Stefan Sahm, born in 1976, took part in his first mountain bike race in 1994 and immediately won. In the years that followed, he rode for many big teams: Initially for Team Dorn (later Alb-Gold), then for Team T-Mobile, later for the Giant Racing Team and from 2007 for Team Bulls. At Bulls, Sahm focussed on the marathon distance together with Karl Platt. Together with Platt, he won the Cape Epic three times. He has also stood on various other cross-country and marathon podiums. With this experience, the trained industrial mechanic is currently working for Bulls on the development and improvement of e-mountain bikes.
EMTB Magazine: You come from a racing background. Can you imagine competing in an E-MTB race?
Stefan Sahm: The subject of e-bike racing is interesting and I could well imagine trying it out. Especially if you come from a racing background like me, it's tempting to test the limits of the e-bike. And where better to do that than in a race?
What format would have to be created for this?
It would probably be relatively boring to simply copy "normal" races. At the moment, there are simply limiting factors such as battery life, which restricts the range. As with enduro races, it would be conceivable to ride not only timed downhills, but also uphill sections. In any case, e-bikes and non-motorised bikes should never be sent onto a race track at the same time. That only causes stress.
Should the 25 km/h limit be raised?
Yes and no! Having taken part in the Cape Epic as a camera pilot, I know what it's like to ride an e-bike over the trails without speed restrictions. It's simply incredible! And if you can control your bike, maximum riding fun is guaranteed. However, not everyone can control this speed and the risk increases with increasing speed. In my opinion, it would make sense to raise the speed limit to around 30 to 32 kilometres per hour. These are roughly the ranges in which you can ride a normal bike if you are fit.
To what extent were you involved in the development of the Bulls e-bikes??
I only really came into contact with e-bikes at the beginning of this year, but I was immediately hooked by the possibilities of these fun machines. Of course, I then also got to grips with the technology, especially the suspension set-up and geometry of the bikes.
How will e-mountainbikes develop over the next few years?
The big topic at the moment is system integration. E-bikes are becoming more and more visually appealing and sophisticated. It is very exciting to see the direction in which things are heading. Tyres and suspension will have the greatest potential in the next few years. Bikes will become lighter, motors smaller and batteries bigger. The great thing is that, whether with or without a motor, the focus is on the experience of nature and the passion for mountain biking.
Change of subject: In your opinion, do e-bikers intensify the conflict between hikers and bikers?
Well, as you call into the forest, so it sounds out. Personally, I have rarely had any discussions with hikers. In the large tourist regions in the Alps, problems can arise when all the groups clash during the holiday season. Then it's up to the regions themselves to think quickly about how to integrate e-bikers. Because there won't be fewer of them in the future. Some regions are already doing this and have recognised the business with e-bikers. Sooner or later, e-bikers will be completely normal and acceptance will increase. If you look at it sarcastically, the classic hiker will soon die out anyway.
As always, we can only appeal to the common sense of all those involved. There are some bizarre encounters. A hiker in a gondola asks the e-biker why he is travelling by gondola, as he has a motor on his bike. The cyclist asks back why he wouldn't walk up himself, after all he has two legs? Funny!
Acceptance will increase, because at first everything new is demonised until people get used to it.
Do uphill trails like the one in Bischofsmais solve this conflict?
One or two trails will only resolve this conflict to a limited extent. An e-biker normally rides on the same trails as a biker. It would be much better to separate bikers from hikers in general. Trails suitable for e-bikes could be specially labelled. As already mentioned, I also see the tourism organisations as having a responsibility here. E-bikers with trekking bikes often get lost on the trails because they are given the wrong information, for example by the hire station.
