Release from 20.04.2026
Ryder LeBlond finishes in fourth position at Moab round of U.S. Hard Enduro Championship
Grand National Cross Country Series – Round 5
It was a convincing weekend for former champion Craig DeLong, who powered his Husqvarna FX 350 to a strong start and maintained a consistent pace at The Dukes GNCC, which is new to the schedule for 2026.
Charging to a third-place finish overall and in the XC1 Open Pro Class with a total time of 3:02:28, DeLong's results across the first five rounds position him fourth in the standings heading into The Old Gray GNCC on May 1-3, with both his speed and confidence on the rise.
“I had a decent start, found myself inside the top-five, and made my way into third,” DeLong said. “Felt good from about halfway on and kind of started finding my groove, started reeling in the leaders about 20 seconds or so, and yeah, just felt strong. Finally, I put in a ride that I'm happy with and it's definitely something we can build on, battling for a win and getting back into this thing. I'm excited with the way that I rode and my bike worked awesome!”
Having opened her 2026 campaign with podium results in each of the first four rounds – including a round win at Talladega – Korie Steede came into Round 5 looking to maintain her momentum aboard the Husqvarna FC 250 Factory Edition.
Running near the front throughout the five-lap duration, the defending WXC Champion finished second with a time of 2:10:20 despite a late fall. The Dukes GNCC result sees Steede maintain second in the standings, eight points from the lead entering Round 6 in Tennessee.
“I got off to a decent start, went into the woods in third,” Steede recalled. “I made a really good pass on Brandy [Richards], which put me in second, and about halfway through the first lap I made a pass for the lead and I was just riding my own race. I think I led for a lap or two, before we got heavy into lapped riders and I got hung up behind one – that's where Brandy got back around me. And then from there, I was just kind of trying to track her down, but about four or five miles into that last lap, I had a pretty big get-off, so I was happy to cruise in with a second after that.”
XC1 Open Pro Class Results
1. Jordan Ashburn, Honda
2. Liam Draper, Yamaha
3. Craig DeLong, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
6. Ben Kelley, KTM
11. Grant Davis, KTM
WXC Class Results
1. Brandy Richards, KTM
2. Korie Steede, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
3. Danielle McDonald, Yamaha
U.S. Hard Enduro Championship – Round 4
Round 4 of the U.S. Hard Enduro Championship took place over the weekend at the Moab Hard Enduro in Utah, where Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder LeBlond raced to a fourth-place result in the Pro Class.
The 24-year-old ran up front during the early stages of the Main Race after claiming seventh in Prologue, battling inside the top three onboard his Husqvarna TE 300 while navigating the rocky terrain.
Challenging conditions and strong competition made for a race-long battle, with LeBlond eventually claiming a hard-fought fourth position, with the series now heading east for the Battle of the Goats in North Carolina on May 2-3.
“We've wrapped up the Moab Hard Enduro and it started with a good launch to the Main Race,” recalled LeBlond. “I was P1 early on and I tried to hold on, but ended up getting passed by the front two. I held third for a while and was looking to capitalize on a mistake from either of the leaders, but then I looked behind me and I had company! So we finished in fourth place and I’m ready to challenge for some wins on the east coast, where we had good success last year.”
Pro Class Results
1. Trystan Hart, KTM
2. Cody Webb, Yamaha
3. Branden Petrie, Beta
4. Ryder LeBlond, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing