two in Oceania, one in Africa – and only the best seven would count towards the overall result. Organisers in South America, who might attract fewer professionals, could invite the top riders and pay them an appearance fee. If organisers no longer have to fork out hundreds of thousands of euros to Warner Brothers, they might suddenly find they have the budget for it.

How important are the venues?

This is where the greatest opportunity lies. What was it that made the EWS so fascinating back then? Places where no one had ever cycled before. Places that were unknown. These locations were dropped because they couldn’t meet Warner Brothers’ budget requirements. Yet these are precisely the places that define enduro: the new, the adventurous.

What is the schedule for the new series?

Hopefully there’ll be updates this winter. Next year, there’s already supposed to be a platform where the racers can compete. Whether that’ll be the final production model straight away – I’ve no idea. But something is taking shape, which will hopefully be able to grow healthily and sustainably. I’m looking forward to it.

Who is Christian Textor?

Christian “Textmann” Textor is Germany’s most successful enduro racer. The Siegen native has now retired from racing and works in development for his sponsor, YT. Nevertheless, he is still part of the Enduro Riders’ Union and is committed to ensuring a better future for enduro racing.

​What do you think? Do you agree with Christian Textor? Let us know in the comments