E-mountain bikes are still the subject of extremely controversial debate - and opinions are definitely divided when it comes to e-bike races. Why race if everyone is equally fast anyway? What may be true for a marathon is not true for enduro races: it all comes down to riding technique.
The format
After the Out of the Specialised Sram Enduro Series and the European Enduro Series, the Enduro One series is the largest German-speaking enduro series with six events. With its family atmosphere and great atmosphere, it regularly attracts 400 racers to the individual events. As is usual in enduro racing, the participants complete individual special stages on challenging descents. The times are totalled and the fastest rider wins.
In the Enduro One series, only a few stages may be practised in advance on Saturday; the majority are ridden "blind" on sight. As the series is aimed at the broad mass of bikers, the individual stages are not particularly demanding. The participants in the e-bike class will ride the same special stages on Sunday as the non-motorised participants. However, the e-racers will contest an uphill prologue on Saturday. This special special stage is also ridden on sight and is predominantly uphill.
The participants
Of the approximately 400 starters, only 21 are e-bikers. The field of riders is a colourful mix, the average age of 35 is still far from retirement age. There is no separate classification for women, although two women did start in the Wildschönau. Most of the e-racers are surprisingly ambitious and take part in the whole series. We took a closer look at a few of the participants:
The race
After the start number pick-up on Saturday morning, it's straight to training. The rather long stage five and the very short sixth stage can be practised in advance. Once we have internalised stage six, we want to take a closer look at stage five. Unfortunately, we are not alone there and have to wait for over an hour - at least the sun is shining and dries the tracks a little from the overnight thunderstorm.
Just back from training, the uphill prologue is already on the agenda. Unfortunately, not all of the participants realised that this should not have been practised. The prologue itself challenges the e-bikers both physically and technically: the first part of the route is slightly undulating, so that you are constantly breaking the magic 25 km/h barrier and have to pedal as hard as you can. Only the final slope points almost vertically upwards and has a few slippery roots. Unfortunately, there are small traffic jams here, forcing the participants to dismount. The prologue is won by Michael Kuttler, the clear favourite for the weekend.
In the evening it rains again and raises the question of changing tyres. But when the starting signal is given at half past eight on Sunday, the sun is shining again. The e-bikers set off in a group towards the first stage. We reach it after the gondola in Unterau via a short climb. The stage is varied with meadows, trails and gullies.
After another short transfer, we reach stage two: this special stage consists of a trail that first leads over a mountain pasture and then through the forest. The roots in the forest turn out to be surprisingly dry and allow for speedy riding. This is where the fun begins.
The third stage follows immediately afterwards: it winds its way through the forest on technically rather easy trails. If you want to be fast here, you need to carry a lot of speed through the bends and then pedal hard. A very deep tunnel under the road provides a brief adrenaline rush.
The fourth stage is more or less the uphill prologue from the previous day, but in the opposite direction. This stage is by far the most pedalling-intensive on Sunday. If you have a decoupled drivetrain (e.g. Brose or Shimano), you have a clear advantage here. Nevertheless, everyone is struggling for breath at the end of the stage.
After a short climb, stage five awaits us. We already know this one from the previous day: lots of damp roots make this stage the most challenging. Unfortunately, Michael Kuttler from the ekone team hits the ground hard on stage five and has to be airlifted to hospital. Get well soon!
Stage six leads directly into the finish area: a short meadow section with wooden jumps and berms. Here you had to give it your all again and not fly off on the open meadow bends. The jumps were great fun for all the riders. By a quarter to eleven, the first e-bikers are back at the finish line.
At the end of the day, Walter Martinschitz is at the top of the podium. Michael Tiegs and David Schmied finished behind the ex-Worldcupper. The complete results can be found here.
The criticism
Baboons has achieved great success with the Enduro One series: The races are always very well attended with 400 starters. The route selection - both the stages and the transfers - is excellent and also manageable for less experienced riders. The weekend will live long in the memory with its family atmosphere!
Understandable, but still a shame: the e-bikes are not checked, nor are the stages on the days before the race. Unauthorised training on Thursday and Friday must be punished with disqualification! A commissioner must also check the e-bikes! In addition, the e-bikers could have left out the lift - because with 1200 metres in altitude, they would have had to think about battery management, but not with the 600 metres ridden.
