Rachel Gutish secured the Women’s Enduro World Championship for a second consecutive year in 2026. After the Portuguese round where she clinched the title, she said the early result had surprised even her. Errors and technical difficulties had interrupted her season, but they did not prevent her from retaining the championship.
Her route to that point was far from assured. Losing her previous team support early in 2025 put her racing future in doubt. A place with the RIEJU factory team allowed her to continue. Gutish has also highlighted a wider problem in women’s enduro: many competitors work full-time between rounds and cannot train with the resources available to full-time professionals.
That makes her story about the structure of the sport as well as race results. Gutish has suggested giving women’s performances greater weight in the manufacturers’ championship, creating a clearer incentive for teams to invest. Her two titles show what one rider has achieved; sustained backing could open a similar path for others.