Finnish enduro rider Mika Ahola wrapped up his illustrious career in the sport at the turn of the year. The five-time World Champion announced on Sunday that he no longer has enough passion to continue on the bike.
Ahola won five consecutive World Enduro Championships from 20o7 onwards, in three different classes. He clinched two World Championships in both E1 and E2 classes.
“I gave it my all, and even though the sport took a lot, it also rewarded me with more than I could have ever imagined when I first started”, Ahola wrote in an email that he sent out on New Year’s Eve.
Last year’s title in the E3 class made the 37-year-old Ahola the oldest-ever Enduro World Champion, and also the first rider to win in all three categories. “I have fulfilled my ambitions and I feel that it is time to move on and see what else the world has to offer.”
Ahola also won the classic Finnish enduro competition - the Tour de Lake Päijänne - on six occasions, and seven times he helped Team Finland take home the Enduro World Trophy.
