2023 EnduroGP Championship Winner Interview

October 17, 2023 Michael Le Pard News Comments Off on 2023 EnduroGP Championship Winner Interview

Steve Holcombe secured the Enduro GP and Enduro2 Championship at the last round of the EnduroGP in Portugal. His speed and consistency over the course of the season was the formula that earned Holcombe the 2023 title and making him a nine-time EnduroGP champion.
Steve, congratulations on the EnduroGP Championship win! What emotions and thoughts ran through your mind as you crossed the finish line and hoisted the trophy?

The first emotion had to be a huge amount of relief. The pressure was high for the last two GP’s, especially on the final day. I had the chance to wrap up both titles on the first day if I finished ahead of Verona. I worked myself up and really focused on this. However, I put too much pressure on myself on lap one of the first day and crashed in the first two tests. I ended up being twenty seconds down at the end of lap one. I got the nerves out of the way and pushed for the rest of the day to finish third. On day two the plan was to take it test by test and keep myself inside the top five. I needed a top-eight finish to secure the title so that was the goal. Once I finished and really took a few moments to take it in, I felt a huge amount of pride for what we’ve accomplished as a team this year.

Can you describe the key moments or races during the season that you believe were pivotal to your championship victory?

The Swedish GP was a big turning point for me. I had a good start to the year and kept it consistent. Sweden was my first overall day victory of the year and that really gave me the confidence to push on for the rest of the year. In the following GP, I was riding the best I had in a long time and was heading towards a 1-1. A small technical issue kept me away from the win but that was a great race to take the gold leader’s plate and secure myself in the championship hunt.
What type of preparation or training methods did you employ this year that you believe were crucial to your success this season?

I’ve kept my training fairly similar to previous years, except I upped the time I spent in the gym. Partly due to the rehab process from post-shoulder surgery, but also to generally increase my strength work throughout the year. On the bike, I kept my volume the same and just tried to enjoy the process more.

How is this championship different than previous ones?

I would say the emotions of this EGP title have topped my previous years. I feel a lot of that is coming off of two difficult years I had and the journey I have been on to get myself back to the top. I’ve got a great group of people in my corner and it’s awesome to be able to celebrate this season with them!

Looking ahead what are your goals and ambitions for the future in your EnduroGP career and how do you plan to stay at the top of your game?

My current plan is to enjoy this season’s results for a few more weeks. I have some fun one-off races coming up that will keep me busy. For next year’s EGP championship, it’s going to be great running the number 1 again and I’m looking forward to getting immersed into off-season preparation soon.
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