After two years of challenges and perseverance, the Yeti/Shimano EP Racing team emerged triumphant in its third season of competition at the highest level of E-Enduro (E-EDR) racing.
The young and talented Australian, Ryan Gilchrist rode his Yeti 160e with the Shimano EP801 drive unit to two UCI E-EDR race victories this season while also winning several power stages along the way. His persistence on the bike and consistent rides throughout the season earned him the overall championship for the 2024 UCI E-Enduro World Cup point series.
I’m pretty pleased with my season, especially considering where I was at last year,” Ryan shared after the season. “Building off of that to start the season with a win in Finale Ligure, Italy was very special and then being able to build on that with more podiums and another win later in the season and then bringing home the overall world cup title, I couldn’t be happier.”
2024 marked Ryan’s second season with the Yeti/Shimano EP Racing team. Ryan’s first win came at the UCI E-EDR World Cup in Finale Ligure, Italy. A legendary mountain bike mecca that has been a long-standing stop in the Enduro world series. Known for its rugged terrain and technical challenges, it’s especially impressive for a young rider to come in and take the win amongst a field that has raced the mountains Finale Ligure many times.
Round two welcomed a new venue location, Bielsko-Biala in the stunning Beskidy mountains of Poland. Ryan rode well to back up his Finale win with an impressive podium while his Yeti Enduro teammate Slawomir Lukasik took advantage of his local trail knowledge and stormed to a dominate win on one of the Yeti/Shimano Team 160e back up e-bikes.
The next round in Leogang, Austria turned out to be a very challenging. Ryan suffered a costly crash, falling off the side of a hill and having to rock climb back to his bike during one of the stages, losing too much time to overcome in the remaining stages. Not allowing one bad race to get him down, Ryan forged ahead to the next stop in the beautiful Haute Savoie region in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes of southeastern France. Here, Ryan put himself back on the podium with a well-earned third place finish.
Building off his podium finish in France, Ryan faced off with the challenging terrain of the Swiss Alps at the Aletsch Arena / Bellwald, Valais. This provided a perfect backdrop for Ryan’s technical skills and tactical finesse, allowing him to secure his second World Cup win of the season.
Going into the final round of the series in Loudenvielle – Peyragudes, France Ryan held a comfortable lead in the series points. He rode consistently and conservatively, ensuring he could lock in his first World Cup Championship title. This monumental accomplishment would also mark the first title for the Yeti/Shimano EP Racing Team.
“All of us over here at Yeti are extremely proud of what the team has accomplished this year,” said Damion Smith, Yeti Team manager. “It was an intense and demanding season and for Ryan to walk away with the E-EDR championship as well as Richie Rude winning the EDR championship it was a dream season. In addition to Ryan and Richie’s success, the rest of the team delivered great results as well earning Yeti two overall team titles which is a true testament to the team’s relentless pursuit of excellence.”
First Ever E-EDR World Championships
Enduro racing on the global level is relatively new, so it’s especially exciting to see the UCI recognizing Enduro and E-Enduro as distinct categories racing for the highly coveted World Championship rainbow jersey. World Championship events are always special, and the teams and riders fully embraced the experience. Many riders donned custom paint jobs on their bikes and of course all riders selected to compete proudly wore their country’s team jersey.
Held in the stunning Val di Fassa venue in Trentino Italy, this was the first ever World Championship for E-EDR racing and the event was a landmark for the sport. Coming in as the E-EDR world cup Champion Ryan was excited about the event, unfortunately a couple days before practice would begin, he came down with a stomach bug that took its toll. On top of that, a surprise snowstorm came through the day before practice and blanketed the top half of the Val de Fassa mountains with as much as two feet of snow.
Ryan and his Yeti/Shimano EP Racing teammate Mick Hannah raced strong amongst a highly competitive field, with Ryan fighting hard to take fourth place on the day, just missing out on the medals. But Ryan did find success in the power stages, winning the last and most technical stage as well as getting the fastest combined time on all the power stages, thus earning him the “Unofficial E-MTB power stage World Champion.”
After the race, Ryan shared his experience racing at the first ever E-EDR World Championships:
“Val Di Fassa is one of the most iconic venues for Enduro racing so it felt fitting that they would hold the World Championship here for the discipline’s first time,” Ryan commented after the race. “The weather played a significant role in how the event looked with stages being covered in a surprise snowstorm just days prior to the race and the dirt being liquified to reveal unthinkably slippery roots and rocks.”
“My race week started poorly with an untimely vomit bug. After 18 hours of downtime, I began gearing up for racing hoping to fully kick the sickness in time for the start of the race.
Once the race was under way, I started pretty slow with a conservative run on Stage 1 Titans. After that, I was sitting outside the top 10. But I made it my business to focus on dragging back the positions over the whole day and do some damage on the long and physical power stages. Ending the day with a win on the last power stage put me in a good position to creep up into the top 10. It feels good to finish strong and claim P4, one step off the podium.”
“I am super proud of this result, and it has taken some time for the magnitude of this season’s success to sink in. It’s great to see Shimano achieve the top spot in E-Bike racing, and it wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and dreams of the hard-working Shimano team who work tirelessly behind the scenes.”
2024 was the third year of the Yeti/Shimano EP Racing program and this season brought plenty of learning opportunities and accomplishments for the team. With Ryan’s overall series win and Mick Hannah’s critical role as a racer and test rider, the team has much to reflect on and celebrate.
“This success would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our sponsors, particularly Shimano,” Damion Smith added. “In just three years, the Yeti/Shimano EP Racing Team was formed with Shimano’s full backing and a unified goal: to transform the EP drive unit...into a race-proven powerhouse. With Shimano’s close support, this transformation has led to multiple power stage wins, event victories, and ultimately, the overall E-EDR title. Shimano’s product innovation and development have been instrumental in the team’s journey, and the clear goals we set for this program have now been achieved.”