Backstage Pass: GCL’s Championship Leaders Take on a Different Challenge

The battle at the top of the GCL Championship is serious business - but away from the arena, the competition looks a little different.

At Stage 10 in London, we handed a backstage pass to three riders representing the teams currently leading the 2026 Championship and challenged them to swap horsepower for a very different test.

GCL Championship Standings after Stage 10

1st - Riesenbeck International powered by Horse Gym - 187 points
2nd - Basel Cosmopolitans powered by Les Trois Rois - 163 points
3rd - Istanbul Warriors powered by Carpe Diem Equestrian Team 159 points

The Challenge

Riesenbeck International’s Max Weishaupt, Istanbul Warriors’ Henrik von Eckermann and Basel Cosmopolitans’ Marlon Modolo Zanotelli went head-to-head off the horse, giving fans a fun look at the personalities behind three of the teams fighting at the sharp end of this year’s title race.

With Riesenbeck International currently leading the standings on 187 points, Basel Cosmopolitans sitting second on 163 points and Istanbul Warriors close behind on 159 points, there is plenty at stake as the season enters its next chapter.

For a few minutes in London, though, Championship points were forgotten. Expect competitive instincts, plenty of laughs and a side of the riders you don’t normally see inside the arena.

WATCH: Who comes out on top when the Championship contenders go off the horse?

Next Stop: GCL Valkenswaard

The real competition resumes at Stage 11 of the GCL Championship in Valkenswaard, 4–6 September.

With just 28 points separating the top three teams, every round becomes increasingly important as the race for the 2026 GCL Championship continues on home turf in Valkenswaard.

04–06 September | Longines Tops International Arena | Valkenswaard, Netherlands