Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1536002
Lettenbichler Superb at Erzbergrodeo M anuel Lettenbichler of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing triumphed in the 2025 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. He seized the lead around the 40-minute mark, riding his KTM 300 EXC with precision to secure his fourth consecutive win at this legend - ary event, held May 31-June 1. Lettenbichler, after qualifying in the Iron Road Prologue with the 11th-fastest time, earned a front-row spot for Sunday's main event. The Prologue victory went to Josep Garcia, the current leader of the EnduroGP World Champion - ship, who climbed the hill on his KTM 250 EXC-F, beating second- place Andrea Verona by seven seconds. Daniel Sanders, the 2025 Dakar Rally winner, secured third place on his KTM 450 Rally. Conditions were ideal at the beginning of Sunday's race, and a strong start saw Mani quickly move into the top five. He then be - gan to close in on the early leader, Husqvarna's Billy Bolt. After 25 minutes, Lettenbichler had over- taken everyone except Bolt and was closely following him. As they entered the challenging Carl's Din- ner section for the first time, Bolt made a mistake, allowing Mani to take the lead. From that moment, Lettenbichler proved unbeatable, consistently increasing his lead and navigating the later sections with relative ease. Even with heavy rain around the one-hour and 20-minute mark, Mani remained focused and put on a champion's perfor - mance, completing the second half of the race incident-free and finishing over 12 minutes ahead of second place. The victory is Mani's fourth consecutive Erzber - grodeo win, just one short of the record held by Taddy Blazusiak. "It feels amazing to take the win here at Erzberg again," Lettenbichler said. "Nothing in hard enduro is guaranteed, and I was definitely feeling the pres - sure here, even before the race. I got a good start, but Billy's pace at the front was fast, and it took me a while to catch him. I knew when we got into the trees, I'd have a good chance to make a push for the lead. I think Billy made a couple of mistakes, and I was able to get ahead. After that, I just kept my head down and focused on getting through every section without any issues. "The track was perfect this year, I enjoyed it, and the fans have been incredible as always. That's four in a row now. I've got one more to get to equal Taddy and then a few more wins to beat the record. I'm already look - ing forward to next year, it's such an amazing event." "It was a tough one," Bolt said. "I knew after a good start that I had to push hard from the off. I got a little bit tired on the first section of Carl's Dinner, need - ing a couple of goes to exit the trees. That took my momentum away from me. I got fresh en- ergy on the second run through Carl's Dinner, but by that stage, Mani had already gained control of the race, and I knew I needed to maintain my position of second. But I can't complain. To have missed the race 12 months ago with injury and come back to where we are now is very sat - isfying. For sure, runner-up is not the result I came here for, but I left it all out on the mountain today, I didn't hold back." Sherco's Teodor Kabakchiev completed the podium, crossing WIND IN THE P50 KTM's Manuel Lettenbichler won the Erzbergrodeo for the fourth consecutive time. PHOTOS: RED BULL CONTENT POOL