The venue has its own attraction: following last year’s successful inaugural enduro race at the Pohorje Maribor Bike Park, this year’s event will once again feature not only the fastest Slovenian riders but also a number of challengers from abroad. Six special stages between the town and Areh; thanks to the cable car, the descents will total 700 metres more in elevation than the climbs.
The fourth and penultimate stope in this season’s SloEnduro series is just around the corner. At the race known as SloEnduro Pohorje Maribor, the battle for the overall titles will largely have been decided by now, though the national championship titles are still up for grabs. For some, one is more important than the other; for others, it’s the other way round; whilst some are aiming for the top in both.
The Course
The long course features six special stages, with a total of 1,110 metres of climbing on bikes.
There are quite a few changes compared to last year’s course. The stages at Areh will be similar, and there will also be a 600-metre-long natural ‘power stage’ with technical challenges for the e-MTB category. The Tower Trail above Belvi remains, whilst two new stages on new natural trails at Videc have been added just above that. The transfer trails run through the forest, offering views of the valley.
On their return to the valley, participants – apart from those on the two shortest courses – can look forward to a truly spectacular descent into the valley with 700 metres of elevation loss – the same amount they saved by taking the cable car at the start of the day. A linked descent along the Shimano SuperStage via the Bolfenk 1 and 2 trails – true enduro highlights on loamy dirt – and, from the Čopka crossing onwards, roughly following the World Cup downhill track. The 3.8 km-long stage is expected to take the fastest riders around eight minutes. For now, that is only a guess.
In total there will be around 1600 vertical meters of racing descent.
Even the youngest riders in the U13 and U15 categories, as well as beginners in the 4Fun category, will face the transfer from Belvi to two stages at Areh and back. They might not be too happy about having to return to the valley by cable car, but it’s a matter of safety and responsibility.
Details of the course here
National Championship
In the 14th year of the Slovenian enduro championship, the venue will be Maribor for the first time – and indeed, the first time in Styria region. Four years ago, the titles were awarded at Kopa, on the Koroška side of Pohorje range.
Nežka Libnik
The most coveted titles, the elite titles, will be defended in Maribor by two riders from neighbouring villages above Prevalje in Koroška: Nežka Libnik (KK Ravne na Koroškem) and Vid Peršak (Rajd Ljubljana / AON Racing). It would be wrong to say that the junior world champion Libnik, who competes in the combined women’s category both in the series competition and at the national championships, has no rivals. If everything goes to plan, that is true, but enduro is a discipline in which things can quickly go awry.
Vid Peršak
In the men’s elite category, there will be 26 riders in total, including a few international riders. Based on this year’s results, Peršak’s main challenger is Maks Struna (KK Završnica), who is in his first year in this category. After a long recovery, former SloEnduro champion Miha Smrdel (MBK Črni Vrh) is making his comeback. Just how fast will he be, given that this will be his first race of the season? Last year, he finished second behind Peršak here.
There are several other contenders for national championship medals, led by the experienced David Ivartnik (Golovec trails), whilst foreign riders will also be vying for places on the SloEnduro podium, such as last year’s overall series winner, the Hungarian Áron Babó; the Austrian Valentin Frey, who finished fifth in Maribor last year; German Lars Pfeiffer, who finished sixth in this year’s Nova Gorica race…
Among the juniors, there is a logical showdown between rivals from Ajdovščina teams: the top seven riders in the standings all come from KK Črn trn and KK Kamplc. At the top is Blaž Stres (Kamplc) with two wins and one second place in the category, followed by his club-mate Ian Laharnar and Lenart Sever (Črn trn). But there are others who could also get in on the fight for the medals.
In the U17 mens’ category, Erik Žgavc (Črn trn) holds an even firmer lead at the top than Stres, followed by Kostja Matijevec Jerman and Gaber Novak (both from Rajd Ljubljana). However, apart from Žgavc, the names on the podium here change even more frequently, meaning there could be as many as ten riders in the running for medals.
List of Entrants
Standings in SloEnduro Series
Where and When
The main venue, hosting the start and the prize-giving ceremony, will be in the square below the lower station of the Pohorje cable car. Not far away, at the end of the Čopka trail, will be the finish area for the day’s final stage, the Shimano SuperStage. Exhibitors will be on hand, and there will also be the opportunity to test ride bikes.
The schedule is standard, with training on the course on Saturday from 11.00 to 18.00 and the first start on Sunday at 9.30. The closing ceremony is scheduled for between 16.00 and 17.00.
Live results
Details of SloEnduro Pohorje Maribor 2026 can be found in the event propositions
