FlowDough
Active member
The field for the inaugural race is small but stacked with former champions from a variety of disciplines:
EWS E-Series racers
Absalon, Remy. FRA1984
Remy placed 3rd in the first ever EWS race back in 2013 and has been a mainstay on the circuit ever since. He has several top 10 EWS finishes but no wins, and has won Megaavalanche twice.
Amour, Karim. FRA.1975. Longtime World Cup DH and 4x competitor who won a World Cup 4x race and had several top 10 World Cup DH results. He switched to Enduro after he retired from DH and finished 17th out of 293 racers at his first EWS race in 2013, at age 38. Since then he has been dominating the EWS veteran class.
Arduino, Mattia. ITA.1988. Didn't qualify for a World Cup DH in 3 attempts, but he did finish 16th at an IXS DH race in 2010 and raced one EWS race back in 2016.
Barel, Fabien. FRA.1980. Canyon Collective. 3 time World DH Champion, former EWS and World Cup DH race winner, one of the greatest gravity racers of all time.
Baroni, Francesco. ITA.1960 EWS Masters racer with mid-pack results.
Batista, Levy. FRA.1990 Tribe Rocky MTN Finished 43rd out of 257 at a 2018 EWS race.
Borges, Jose. POR.1990 Miranda Factory Team. Finished 2nd behind Martin Maes at the 2019 EWS race in Funchal, and 4th at the 2017 Megaavalanche race.
Brookes, Martyn. GBR.1987. Enduro racer with some top 50 finishes in the EWS.
Callaghan, Killian. IRL.1997. Finished in the top 40 at two 2019 EWS races.
Carballo Gonzalez, Edgar. ESP.1988 Orbea. Finished 25th at the 2018 World Cup DH race in Losinj and 23rd at the 2019 EWS race in Zermatt.
I see 3 primary reasons why e bikes will inevitably takeover EWS e bike racing, and likely sooner than later.
1. More fun
The 10 guys racing above think they are more fun, and once the regular ews racers see and hear about how much fun they are having more are going to jump on the electric enduro bandwagon. I wouldn't be surprised if some racers actually switch over mid- season because they want to get in on it. Because E bike racers won't be as spent from climbing hard all day, there is also the potential for more stages in the same amount of time, which equals more fun. Compared to the normal EWS class, EWS E bike racers will spend much less time climbing, have more fun on the climbs, and be fresher for the downhill stages.
2. The climbing stages
Heard much about normal EWS climbs? No, because they are as boring as watching paint dry. E bikes open up the opportunity to create a whole new exciting type of competition in an area that usually isn't exciting; The transfer stages. Hopefully the climbing stages will be steep and technical and test the riders technical skills more than their leg power. Not as extreme as motorcycle hillclimbs, but not something everybody will be able to climb without dabbing or getting off the bike. These climbing stages could really spice up the competition if they are done right, and it really adds some variety and skill diversity into the competition. E bike climbing on technical terrain is fun, and this is just another reason why riders are going to cross over instead of suffering and sweating all day on normal bikes. One possible development from E bike EWS racing will hopefully be more adjustable on the fly geometry to help conquer the climbing stages. Mountain biking has never had a racing discipline where climbing was fun to watch or do, but e bikes could change that quickly.
3. Industry trends
E Bike sales have blown through the roof in the last couple years, while normal bike sales have been relatively flat by comparison. While many riders gong to switch over because it's more fun, some manufacturers are also going to want their racers on E bikes to help sell them. EWS E bike racing will also provide perfect testing grounds for e bike research and development, as the bikes become lighter and more capable.
EWS is the perfect discipline for e bikes due to what they are capable of. E bike cross country seems like ridiculous hypocrisy, and E bike downhill racing would only make sense if there were no shuttle or lift. Enduro racing on e bikes will likely one day resemble DH racing more than Enduro racing, as racers will likely inevitably opt for double crown forks and heavier and more capable parts to go faster and have the bike survive. Once the Enduro E bikes turn into DH E bikes the sport is likely to become even more exciting.
The days of e bike racing being a joke are over and don't be surprised if e bike enduro racing becomes the fastest growing bike racing discipline in the very near future, in direct correlation with e bikes becoming the fastest selling segment in the bike industry.
As for the inaugural race in Zermatt I would expect Fabien Barrel to be the favorite based upon his history of winning big races. Edgar Carballo Gonzalez must also be considered a favorite since he raced well in Zermatt last year. Killian Calaghan, Jose Borges, Martyn Brookes, Remy Absolan also cannot be counted out. This race will be a bit of a learning experience for everyone, so it could be unpredictable and have some surprises.
EWS E-Series racers
Absalon, Remy. FRA1984
Remy placed 3rd in the first ever EWS race back in 2013 and has been a mainstay on the circuit ever since. He has several top 10 EWS finishes but no wins, and has won Megaavalanche twice.
Amour, Karim. FRA.1975. Longtime World Cup DH and 4x competitor who won a World Cup 4x race and had several top 10 World Cup DH results. He switched to Enduro after he retired from DH and finished 17th out of 293 racers at his first EWS race in 2013, at age 38. Since then he has been dominating the EWS veteran class.
Arduino, Mattia. ITA.1988. Didn't qualify for a World Cup DH in 3 attempts, but he did finish 16th at an IXS DH race in 2010 and raced one EWS race back in 2016.
Barel, Fabien. FRA.1980. Canyon Collective. 3 time World DH Champion, former EWS and World Cup DH race winner, one of the greatest gravity racers of all time.
Baroni, Francesco. ITA.1960 EWS Masters racer with mid-pack results.
Batista, Levy. FRA.1990 Tribe Rocky MTN Finished 43rd out of 257 at a 2018 EWS race.
Borges, Jose. POR.1990 Miranda Factory Team. Finished 2nd behind Martin Maes at the 2019 EWS race in Funchal, and 4th at the 2017 Megaavalanche race.
Brookes, Martyn. GBR.1987. Enduro racer with some top 50 finishes in the EWS.
Callaghan, Killian. IRL.1997. Finished in the top 40 at two 2019 EWS races.
Carballo Gonzalez, Edgar. ESP.1988 Orbea. Finished 25th at the 2018 World Cup DH race in Losinj and 23rd at the 2019 EWS race in Zermatt.
I see 3 primary reasons why e bikes will inevitably takeover EWS e bike racing, and likely sooner than later.
1. More fun
The 10 guys racing above think they are more fun, and once the regular ews racers see and hear about how much fun they are having more are going to jump on the electric enduro bandwagon. I wouldn't be surprised if some racers actually switch over mid- season because they want to get in on it. Because E bike racers won't be as spent from climbing hard all day, there is also the potential for more stages in the same amount of time, which equals more fun. Compared to the normal EWS class, EWS E bike racers will spend much less time climbing, have more fun on the climbs, and be fresher for the downhill stages.
2. The climbing stages
Heard much about normal EWS climbs? No, because they are as boring as watching paint dry. E bikes open up the opportunity to create a whole new exciting type of competition in an area that usually isn't exciting; The transfer stages. Hopefully the climbing stages will be steep and technical and test the riders technical skills more than their leg power. Not as extreme as motorcycle hillclimbs, but not something everybody will be able to climb without dabbing or getting off the bike. These climbing stages could really spice up the competition if they are done right, and it really adds some variety and skill diversity into the competition. E bike climbing on technical terrain is fun, and this is just another reason why riders are going to cross over instead of suffering and sweating all day on normal bikes. One possible development from E bike EWS racing will hopefully be more adjustable on the fly geometry to help conquer the climbing stages. Mountain biking has never had a racing discipline where climbing was fun to watch or do, but e bikes could change that quickly.
3. Industry trends
E Bike sales have blown through the roof in the last couple years, while normal bike sales have been relatively flat by comparison. While many riders gong to switch over because it's more fun, some manufacturers are also going to want their racers on E bikes to help sell them. EWS E bike racing will also provide perfect testing grounds for e bike research and development, as the bikes become lighter and more capable.
EWS is the perfect discipline for e bikes due to what they are capable of. E bike cross country seems like ridiculous hypocrisy, and E bike downhill racing would only make sense if there were no shuttle or lift. Enduro racing on e bikes will likely one day resemble DH racing more than Enduro racing, as racers will likely inevitably opt for double crown forks and heavier and more capable parts to go faster and have the bike survive. Once the Enduro E bikes turn into DH E bikes the sport is likely to become even more exciting.
The days of e bike racing being a joke are over and don't be surprised if e bike enduro racing becomes the fastest growing bike racing discipline in the very near future, in direct correlation with e bikes becoming the fastest selling segment in the bike industry.
As for the inaugural race in Zermatt I would expect Fabien Barrel to be the favorite based upon his history of winning big races. Edgar Carballo Gonzalez must also be considered a favorite since he raced well in Zermatt last year. Killian Calaghan, Jose Borges, Martyn Brookes, Remy Absolan also cannot be counted out. This race will be a bit of a learning experience for everyone, so it could be unpredictable and have some surprises.
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