For the first time ever, the UCI will crown an E-MTB World Champion at the 2019 UCI World Championships in Mont-Saint-Anne, Canada.
The E-MTB races will start after the Cross-Country Team Relay, which opens the event on August 28. Last year the UCI announced that E-MTB would integrate into UCI regulations and the XCO (cross-country) and DHI (downhill) formats.
There will be two separate races — an elite men’s and elite women’s — open to athletes aged 19 and above who are registered with, and selected by their national federation. The course will be about 7.3km in length and the duration of the race will be from one-and-a-half to two hours. There are additional E-MTB World Cup rounds prior to the World Championships.
According to the UCI, an E-MTB is operated by both an electric engine and human power. The engine must only provide assistance when the rider pedals, except for startup assistance where a speed that doesn’t exceed 6km/h is permitted.
An electric mountain bike engine cannot produce more than 250 watts in competition and no additional batteries can be carried. Riders can still receive mechanical and feed assistance, just like a cross-country race, however bike and battery changes aren’t allowed.
Men and women are set to receive equal prize money for the event. The UCI will later reveal a World Championship jersey unique to the E-MTB category. After the E-MTB competition and other opening events on August 28, racing will continue with XCO and DHI races. A total of 13 world titles will be awarded over five days.
What do you think about the addition of electric mountain biking to the UCI World Championships?
15 Comments
Mar 6, 2019
I'd actually prefer a race featuring athletes using performance-enhancing drugs....at least it would still be a human-powered event.
--sigh
Mar 7, 2019
Mar 7, 2019
Wow! You completely missed the point... by light years.
Guess I could say you've obviously never taken androstenedione. Those racing will expend even more power than those who have not. It adds 122.4watts of power to whatever effort you put in.
.... And they're not using batteries to do so! ;- )
--- I would still much prefer to watch athletes on 'roids and HGH race than folks on ebikes.
Mar 7, 2019
Mar 7, 2019
Mar 6, 2019
Mar 7, 2019
Mar 6, 2019
Mar 7, 2019
https://gnccracing.com/pages/emtb-racing-information
Also, a number of MTB enduro series are permitting eMTBs, since the race is won or lost on the descents/timed segments, not the transfers.
Mar 6, 2019
Mar 6, 2019
Mar 7, 2019
Almost everyone who bitches and complains about them has never ridden one out on the trails. I have one, I also have a Santa Cruz Hightower, a Pivot gravel bike, a fatbike, and a KTM 300. All completely different experiences. I ride 5 days a week, usually 3-4 of them on human power. On a good week I'll get one day on the dirt bike, one on the eMTB, and three on the SC or the gravel bike.
There's no "throttle" on an eMTB, and NO ONE will win these races because of the motor. Everyone has basically the same level of electric boost. You'll win it will by pedaling, better handling & technical skills and raw effort. No different than a regular MTB race in that regard. Physical effort will be MAX if you want to win. If I hammer on my eMTB, my heart rate is in the same range as on any of the other bikes. I just cover more ground.
In fact, they'll be able to design more technical courses since you'll be able to climb stuff that would be hike-a-bike on a regular MTB.
I *guarantee* that 99% of the haters would absolutely want one if they spent a couple hours on the trails.
Mar 6, 2019
Mar 6, 2019
Mar 7, 2019