Cube was the first manufacturer to form an enduro team in 2011. In 2012, Specialized sponsored the first German enduro racing series. Enduro, Enduro, Enduro: Suddenly, nothing else was heard in the mountain bike scene. In the spotlight of attention, the emerging scene fell into a gold-rush mood. New equipment, new trails, new types suddenly popped up in the established worlds between cross country and downhill. We used the tenth anniversary of the Cube Action Team to look back on the golden years of enduro racing and discuss current developments. Together with Team manager Claus Wachsmann and the Swiss racing driver Gusti Wildhaber (32) we talked about the entry of the UCI, the racing equipment of the pros, E-MTB racing and the change in the race format, among other things.
BIKE: Ten years of the Cube Action Team. A success story?
Claus Wachsmann: Definitely, because anything that lasts ten years in racing, especially in enduro racing, has to be crowned with success, otherwise we wouldn't have been around for a long time.
What has changed in enduro racing over the past ten years?
Claus: I think there are two major changes. Firstly, of course, the technology of the bikes, which has changed massively. Be it electronics, suspension, handlebar widths or tyre widths. But on the other hand, of course, the racing formats have changed. From initially wild, undefined riding through the forest or over mountains and blind racing to today's professionally timed race formats, which are at absolute Downhill World Cup level and no longer allow any flexibility. In other words, a complete change in the last ten years.
Gusti, from a racing driver's point of view, where do you see the biggest developments in recent years?
When enduro racing was still in its infancy, everything was usually in a mass start format. We didn't know that one rider after another would start a stage every 30 seconds. Because the industry then jumped on the enduro trend so strongly and enduro bikes are so versatile, the race formats were also adapted. Mass start races cannot be organised so professionally, or rather it is always a bit chaotic and relatively dangerous. Enduro racing is now much more structured and organised. Now you can also more clearly describe and define what enduro actually is. People may not know it yet, but it's coming now.
Is the format with the very downhill-orientated stages now the final one?
Gusti: That's a good question. Now the UCI joins the EWS. We don't know what will change as a result. But I think last year showed that the races will all be pretty similar. That means one day of training and one day of racing, you want to keep it as short as possible. Five years ago it was 2-3 days of training and the races were also spread over two days. The race format has to be as reproducible as possible because there will also be TV broadcasts in the future. I even believe that the stages will become even shorter. It's all going to be a bit downhill-heavy if things continue like this.
As a result, enduro racing is moving further and further away from the original mass start races.
Claus: George Edwards as the father of the Megavalanche race is certainly one of the pioneers of enduro sport. That's why, in my opinion, enduro sport also has its roots in France. Races like the Megavalanche Alpe d'Huez were the first. Actually the coolest.
Gusti: They are still extremely popular today. Unfortunately, the EWS races often take place on the same date as the Megavalanche. Because I would also like to ride in Alpe d'Huez.
What counts more: a victory at the EWS or at the Megavalanche?
Gusti: Even classics like the Megavalanche, because people can relate more to the fact that you won Alpe d'Huez than the EWS race in Samoens. You get a lot more respect among the riders for an EWS victory, but a classic like Alpe d'Huez counts a lot more in the public eye.
Is the professionalisation of enduro sport a curse or a blessing?
Claus: The costs for a team have exploded. To set up a team with 3-4 riders, you now need a big budget and lots of partners. In my opinion, this is going in the wrong direction. What I'm really missing due to the professionalisation and the UCI's involvement is the spirit of adventure. That was the original idea of enduro racing. According to the motto: Hey, we're going to places we don't know and the routes are new to everyone. Today, it's almost always the same routes, similar to the downhill or cross-country World Cup. All the riders know the trails and memorise them beforehand. I see a huge problem here. There can no longer be any equality of opportunity, because the locals know every stone and every centimetre. And that's a shame.
Gusti: But I also see it as an opportunity for smaller racing series. In Switzerland, for example, there is a new series called SES. There, 400 starting places were gone within an hour. The EWS races are no longer interesting for hobby racers, partly because the standard is so high.
But things are different in Germany. The popular Specialized Enduro Series has not existed for years, and there are no new races either.
Claus: I believe that the sluggish development of enduro sport in Germany - compared to other European countries - is closely linked to the topic of Trail closures is linked. You are not allowed to ride anywhere and it is even more difficult to organise a race. It's also difficult to get enduro races authorised in Austria. The only exception is Petzen, because half of it takes place in Slovenia. But in France, people clap when they register for a race and make it possible. Here in Germany, on the other hand, it's almost impossible.
Is the EWS on a par with a UCI World Cup?
Claus: From my point of view, the EWS is on a par in terms of the professionalism of the organisation and, above all, the starting field. It's absolutely world-class, with former world champions from downhill and sometimes cross-country competing. But what is also part of it and extremely important is the media marketing. Unfortunately, the EWS was lagging behind until last week because Red Bull TV, the most important medium in this area, was not on board. But Discovery Eurosport has now stepped in to make up the media gap. But the gap also has to do with the format. I can't do ten hours live. That's why the stages will be even shorter and fewer in future, so that it's even more compact.
In other words, in much the same way as it was done in cross-country skiing and cross-country skiing.
Gusti: Yes, the best example is the short track races. I believe that the whole coronavirus pandemic is pushing the whole thing forward, that events are organised as compactly as possible, even in cities, making it easier to control everything.
Claus: Vasaloppet (editor's note: famous cross-country marathon in Sweden), sensational race! But who watches it except in Norway and Sweden?
Can such short formats as a short track race also be transferred to enduro racing?
Gusti: Sure, it has to be that way.
Claus: One of the best EWS races ever took place in Wicklow in Ireland on a compact mountain. There the racers had five stages and the spectators, and that was the most important thing, only had to walk 100 metres from stage to stage. You could imagine the same in Finale Ligure, the birthplace of European enduro racing. After stages that are close together, there is a prologue in the town in the evening. A bit like the Romaniacs motocross event.
Gusti: But the danger is that it becomes more and more downhill. The expedition, riding trails blind and starting at the top of the summit - all of that is lost. Fitness is also playing an increasingly subordinate role in the EWS. There is shuttling and heavy downhill riders are suddenly right at the front. This is because they no longer have to pedal their weight up 2000 metres of altitude themselves. At the same time, the suspension travel of the bikes increases to 180 millimetres. For me, enduro also means 'endurance', which is actually the basic idea.
But uphills are now almost irrelevant. Should they be integrated into the EWS format again or permanently?
Gusti: It's a bit like an e-bike. Once you get into it, you get lazy. If you have to pedal 1000 metres in altitude in the EWS, everyone complains. A few years ago, the rule was that after two long training days, you had two race days with 1500 metres of climbing each.
Claus: Even at the team manager meetings, most of the discussions are not about the danger of the route, but about too many sections that the riders have to pedal up. That's a shame because it doesn't correspond to the basic idea of enduro.
This also has an effect on the material. The bikes have more travel, are longer and heavier. Actually, many bikes in the EWS are downhill bikes without double-bridge forks, aren't they?
Gusti: That's right, if you put a double bridge fork in the bikes, you could race downhill.
Claus: They used to be freeride bikes, now they're called enduro bikes.
However, these are not the right bikes for the masses of enduro bikers.
Claus: The perfect bike for this type of rider has 130-140 millimetres of suspension travel. But the EWS is Formula 1, and I don't buy a Formula 1 car to go fast, I buy a sports car. It's the same in enduro racing. The EWS riders like Gusti ride the 170 mm bike with steel spring shock absorbers with high-tech technology. But the message from the manufacturers must be that a trail bike or all-mountain bike is just right for normal bikers. You can ride the same route as the EWS riders, just a little slower.
Gusti: Looking to the future, these are the right bikes. Because the next generation will be able to handle these bikes. Pedalling uphill is becoming less and less interesting and people will prefer to get on the lift. It's also amazing that carbon downhill bikes are often lighter than the competition enduro bikes in the EWS.
The significance of enduro racing in Germany is low. What is the situation in other European countries and worldwide?
Claus: Enduro racing has a much higher status worldwide than here in Central Europe - whether in the USA, Chile or New Zealand. In France and Italy it's a bit different, there are a lot of fans there. But we can also see that on our social media channels: We have a lot more hits from distant foreign countries than from Germany. However, the enduro sport in Germany has also opened the door for the industry for today's MTB sport. Ultimately, enduro is the classic form of mountain biking, namely riding up somewhere with friends and then enjoying the trail downhill.
Then it should also be in Cube's interest for enduro racing to become more popular in Germany.
Claus: If we can believe our sales figures, sales in the classic full-suspension range from 140 to 170 millimetres are rising sharply again. Contrary to the widespread opinion that e-bikes would displace these bikes. E-bikes have actually pushed these bikes. Many people have started out on an e-mountainbike, have taken a liking to trails and then wanted a lighter bike whose range is not limited by the battery. Bikes like an AMS 100 or a Stereo 120 are currently experiencing a renaissance. A Stereo 150, which we rode in the team for a long time, also has the best sales figures ever.
At the same time, e-MTB racing is really picking up speed. Good or bad for enduro racing?
Gusti: We took part in the very first e-MTB races and had fun. Then we withdrew at some point because it wasn't really picking up speed. Later, larger organisers got involved. I don't think it will replace enduro racing. Of course it will. But many ex-professionals are getting into it because there's more money to be made.
Claus: I think the development of e-enduro racing is really good, because every company wants to show that it has the fastest and best e-bike. It's similar to motor racing. However, in my opinion, the approach of pushing it in the cross-country direction is wrong. Instead, it should be a technical enduro race, with routes that you can't conquer on a normal bike. However, the UCI's entry will push it in the cross-country direction.
The UCI is on board for both the EWS and E-MTB racing. Is that a positive thing?
Claus: I was one of the advocates that the UCI is entering. However, for the sole reason that the issue of doping will be more strictly controlled. But at the moment I realise that there are a lot of regulations and decisions that I think are unnecessary. That's why I'm now taking a critical view of it, but the future will show what it brings.
Gusti: There is a lack of creativity. An example from the Enduro of Nations race, the unofficial world championship, for which we had special jerseys in national colours: We hadn't designed the sleeve to be UCI-compliant, the markings were on the wrong side. Then the commissioner forbade us to wear the jersey like that. I then put it on the wrong way round so that the markings were on the right arm. The UCI commissaire simply went crazy. That was almost ridiculous. But when it comes to doping, I welcome the introduction and the controls. Because I think in no other sport has there been so many positive doping cases for so few tests given.
Back to the 10th anniversary of the Cube Action Team. What was the absolute highlight?
Claus: As a racing team, only victories can count as highlights. We have had a few. But the most impressive victory was Greg Callaghan's double win in his home town in Ireland. That was the best emotional experience I've had and sensational.
Gusti: It was like a school of life. You look back and always think it used to be better. Seven or eight years ago, the races were even cooler because the events were more diverse and the organisers were more creative. You went to races and didn't know exactly what to expect.
