"Shit" was the word that flashed through Nathalie Schneitter's mind when she saw Nicole Göldi in a cyclocross race for the first time in 2021. Nathalie moderated, Nicole dominated. One in her mid-30s, ex-cross country pro biker, owner of a bike consultancy firm, commentator at the Red Bull Cross Country World Cup and 2019 E-MTB World Champion, the other just coming of age and struggling with her young MTB career shortly after graduating from high school. Nicole had just discovered the E-MTB for herself and would be standing next to Nathalie at the start line of the World Championships in Val di Sole in a few months' time. And she realised: "Shit, she's a machine, and she's talented too."
The premonition was confirmed. 18-year-old Nicole Göldi went straight to gold at her e-MTB premiere in 2021. Nathalie Schneitter disappointed with 11th place, but what she didn't see coming: a year later at the World Championships in Les Gets, she was back on the podium - thanks in part to her young Swiss colleague. "We won the 2022 World Championship medals together," says Nathalie today.
In 2019, a Swiss Cycling representative said in an interview that the industry was abusing ageing MTB racers for e-MTB races. - Nathalie Schneitter
Nicole has invited us to breakfast at her parents' small, cosy house in the Swiss Rhine Valley. The peaks of the Alpstein rise up behind her - the Hohe Kasten (de Chaschte), the Hintere Hüser, the Säntis - and Liechtenstein, where Nicole went to sports school, is not far away. The table is sumptuously laid and Nathalie takes a hearty bite.
The early morning appointment was requested so that the two of them could go for a bike ride together. It's cold, wet and windy. Nicole looks at the grey with little enthusiasm. "It doesn't have to be a long ride," she says. Nathalie looks up. "Yes, it does!" she says with her mouth full and a broad grin, "These are the only conditions where I'm better than you on the bike." It quickly becomes clear: two people have found each other here.
EMTB: How would you two describe your relationship?
Nicole GöldiI like to call Schneitti my e-bike mum. I certainly wouldn't be where I am without Nathalie. She introduced me to the network, put me in touch with Trek and generally helped and taught me so much.
Nathalie Schneitter: Not entirely voluntarily, I have to say. Nicole's coach (editor's note: Urs Graf, former Swiss national cycling coach) asked me to take her by the hand a little. I was semi-enthusiastic about the idea. But then we travelled to the EWS-E in Finale Ligure together and just got on really well. Today she's my baby boss.
Nicole, how did you get into E-MTBs at such a young age?
I wanted to pass my A-levels so that I could then concentrate on sport. So I reduced the amount of training I did - but I quickly realised that it takes a constant 100 per cent and more to reach the top level. The sport has become more and more extreme in recent years. I had been finding it difficult to keep up the fun for some time. Your body doesn't say thank you when it's pushed to the limit all the time. So I was frustrated and wanted to rediscover the joy of cycling.
And that came via the E-MTB?
Yes, absolutely. I used to ride my mum's e-MTB for a regeneration lap every now and then. But when Urs took me on a tour with his colleagues, I saw what you can really do with an e-MTB. We went up where we normally ride down. I struggled brutally. But I was hooked. It was cool to hone my riding technique and see what's possible.
Nathi, you are the first generation in e-racing. What got you into it?
Definitely not boredom. It was a lot of fun and challenged me in new ways. I wanted to open up a new image of bike sport for myself.
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Three or four years ago, you were still racing against ex-MTB colleagues in E-MTB races. How has e-racing changed?
Enormous - and above all, it was mega fast. I remember a radio interview from 2019 in which a Swiss Cycling representative said that the industry was abusing ageing MTB racers for e-MTB races. And today? At the last World Championships, I was the only one of the old guard in the top 5. There are almost only young podium riders who are fully committed to E-MTB. Peter Sagan was at the start in Les Gets and was the secret favourite. And how cool it was to see that Sagan had no chance. He said afterwards that his heart rate was higher than on the road.
You also know racing from different disciplines: How demanding is e-racing?
NicoleIn Val di Sole in 2021, I had an average heart rate of 188 and my maximum was 195. Most people simply don't realise what e-MTBs can do and how spectacular racing is. It will probably take a while for that to sink in.
People don't realise what the E-MTB can do. - Nicole Schneitter
NathalieMy heart rate is also higher than with the CC. Also because I have to concentrate like crazy. E-racing is extremely tiring for the mind. You're travelling faster and you have to process the images at a correspondingly higher speed. There are basically no recovery phases because uphill and downhill are constantly demanding. You also attack more downhill because you have more suspension travel.
Nathi, what makes Nicole Göldi such an E-MTB talent?
NathalieNicole wins because she simply doesn't make any mistakes. MTB races are decided by mistakes, and that applies even more to E-MTB. The uphills are so technical that you can't get back on the bike once you're down. So it's important that you stay calm and don't rush yourself. Nicole has incredible riding technique and fine motor skills. And at the same time she is physically super strong. She is a tank. A 154 cm tall tank.
NicoleOn the other hand, my athleticism doesn't make me any lighter. Watts per kilo always play a role. But more so when the route is easy. And we don't ride on gravel paths. At the World Championships, for example, we rode uphill where the CC athletes went downhill. That's where Sagan also failed.
It's also exciting to see the two of you fighting for victory as completely different types.
NathalieE-racing requires special qualities, and these suit us both. Sure, we're completely different. I'm the endurance guy, Nicole is the power horse. But on an e-MTB, it's not so much about pedalling performance or collecting metres in altitude. It's more about technique and the desire to play. Then you just ride the section 25 times until you can do it ...
What type of person were you when you were Nicole's age?
Hm. My big mistake back then was certainly that I listened too much to others and too little to myself and my body. The more I allowed myself to be guided by others, the worse the results became. Nicole is very good at looking at both objective training data and subjective feelings. Today I can do that too. That is certainly life experience, and to be honest I also need the balance of my work. It works in my favour that I can't focus on e-racing.
If the sport is so spectacular and exciting, wasn't the support from the industry there yet? Nathi, you work full-time and Nicole, you financed your start as a professional with a crowdfunding campaign.
NicoleYes, I wanted to take the pressure off my parents. It does add up if you want to do the sport professionally. I rode my first World Championships on my coach's e-MTB. It had 5000 kilometres on it. Crowdfunding is not that unusual for young athletes in Switzerland. I've now signed with Trek, have a head sponsor in Appenzeller-Bärli-Biber and a few other sponsors.
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But you are still travelling at your own expense, without a service team, without a physio, without support - there is a world championship and national jerseys, but no national team.
NathalieIt's a very young sport. Things take time. We're only in our fourth season, and e-racing has made huge strides in that respect. It's not so easy to free up a lot of budget for a new sport.
NicoleAnd Bosch provided neutral race support last season. That was really great.
That sounds a little too understanding to me...
NathalieNo, we are by no means satisfied with the situation and are working hard to drive things forward. I believe that the industry has not yet recognised the added value of e-racing in various areas. Racing, for example, is always a driver for product development. Nevertheless, we are noticing that awareness is changing.
Nicole: From the association's point of view, only the Olympic sports receive proper funding. These are CC and BMX. There are no resources for E-MTB.
What would you like to see from e-racing?
NathalieSpectacular tracks with good visibility to show that the sport is much more awesome than people think.
NicoleI hope that many young athletes will join us.
Then it will also become more interesting for teams, and the sport will gain credibility in general. We need this change of image.
What is the most exciting e-racing format for you?
NathalieE-CC is particularly spectator-friendly, the EWS-E is more downhill-orientated. For me as an athlete, the E-Bike World Tour is next level. For two or three days, you're only out and about on crazy trails, it's adventurous, a mixture between enduro DH and CC uphill. But the world title will be awarded in the E-CC, and for me that's the crowning glory. Maybe in two or three years there will be a completely new race format, also thanks to technical developments, but that's hard to say. And the question is also what Discovery will do (editor's note: after ten years, the organisation and broadcasting rights of the MTB World Cup are moving from Red Bull to Discovery Sports). In any case, the potential is there for e-racing.
Les Gets was a huge bike festival. Did they also pay attention to the e-MTB races?
NicoleYes, there really were a lot of spectators on the course, and the huge space in front of the podium was full at the podium ceremony.
NathalieThere were also some CC riders on the course. Nino (Schurter) was there and Sina (Frei). You don't travel to Les Gets for E-MTB - but if you're there, you'll have a look at it.
Has Les Gets been the highlight of your e-racing career so far?
NathalieLes Gets was very emotional for me. I became junior world champion there in 2004. I would never have thought that 18 years later I would be back on the podium in another bike sport that I enjoy so much. And then it was also a moment that I was able to share with Nicole, and that was really nice.
NicoleLast year, we visited the routes together, spurred each other on, shared a room and laughed a lot. I think I always looked forward to the races so much because we did it together.
Nathalie: I think we won the 2022 World Cup medals together. It's also always been a lifelong dream of mine to pour champagne over someone's head. I never dared to do that before. But I did with Nicole.
Nathalie Schneitter, *19.6.1986
She comes from Solothurn. She became Swiss Junior Champion in the CC in 2003, won bronze at the European Championships and the Junior World Championship title in Les Gets the following year. This was followed in 2008 by European Championship gold, World Championship silver in the U23 category and 15th place at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Her only World Cup victory in the elite category came in 2010. In 2011, she finished fifth at the World Championships and took silver in the relay. After ending her racing career in 2016, she founded the cycling consultancy Antritt. She is also co-organiser of Cycle Week in Zurich and has been a Red Bull commentator at the UCI World Cup since 2018. She announced her retirement in 2019 and became the first female E-MTB World Champion in history. Bronze medals followed in 2020 and 2022.
Nicole Göldi, *24.10.2002
She rode her first bike race at the age of 5 and attended the sports school in Vaduz/Liechtenstein. In her youth, she was successful in both cross-country and cyclocross and was part of the national team. In 2020, she finished eighth at the U19 European Cyclocross Championships and was Swiss Cyclocross Champion. In the same year, she graduated from high school and doubts about her future in CC racing grew. Almost by chance, she got on an e-MTB, found joy in cycling again and became world champion in her first race in 2021. In 2022, she won another World Championship gold medal and the overall World Cup title.
