Interview: 5 Questions with the 3 Saffas at the 2026 UCI Enduro World Cup in France
Lekker in Loudenvielle
The six-round 2026 Enduro World Cup got underway last weekend in Loudenvielle, France, where three determined South Africans lined up against a total field of around 180 of the world’s best gravity racers. Competing on the world stage is no small feat, especially for riders from South Africa, who face the added challenge of taking on Europe’s deeply competitive Enduro scene and its wealth of world-class talent.
Riders tackled a demanding 49km course, with five timed stages covering 10.7km and delivering a punishing 2,150m of descending. France’s Alex Rudeau claimed victory in the Elite Men’s race with a blistering combined stage time of 23:30. South African Champion Keira Duncan led the South African contingent home in 68th place, finishing just 2:01 behind the winner. Jason Boulle crossed the line in 92nd, while Luca Zietsman, competing in his first season in the Elite ranks, secured 125th place in a highly competitive field.
While the results may not tell the full story, simply earning a place on the start line and racing against the sport’s elite is an achievement in itself – and a testament to the dedication and determination of these South African riders. We caught up with the crew, for a short post-race debrief.
BN: Take us through the good, the bad and the ugly of your race day in Loudenvielle.
Jason: It was so rad to be back in Loudenvielle to kick off my second season of World Cup Enduros. It’s a stunning venue with increadible trails, well worth a visit. It was a very quick turn around off the back of our SA Champs the weekend before so not the ideal prep for going super fast at a World Cup where the descents are long and steeeep! I rode as fast as I could conservatively, not taking many risks and staying smooth, and was happy with that for the opening race (landing 92nd on the day, 2mns24sec back from the winner), no heroics. I had two small tip overs on low speed loose sections of track which were a bit annoying but not much harm done, haha. There’s a lot more racing to come this season!
Keira: Felt good to be back on some properly challenging steep trails again. Had a silly crash on stage 1 over shooting a blown out turn, covered myself in dust, and gave away a lot of time getting back on track.
Luca: My day had a bit of everything—some good and some bad, but mostly good considering it was my first-ever Elite World Cup. Unfortunately, I had two chain drops on the two most pedal-heavy stages of the day, which definitely cost me some time, but overall it was still a great experience and a huge learning opportunity.
BN: What’s your go-to race day breakfast and on-bike nutrition plan to get through a big Enduro day?
Jason: Breakfast was the standard one cup of oats (dry) with some granola, milk, yogurt and banana (monkey never cramp). That was followed by a serving of Maurten’s Bicarb System to give the legs the best chance of withstanding the repeated sprints in the stages! On the bike I focused on hitting some good carb numbers with Maurten’s Drink Mix, Solids, and Gels. I totalled about 550g of carbs from those over the 6 hours we were out there + I had a small bowl of rice, milk, and honey between stages 4 and 5 when we got a 20min lunch and technical assistance break. Two of my Maurten gels had 100mg of Caffeine each and those were taken on the way to Stage 1 and before Stage 4.
Keira: Race day breakfast is my everyday super smoothie! Generally lots of energy bars and some caffeine for an extra kick during the day.
Luca: On race mornings, I usually struggle to get enough food into my body, but I make sure to eat at least two eggs, a cheese and salami bun, and a piece of fruit for breakfast. For on-bike nutrition, I trust 32Gi’s Endure Race Drink Mix, which I pair with some high-intensity gels. I also take a separate caffeine shot. On longer race days, like Loudenvielle, I bring along the Cramp Assault gels as well—and trust me, they definitely got used in Loudenvielle!
BN: Looking back at your pre-season [and with the benefit of hindsight] what training elements did you over do and what did you under do, if any?
Jason: I think I had a good balance in my training approach actually. The biggest issue was having to commit a bit more time to work as I took on new clients to help fund the racing season so I wasn’t able to commit as much time to training and recovery as I would have liked. I also struggled with some lingering sickness from the end of March to the end of April just about which slowed progress in training a lot. I know my biggest weakness at the moment is my technical skills and I’ll keep chipping away at those as best I can!
Keira: I can’t say I overdid anything in the build up. If anything, work commitments kept me from maximizing time on the bike.
Luca: During the preseason, I worked really hard on my cornering and bike setup, as well as some section-specific training. I also spent a lot of time in the gym to improve my body position on the bike and build the strength needed to hold on for longer during demanding stages.
BN: Any bike setup lessons learned from Round 1?
Jason: Big thick brake rotors (223mm) are great!! And 34 tooth chainrings are probably too big haha. The bike was running great otherwise. Softer suspension seems to be the way to go for me at these races where traction and preserving the body on long stages are top priority.
Keira: A smooth but supportive setup is important.
Luca: Not really. I kept my setup very similar to what I ran at the South African Championships. The only changes were minor adjustments to tyre pressures and softening the suspension slightly.
BN: What’s the one thing you miss the most about SA when you are racing abroad and living in a van?
Jason: The trickiest thing about racing over here is needing to skimp and save wherever you can. You’re constantly weighing up what you can and can’t afford, having to make do without your usual stock of spares and tools to keep the bike running optimally, and your usual support network is far away. We shared accommodation with some friends from Austria while in Loudenvielle which was great but we’re back into the swing of van life now. It’s definitely fun and novel, but a lot of the comforts of home are gone, and it becomes a very small space when the rain falls. It seems to be the most cost-effective way to do a long stint in Europe so that’s the way we do it!
Keira: Kinda want to say more affordable prices…
Luca: At this point, the thing I miss most is my family and my girlfriend. Being away from home for extended periods is definitely one of the toughest parts of racing at this level.
Chapeau lads and all the best for the next round in Leogang. //
| IMAGES: Leslie Boulle |