With electric mountain bikes becoming increasingly popular every year, it was only a matter of time before they made their way into the world of mountain bike racing.
A hotly debated topic since its conception, eMTB racing is the newest event on the World Cup calendar.
In this article, we'll take a look at exactly what eMTB racing is, the rules involved and what the future may hold for the sport’s newest competitive discipline.
What is eMTB racing?
As its name suggests, eMTB racing is the use of electric mountain bikes in competition. Numerous formats are encompassed within the discipline, each following (or largely based upon) a pre-existing race format used by pedal-powered mountain bikes.
eMTB racing formats
Enduro
Based on the popular enduro racing format, e-enduro (or EDR-E) races follow a very similar structure, with multiple timed descents (called race stages) and untimed transitions between them (called liaisons). Often, these races are sub-categories within an enduro race and follow the same course as the pedal-powered bikes.
Bigger events, such as the UCI EDR-E World Cup, also include an uphill ‘power stage’ to test the limits of the competitors (and their motors) on short, steep and technical climbs. These power stages are often reminiscent of moto-trials courses and are a blast for riders and spectators alike.
Over the last couple of years, as the popularity of eMTBs has boomed among recreational riders, ebike categories have opened in most enduro races, from world-level competitions to local events.
Cross-country
Electric cross-country (XC) racing is the other prominent discipline of eMTB competition. Although not as popular as e-enduro at a grassroots level, the XC format has its own standalone UCI World Cup series, dubbed the World Ebike Series (WES).
UCI eMTB XC World Cup racing involves a mass-start format, similar to conventional Cross-country Olympic (XCO) racing. Riders take on around seven laps of a 3-4km long course, totalling 20-30km with 1,000-1,400m of elevation gain.
As well as the eMTB XC World Cup, there is an annual World Championship event, with qualification based on the overall standings of the World Cup series.
A brief history of eMTB racing
Electric mountain bike racing has been around for almost a decade, with the first event taking place at the Sea Otter Classic in 2016. The event was called the ‘Bosch Industry Challenge’ and followed an XC-esque format.
In 2019, the debut World Ebike Series event took place in Monaco and, one year later, it became an official UCI World Cup.
E-enduro racing wasn’t far behind, with the Enduro World Series (EWS) introducing its ebike format (EWS-E) in Zermatt in 2020.
When the EWS became the UCI Enduro World Cup in 2022, the EWS-E was also elevated to World Cup standard.
The first UCI electric mountain bike championship took place in 2019. In 2020, it was won by cross-discipline star Tom Pidcock.
The rules
EDR-E
The majority of the rules, such as course cutting, are shared between the EDR and EDR-E racers. However, there is a special set of rules applying to motor and battery performance.
The EDR-E rulebook states that all bikes (including their motor and electronics) will be inspected by race officials before the first round of the season. After that, further inspections may be carried out during or after every event. Refusal to allow these inspections will result in immediate disqualification.
In terms of top speeds, the EDR-E follows the EU standard EN15194, which limits ebike motors to 25kph. Motor power is limited to no more than 250W of continuous power, which has to be activated by pedalling. Throttle-activated motors are forbidden.
Riders are limited to two batteries, one for each loop. However, there are no technical restrictions on batteries.
WES
The WES also requires all bikes to be certified under the EN15194 (25kph) standard. The top five finishers in each category undergo a full check after each event.
Any bike that does not conform to the required standard is considered a mechanical doping offence under UCI regulations.
WES racers are only allowed one battery per race, however there are no limits on the size of the battery.
What does the future hold for eMTB racing?
Conversations regarding the future of eMTB racing are often fuelled by the furious rumour mill created by ebike sceptics.
A common conspiracy is that eMTB racing is pitted to replace non-assisted disciplines, however we don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.
Previously, it was racing that pushed the development of mountain bikes, with world-class events the proving ground for cutting-edge technology. On the electric side of things, the opposite is true and it’s the rapid development of eMTB technology that's driving race organisers to develop their events to match the performance of the latest crop of eMTBs.
An interesting development is taking place on the e-enduro side of things. Since its conception in 2020, the ebike category of the Enduro World Cup has been raced on the same day and course as the non-assisted bikes. This meant that pro enduro riders couldn’t try their hand at ebike racing without missing out on their main race, and the EDR-E field has remained comparatively small year after year.
For 2024, the EDR and EDR-E competitions are being held on separate days, with the ebike race taking place after the enduro race. We believe this change is intended to encourage more top enduro athletes to give the e-enduro a go.
While both races share some stages, the EDR-E course will have multiple unique downhill and uphill power stages.
Incentives for enduro racers to enter the EDR-E category are numerous. With most brands pushing hard in the ebike market, the opportunity to showcase their products at the highest level in a standalone event is massive, and the world’s best enduro riders are already perfectly suited to taking on the challenges of an e-enduro format.
We've already seen a handful of EDR riders tackling the double-event format. Most notably, Yeti Factory Racing's Sławomir Łukasik took second place at the EDR in Bielsko-Biała and went on to win the EDR-E the following day.
How many more of the top enduro pros we’ll see racing both EDR and E-EDR remains to be seen, but in our opinion separating the two events and letting each have the limelight can only be a positive change.
