There's an Italian rider carving out his own little piece of paradise in the hellish world of Hard Enduro. Lorenzo Gandola, born in 2000 in Bellagio, on the Lecco side of Lake Como, has become a regular top-ten contender in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. But his story doesn't begin among rocks and logs. It begins in the technical sections of trials riding: a different discipline, a different way of riding a motorcycle.

His racing résumé speaks for itself: Italian Junior B Trials Champion in 2014, European Trial 125 runner-up in 2016, and European Champion in the same class in 2017. Then, in 2025, he cemented his reputation in European trials by claiming the continental title at Torrebelvicino after a dominant season.

His transition to Hard Enduro is a more recent chapter. Gandola chose — and was chosen by, becoming a factory rider — Sherco, the French manufacturer with a strong off-road heritage. He began testing himself in an entirely different world, where speed, endurance, terrain reading, relentless pace and seemingly impossible obstacles all come into play.

The results were quick to follow. In 2026, making his debut at the legendary Erzbergrodeo, he finished 11th overall: an impressive achievement for a newcomer tackling the infamous Iron Giant. In Sweden, at Forza Orza, he claimed eighth overall after completing nine laps, finishing ahead of far more experienced competitors.

In Portugal, at Extreme XL Lagares, he secured another top-ten finish. And at Abestone, the Italian round of the World Championship held in the Apennines, he finished sixth overall, leading the chasing pack behind the dominant Manuel Lettenbichler.

His roots remain firmly in trials, but his ambitions are now focused on the endurance, intensity and extreme challenges of Hard Enduro.

Hard Enduro's Rookie of the Year is Italian.