2025 U.S. Hard Enduro Round 5 Results

| April 28, 2025

The fifth round of the 2025 Bullet Proof Designs U.S. Hard Enduro Series, Presented by IRC Tire, featured one of the most anticipated races of the year—the Battle of the Goats, April 26-27. Hosted by Tyler Mull at Brushy Mountain Motorsports Park in North Carolina, this year’s hard enduro got a fresh update.

Trystan Hart at USHE 2025 Battle of the Goats — **Trystan Hart kept his winning streak at the Battle of the Goats alive.**

Story and Photos by Stephanie Vetterly

While many beloved sections, such as Wentzel’s Waterslide and Chicken Fight, remained, the course was revamped from its traditionally long layout to a more compact six-mile course. The event included two single-lap Prologue qualifiers on Saturday to determine row positions, followed by Sunday’s main race, which challenged racers to complete as many laps as possible within a three-hour timeframe.

Friday-night rains transitioned into early Saturday thunderstorms, ensuring the course remained muddy for qualifying. The first competitors on the course were the Amateurs, with Lennox Reilly securing the overall victory. The rains paused for the morning events, and although the course began to dry out, Mother Nature ensured that the Pros faced a muddy track as well, with heavy rain falling just minutes before their afternoon qualifier began. Ryder LeBlond from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing captured the lead and the win, followed closely by Will Riordan crossing the finish less than 30 seconds later. The top five was completed by Trystan Hart from Red Bull FMF KTM, Cody Webb of Rocky Mountain Yamaha and Danny Lewis from Beta USA.

In Sunday’s main race, riders lined up in rows of five according to Saturday’s Prologue results. Although the rain stayed away, competitors enjoyed clear skies and pleasant temperatures. However, areas such as Joker Falls, Wentzel’s Waterslide, and Chutes and Ladders retained sufficient standing and flowing water, adding excitement to the course. The highlight of the day centered around a duo of riders who established a strong lead and distanced themselves from the rest of the group.

Ryder LeBlond at USHE 2025 Battle of the Goats — **Ryder LeBlond kept the pressure on Hart en route to second place.**

LeBlond made a strong start off the line, appearing completely in his element as he navigated each obstacle and consistently chose the best lines. He held the lead over Hart for most of the first two laps, exchanging positions a few times. However, Hart was ultimately able to outlast LeBlond and seize the lead. By the final lap, LeBlond was applying pressure again, but a crash in the last creek section dashed any hopes of a last-minute overtaking. Hart finished with a 20-second lead. The only other rider to complete four laps was Will Riordan, who crossed the finish line nearly 30 minutes later.

“[Today’s race] started off pretty rough,” said Hart. “My mousse was a bit too stiff, so I was really struggling. I kind of wrote the race off on lap one because I thought Ryder had a huge gap, and I was just messing stuff up. Then out of nowhere, I caught him at Wentzel’s Waterslide; I honestly thought he got hurt or messed something up because he was there, going pretty slow. It was stressful; I definitely didn’t want to get all the way to the last lap in the lead and then lose it somehow. This is my fifth consecutive win here. This place has always been pretty good to me—it’s where I got my first win against Cody [Webb], so the place is pretty special.”

“We both had good lines, good speed, and we pretty much gapped everyone else,” said LeBlond of his three-hour battle with Hart.

“It came down to me and him at the end. Going into the last lap, he got a little bit of a gap on me,” said LeBlond. For a second, I gave up. I told myself I was going to go as hard as I could until the finish and see what happens. I took some sendier lines and they worked out, and I caught back up to him at the end, which was big for me. Usually, he pulls on me at the end and that’s where he can get me. I was able to reel him back in, which I’m pretty stoked on. Good on him for staying calm the last lap; I felt like I was panicking, and I’m sure he was panicking.”

Cody Webb at USHE 2025 Battle of the Goats — **Previous Hard Enduro round winner Cody Webb missed out on a podium.**

“The course was shorter, but honestly, it didn’t feel that short,” said Riordan. “Although in saying that, I think we did it quicker than we thought because it was a bit drier. We ended up going four laps. It was definitely not as slippery as it could’ve been, but I was struggling for traction a bit. The rocks were slippery, and the track got slipperier and slipperier as people carried water around it. I got third, which was good, but the top two boys worked me. I had one incident a lap [which slowed me down]. The last lap, I fell down a big rock. I also had a few little mechanical issues. My throttle kept getting stuck on, my bars rolled back, it was running hot, just little stuff.”

Tyler Labell, Geiner Cordero and Brock Harris were the top Amateur racers of the weekend, each completing three laps.

The next USHE Premier Championship race will be the River Monster Hard Enduro at Kairos Resort in Glen Lyn, Virginia, on May 10.