The 29th edition of the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo lands this week with the most impressive rider entry lists – Jarvis and Blazusiak to Garcia and Verona will challenge the Hard Enduro elite of Mani Lettenbichler, Billy Bolt, jony Walker, Cody Webb and Trystan Hart on the Iron Giant May 29 to June 1.

Check this out for an entry list:

Manuel Lettenbichler, Billy Bolt, Trystan Hart, Cody Webb, Jonny Walker, Teo Kabakchiev, Wade Young, Mario Roman, Mitch and Ash Brightmore, Graham Jarvis, Taddy Blazusiak, Josep Garcia, Andrea Verona, Daniel Sanders, Johnny Aubert, Pol Tarres and Remy Gardiner.

Ok, some of those guys are not aiming at the main prize, the Hare Scramble on Sunday, but still, as a spectacle of hard enduro, a place to be if you love the sport, it’s not going to get much better than that. Eisenerz is the focus of enduro this week.

Four day festival

The biggest enduro festival in the world traditionally kicks off with the Mitas Rocket Ride uphill race on Thursday followed by the major draw for the masses of riders entered – almost 1100 participants – take on the Blakläder Iron Road Prologue.

The 15 kilometre, high-speed gravel track, peppered with chicanes, winds its way from the start next to the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Arena across the open-cast mining tracks of the mining area to the finish high up the mountain.

The riders start individually, with the faster of the two run times deciding victory or congratulations for those aiming to be inside the fastest 500 qualifying for the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo main race.

The Styrian Mountains can throw all kinds of weather at the riders including snow, driving rain, low cloud and fog to baking sunshine. Whatever the weather, the main pro riders aim to be fastest first on this course which gets eaten badly by so many riders, meaning their ranked first runs on a very different playing field to the rest of the riders is normally the one.

Of that list of riders above there are a few standout challengers for the Prologue win but odds on it will be between EnduroGP boys Garcia and Verona but it will be good to see where Chucky Sanders fits in on his Rally bike.  

High calibre starting list Red Bull Erzbergrodeo 2025

Rarely before has the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo had such a high-calibre field taking on the Iron Giant. This year, the top pro riders have no less than 44 world championship titles and 18 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo victories.

Manuel Lettenbichler is at the top of the list of favourites. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing factory rider has won the last three Red Bull Erzbergrodeo editions from 2022 to 2024 and arrives to Erzberg in top form having comfortably won the opening Hard Enduro round in Wales, the Red Bull KTM rider is everyone’s benchmark come the main race.

Letti’s main rivals are his KTM brand colleague Trystan Hart (podium 2022/2023/2024), Husqvarna Factory Racing superstar Billy Bolt (podium 2023, six-time finisher), Spanish Sherco factory rider Mario Roman (podium 2022/2024), South African Wade Young (nine-time finisher), Jonny Walker (three-time winner and this year racing the Triumph four-stroke), Sherco Factory Racing rider Teodor Kabakchiev (BG) and Cody Webb (two-time podium finishes now on the Yamaha).

In that list who are you going to pull out as favourite? Trystan Hart and Billy Bolt are odds-on we’re saying having both weighed-in enough times, and come close enough times now, to be both hungriest and fit enough for this unique race.

Among the hunters are two-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo winner Alfredo Gomez plus the two iconic five-time winners Graham Jarvis and of course Taddy Blazusiak. Let’s hear it for the old but gold guys.

At the other end of the age scale we will see serious challenges for the podium from Mitch Brightmore and Ashton Brightmore, Matthew Green, Dominik Olszowy plus US Hard Enduro top dogs Ryder Leblond and Will Riordan.

EnduroGP world champions Josep Garcia and Andrea Verona will line-up to bring spice to the mix alongside 2025 Dakar Rally winner Danny Sanders (AUS, KTM), who will be at the start of the Blakläder Iron Road Prologue for the first time on his Red Bull KTM 450 Rally.

In the twin-cylinder classification of the Blakläder Iron Road Prologue, an exciting battle for victory between KTM, Yamaha and Ducati will once again unfold with former enduro world champion Jonny Aubert on the 890 Adventure R and crowd favourite Pol Tarres will be supported this year by his no less talented teammate Kevin Gallas (DE). Both Yamaha riders are also planning to take part in the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo main event on Sunday on their Tenere 700s.

MotoGP superstars on the iron mountain

The fastest motorcycle racers in the world will also be switching from asphalt to dirt for the Erzberg weekend with former Moto2 World Champion and current World Superbike rider Remy Gardner on a two-stroke Yamaha.

MotoGP star Pedro Acosta will be visiting his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing factory camp but is not expected to ride.

Red Bull Erzbergrodeo mastermind Karl Katoch is delighted about the influx of top riders brings something extra to this year’s Erzberg. “From the Mitas Rocket Ride to the Blakläder Iron Road Prologue and the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo on Sunday, there will be fights for every position.” Says Katoch.

Rider parade stays on-site this year

The annual raid on Eisenerz town this year moves inside the quarry (maybe they had enough of the burnouts…hmm?), the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Kessel Parade will gather the entire starting field, their escorts, crew members and visitors on their motorcycles for a huge rider parade.

From the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Arena, Katoch leads the procession of thousands into the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo starting bowl, where all the participants line up in a gigantic XXX formation as a tribute to the 30th anniversary of the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo next year.

The Red Bull Erzbergrodeo LIVE on ServusTV and Red Bull TV

If you can’t watch the spectacle live in person, the race will also be broadcast live on ServusTV in 2025 from 12:35 p.m for German speakers streaming from 12:35 pm with a host of big name presenters.

The international live stream on Red Bull TV will be hosted by Pat Parnell and Ed Leigh as well as experts Darryl Curtis, Rob Warner and roving race reporter Paul Bolton on Sunday, June 1st from 12:30 pm. The international live stream will also be available for Red Bull Erzbergrodeo visitors to watch on site in the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Action Arena.

Enduro21 will be there bringing you all the news and results plus looks at the bikes, interviews with riders and more. Stay tuned.