Couple days ago in Kemer, on the Turkish coast, Manuel Lettenbichler started the Mountain Race at Sea to Sky from the third row and won it by more than four minutes. He was on the third row because of a ten-minute penalty earned the day before, and the penalty was there because his father poured water on an overheating rear brake while the bike was being refuelled. One race remains in the season. If it goes the way the standings suggest, this will be his fifth Hard Enduro World Championship in a row.
At a glance
Manuel Lettenbichler won the Mountain Race Sea to Sky on 10th of October 2026, from the third row, by over four minutes. Mario Roman finished second. It was the penultimate round of the season and Lettenbichler leads by 32 points going into Hixpania in Spain on 23 October, where a fifth consecutive world title is on the table. His signed photograph is on the wall above my desk.
Table of Contents
What Happened in Türkiye?
Sea to Sky runs over three days on the coast at Kemer: a Beach Race, a Forest Race, and a Mountain Race that finishes at the top of a mountain.
The penalty came in Friday’s Forest Race. Lettenbichler finished it fifth, but at the refuelling stop his rear brake had been overheating and his father put water on it to cool it down. Under the rules that counts as outside assistance, and the officials gave him ten minutes. Fifth became fifteenth.
That put him on the third row for Saturday’s Mountain Race, with fourteen riders ahead of him on a 64-kilometre course that climbs to the summit of Tahtalı at 2,366 metres. He came through all of them and finished better than four minutes clear of second place (Enduro21, 2026).
Second place went to Mario Roman, which is a name that has turned up in Lettenbichler’s results for years now.
That was the seventh of eight rounds. The standings after it put Lettenbichler on 197 points and Mitch Brightmore on 165, a gap of 32 with one race to run.
Four Straight Titles, and One Race Left
He has won the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship four times, in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and nobody else in the history of the series has won four consecutively (KTM). Before any of that, he won the World Enduro Super Series in 2019 (Wikipedia).
The year before that run started, 2021, he finished the season as runner-up to Billy Bolt.
He rides for KTM and is supported by Red Bull.
The last round of this season is Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain, on 23 to 25 October. A result there makes it five in a row.
The Photo Above My Desk
The SuperEnduro came to Belgrade in February and Lettenbichler was racing it. Before the start there was a signing table, Lettenbichler, Billy Bolt and Jonny Walker, with a queue in front of it. I got a photo with Billy, a photo with Lettenbichler, and a signed print from him. I can’t remember what I said but it was something like good luck tonight and then the person behind me stepped up.
That print is on the wall above my desk now, next to Billy’s, among the notes and goals I look at every day. A friend had given me two little Burago bikes for my birthday, a Husqvarna and a KTM, for no particular reason. Once the photos went up it was obvious where they belonged. The Husqvarna sits on Billy’s frame and the KTM on Lettenbichler’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many world championships has Manuel Lettenbichler won?
Five senior world titles: the World Enduro Super Series in 2019, and the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He is the only rider to win four Hard Enduro titles in a row. In 2021 he finished runner-up to Billy Bolt. Taking the 2026 title in Spain would make it five Hard Enduro titles in a row.
Who won Sea to Sky 2026?
Manuel Lettenbichler won the Mountain Race Sea to Sky on 10th of October 2026 in Kemer, Türkiye, finishing more than four minutes clear despite starting from the third row. Mario Roman was second. The 64-kilometre course climbed to the summit of Tahtalı at 2,366 metres.
Why did Manuel Lettenbichler get a penalty at Sea to Sky?
He received a ten-minute penalty for outside assistance in the Forest Race, after his father cooled an overheating rear brake with water at the refuelling stop. The penalty moved him from fifth to fifteenth, which put him on the third row for the Mountain Race the following day.
When is the final round of the 2026 Hard Enduro World Championship?
Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain, on 23 to 25 October 2026. Lettenbichler goes into it leading Mitch Brightmore by 32 points, 197 to 165.
Spain is eleven days away. He has a 32-point lead and one race to manage, and on recent evidence managing a race is not where he struggles.
The photograph stays on the wall either way.
Sources
- “Sea to Sky: Lettenbichler one step closer after conquering the Mountain Race.” Enduro21, October 2026. The third-row start, the winning margin, and the championship position.
- “Manuel Lettenbichler.” KTM. Four consecutive Hard Enduro World Championships, 2022 to 2025.
- “Hard Enduro Sea to Sky: Lettenbichler triumphed on the mountain.” Speedweek, October 2026. The Mountain Race result.
- “Hard Enduro World Championship Sea to Sky: Time penalty sets Manuel Lettenbichler back.” Speedweek, October 2026. The Forest Race penalty for outside assistance at the refuelling stop.
- “Standings.” FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. Championship points going into the final round.
Filip Petreski is the founder of AFIELD and a multi-sport outdoor athlete. A two-time national cross-country MTB champion, snowboard instructor, and former dirt bike rider, he writes about the people, gear, and culture worth paying attention to in the outdoor world.