Preparations complete as Team Australia chases ISDE glory in Spain
The 98th edition of the legendary FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) gets underway in Spain on October 14, with the 10-rider Australian team emboldened by the challenge ahead.
Over 550 competitors will take to the ISDE course in Silleda, located in the north-west of Spain, with Australia back to full strength with Senior, Junior and Women’s World Trophy teams after only the women competed at last year’s event in Argentina.
As always, the ISDE – known as the International Six Days Trial until it was rebadged in 1981 – will be fiercely competitive, with 18 nations contesting the World (Senior) Trophy, 11 in the Women’s World Trophy and 13 in the Junior World Trophy.
The Australian teams are:
World Trophy
• Josh Strang (Beta)
• Cooper Sheidow (Yamaha)
• Jonte Reynders (Sherco)
• Kyron Bacon (Yamaha)
Junior World Trophy
• Korey McMahon (GASGAS)
• Angus Riordan (KTM)
• William Dennett (Yamaha)
Women’s World Trophy
• Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha)
• Tayla Jones (Husqvarna)
• Danielle McDonald (Yamaha)
Incumbency in the Women’s World Trophy carries over from 2023 when Gardiner, Jones and McDonald finished runner-up – the same position rookie sensation McDonald finished in the individual standings – while four riders will be making their ISDE debuts across the World and Junior World Trophies: Sheidow, Reynders, Riordan and Dennett.
Strang, making his return to the World Trophy for the first time since 2018 when he combined with Daniel Milner, Daniel Sanders and Lyndon Snodgrass to win the event in Chile, is excited about the Silleda event.
“The special tests are real enduro, which is what I am excited about. I don’t think I’ve seen a special tests setup like this since Germany in 2012,” Strang told the Enduro.bureau.official podcast.
“It seems to have been raining a lot recently, but somehow it’s not that muddy – and as long as it’s not dusty I’ll be happy.
“There are lots of grass tracks which are fairly fast and open, which really suits my style. This event is long and difficult, and to have fun is the key to having a good result.”
In his eighth ISDE appearance, Strang will be the only Aussie riding a two-stroke.
For the full ISDE entry list, click here.
Australia has two victories in the World Trophy, while the Junior World Trophy (three) and Women’s World Trophy (six) combinations are also multiple winners in the FIM’s longest-running teams’ event dating way back to 1913.
Amazingly, Gardiner and Jones were mainstays of all six Women’s World Trophy victories from 2013-2018.
Meanwhile, America is the defending champion in the World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy, while France has Junior World Trophy success to uphold.
With only one ‘survivor’ from the 2023 American World Trophy team, the likes of Great Britain (with Steve Holcombe the spearhead), Italy (Andrea Verona) and Spain (Josep Garcia) are shaping as the major rivals for Australia. Garcia, Holcombe and Verona were the top three in the 2024 EnduroGP world championship.
In the Junior World Trophy, Dennett, McMahon and Riordan have strong claims, and in the Women’s World Trophy America and Australia are again the standouts.
A total of 1270km will be covered on the Silleda trails from October 14-18 – the difficulty rating increasing each day – followed by the traditional motocross test on day six, which has been known to make or break many ISDE challenges.
Team Australia’s quest for ISDE glory has again received backing from MXstore, which carries a massive on-line range of riding gear, aftermarket dirt bike parts and accessories.
For more information on the 2024 ISDE click here.
