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The Les Gets course is a tough nut to crack
"For a moment I thought I was on 'Candid Camera'!" Even during the first training laps in the days leading up to the World Championship race in Les Gets, German E-MTB runner-up Roy Bruns realised: "This is going to be a tough nut to crack!" Powerful obstacles build up behind crisp root passages. Sometimes there are steps over huge wooden beams, almost like an oxer in show jumping. Sometimes there are fat boulders that block the way and kill one or two derailleurs. "Some passages remind me of motocross trials," snorts Matthias Lauer, the German E-MTB champion and second German starter at the E-MTB World Championships. The world cycling organisation UCI officially calls the discipline "E-MTB Cross-Country".
However, this course has as little to do with the barrier-free forest tracks of the German Championships as the Brenner motorway has to do with a blocked single trail. At the German Championships on the Great Saar Loop, the two amateurs Bruns and Lauer clinched their titles by firing their e-bikes into the 25 km/h range with pure power endurance. But here in Les Gets, other skills are required. And the competition is also a different kettle of fish. In terms of riding technique and athleticism, the riders from France and Switzerland are vastly superior. In contrast, Lauer and Bruns look like two amateur drivers who, after a two-day crash course at the Nürburgring, are supposed to do their laps against Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1. Full-blooded amateurs meet full-blooded professionals.
Swiss women's power at the E-MTB World Championships in Les Gets
The Swiss team includes 36-year-old former cross-country World Cup racer Nathalie Schneitter, e-MTB world champion Nicole Göldi (20) and 25-year-old Joris Ryf. The trio have rented a holiday flat on the outskirts of Les Gets for the week of the World Championships. "Welcome to the e-bike flat share!" shouts Nathalie. She and e-bike pro Joris lounge comfortably on two sofas. World champion Nicole Göldi (20) is lying on the floor doing stretching exercises. While the national team of cross-country riders are staying in the hotel downstairs with the support of the association, the three of them are self-catering, paying for the comfortable hut out of their own pockets. A Swiss national e-bike team does not officially exist. The national cycling association Swiss Cycling does not yet have the corresponding structures and budget pots. Nevertheless, the trio calls itself the "national team". Behind this is the unconditional will to make a difference - in a sport that is still in its infancy.
There are still two days until the race. Between the final training sessions, there is time to analyse the current state of E-MTB racing. "A lot has happened in recent years," says Nathalie.
"In 2019, I still thought I'd be thrown rotten eggs when I got on an e-bike. It's completely different today. The tough routes require absolutely professional and specialised training." - Nathalie Schneitter, World Championship bronze medallist
However, acceptance has increased enormously in the meantime. "People are starting to take a serious interest in e-MTB races." Those who still deny the racing qualities of e-races have usually never seen a high-calibre e-MTB race. "I was one of them myself a few years ago," she admits, "but I was curious enough to give it a try." The fact that young professionals such as Nicole Göldi and Joris Ryf are now also taking part in e-MTB races with passion and conviction is an important signal. E-bike races as a pensioners' event for retired bike pros? D.? That was once upon a time.
Nevertheless, e-bike races are currently still one or two leagues below cross-country, downhill and enduro races. "In Switzerland, almost all cross-country races are broadcast live on TV," says Nathalie Schneitter. She herself is a regular co-commentator for Red Bull TV. In Les Gets, even during the World Championships, most of the camera platforms remain unoccupied during the e-bike races. There is no live coverage. And the most technically difficult parts of the course in particular remain largely undetected by TV cameras and photographers - and therefore also by the media audience.
It's no wonder that even for world champion Nicole Göldi, a professional life at a modest level is not a financial sure-fire success. The 2021 World Championship title helped her find sponsors in her first year as a professional after school. "But it wasn't easy. Fortunately, I can still live at home with my parents." Nicole gets bikes and spare parts from sponsors in the bike industry. But being on the pay list as a well-paid professional athlete is something she can only dream of so far. She has raised part of her season budget through crowdfunding. Just as with spectators, the idea of e-bike racing is still vague among many potential sponsors.
The challenge of the track in Les Gets is already clear in training
Just how extremely challenging MTB races can be despite the electric motor is demonstrated two hours later during training. A quick glance at the course map could give the impression that the E-MTB World Championship course is largely identical to the cross-country course - if it weren't for the directional arrows. Where Schurter and co. ride downhill, the e-bikers fight their way uphill. Extremely steep root passages with tight hairpin bends alternate with steps more than a metre high over rocks and wooden beams. "Even the top riders from the cross-country camp, such as Nino Schurter, would have no chance of mastering such a route without dismounting without a motor," says Joris Ryf confidently. He himself has already gained World Cup experience in races with and without a motor. "You're almost always riding at the limit in E-MTB races," adds Ryf. "Because of the heavier bikes, you have to use a lot more strength in your arms and torso. The constant technical challenges require full concentration on every metre."
During training on the World Championship course, German starter Sofia Wiedenroth (27) always discusses the key sections with her Specialized team colleagues and tries out different lines. "E-mountain biking is much more athletic than conventional mountain biking," explains the former cross-country specialist, who has since switched to enduro and e-bike racing. Intensive strength training with two to three sessions a week in the gym is just as much a matter of course for her as endurance training.
A lot to do: technical support from the Bosch team
The day before the final races, the Bosch tech support truck and tent are a hive of activity. Jan Wittmaack and his crew, who check and repair the hardware and software of the supported riders at e-bike races as an external service provider for Bosch, have their hands full. Every racer has to undergo a UCI tech check before the race - after all, the races should be technically fair. Wittmaack checks the bikes and set-up of the supported riders before the tech check in order to avoid problems during the technical inspection.
In contrast to motor racing, e-bike racers largely start with standard drives, such as those available in bike shops. Special, rule-compliant racing software allows the motor to be fully utilised up to 25 km/h before the drive stops abruptly. Software customised for individual riders would be conceivable, "but the effort involved would currently be too high and too expensive," says Wittmaack.
After the check with him, Nicole Göldi pushes her Trek Rail for inspection. Keiran Page, technical delegate of the UCI, measures and documents the wheel circumference with a measuring template. This must not be changed for the race. This is because the motor control unit uses this value to regulate the speed. In a software check, in which the engine control unit is connected to the inspectors' laptop by cable, Page and his technical experts check that all data has been entered in accordance with the rules and that no illegal tuning software has been installed. As with doping controls, the top three to five finishers and their bikes have to undergo another tech check after the race.
There are also spot checks and speed measurement systems have been set up on flat stretches of road to catch speeders. "We want to rule out illegal systems as far as possible," explains Page. "Of course, nobody can be 100 per cent sure that there is no cheating, otherwise there would be no need for doping tests," says Jan Wittmaack, who regularly deals intensively with the topic. "Tuning detection software is mandatory for all manufacturers, but the bikes' electronics are extremely complex and theoretically infinitely modifiable." More control would be possible via a black box similar to that used in Formula 1. However, this would be a technical and financial effort that is currently almost unaffordable in the niche sport of e-MTB.
Riders and organisers agree that the best protection against tech doping is the route profile: hardly any flat sections, uphill sections so steep and demanding that a speed above 25 km/h is hardly possible. A faster drive would be of little use. So fitness and riding ability remain the most important variables on the road to success. "There are advantages or disadvantages due to the material or body weight in other bike disciplines too," admits Joris Ryf. He can live with that.
The day of the decision at the E-MTB World Championships
On race day, Ryf and the old and new e-MTB world champions Nicole Göldi and Jérôme Gilloux will show just how far ahead of the competition they are as e-bike specialists. Göldi wins gold with a commanding lead of 1:15 minutes, with Gilloux 29 seconds ahead. Ryf finishes third. Even a cycling superstar like Peter Sagan (32) bites the dust. Sagan is a force on the road: three-time road world champion, seven-time winner of the points classification at the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix winner. But what not everyone knows is that Sagan is also an excellent mountain biker. 14 years after his junior world championship title in mountain biking, the Slovakian swings onto an e-MTB in Les Gets for the first time in a race - and has to learn the hard way. His maximum heart rate is ten beats higher than in road races. Despite this, he was never able to keep in touch with the front of the field at any point during the race. After a crash on the last lap, his jersey is torn and his face shows signs of exhaustion. And the Germans Matthias Lauer and Roy Bruns also need a while to think clearly again after the race. "Anyone who thinks e-MTB races are rubbish should come here," snorts Roy. "If I'd known how tough the course was beforehand, I probably wouldn't have even entered."
Results of the E-MTB World Championships in Les Gets
Gents
1st Jérôme Gilloux (FRA)
2nd Hugo Pigeon (FRA)
3rd Joris Ryf (SUI)
...
32nd Matthias Lauer (GER)
35th Roy Bruns (GER)
Ladies
1. Nicole Göldi (SUI)
2nd Justine Tonso (FRA)
3rd Nathalie Schneitter (SUI)
4. Sofia Wiedenroth (GER)
100 per cent professional: Interview with Sofia Wiedenroth
"E-mountain biking is much more athletic than conventional mountain biking." - Sofia Wiedenroth
BIKE: Can you make a living from the sport as a professional eMTB and enduro racer?
Sabine Wiedenroth: I am a 100 per cent professional rider. But it's not a sure-fire success. Racing alone is not enough. I'm regularly on the road for photo and video productions and work in product development. It's up to you what you make of it.
What about the image of the E-MTB racing discipline?
That's a difficult topic. I've also had to listen to a lot in the past as a driver, even among my friends. Why is that? I've seen top athletes crying from exhaustion after e-bike races. The image of our sport in the media is still too negative - it definitely needs to become broader and more transparent.
"Taking the sport seriously": Interview with Benno Willeit, Specialized Team Manager
BIKE: Benno, You brought racing bike star Peter Sagan to the start of the e-bike race at the World Championships in Les Gets. What's behind the coup?
Benno Willeit: Firstly, it was important that Peter was up for it. As a former junior mountain bike world champion, he also has the technical skills to ride at the front. I want to signalise with Sagan's start: We have to show how great e-bike racing can be. At the moment, we are just a sideshow of cross-country races. But the potential is much greater.
The concept of e-bike racing is still very vague at the moment.
We are currently in an experimental phase. This is normal for such a young sport. But now is the time for us to take this sport seriously. Cycling federations, race organisers and the media need to sit down together and think about how they want to promote the sport effectively.
How do you see the potential of e-bike racing?
That is enormous. The e-bike is the bicycle of the future. Almost everyone in the world can somehow identify with cycling. I see a potential that is currently only surpassed by football and Formula 1. And biathlon shows how even niche sports can become crowd favourites.
What is necessary for this?
We have to become more open, think bigger. E-biking is motorsport. We can learn a lot from it. What if teams supported by Yamaha or Honda were to compete in the future?
E-MTB racing formats
Enduro, cross-country and endurance - not all e-MTB races are the same. The World Cup races of the WES (World E-Bike Series) and the World Championships are currently held on technically demanding cross-country circuits. Six WES races were held in 2022. There are five stops at the Enduro World Series E (EWS-E). The races there consist of different uphill and downhill stages. The marathon race series E-Bike World Tour made a guest appearance in 2022 with three stops in Flachau, Tignes-Val dʼIsere and Verbier. As a competition series with a high fun factor for amateur riders, the Bosch eMTB Challenge at the BIKE Festival in Willingen conceptualised.
