Zermatt 2020 EWS E Bike racing has arrived.

Mr-EPIC-3

Active member
Feb 25, 2020
194
125
USA, So Cal
Is the EWS using the same stages for Pro riders in the EWS-e & EWS race and in the same order(Except for Stage-5 the Power Stage)?

I was looking at the times for EWS Pro stage 1 & 2 to the EWS-e Pro stage 1 & 2 and there is a big different in times. I know the conditions were not good for the EWS Pro riders, but still the EWS-e Pro were minutes faster. I was expecting the EWS-e Pro to be 20sec ~ 60sec faster, but not like 4mins ~ 6mins different.

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Slowroller

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Jan 15, 2018
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496
Wyoming
I feel at some point the motor manufactures and EWS will have to create Nm class motors, such as 60Nm, 80Nm, 100Nm and the race class will be made of Nm output instead of the free-for-all they have today. Also there will have to be motor assist rules, as of right now Shimano is 300% with the E8000, Bosch CX line 340%, Brose sMag 410%, assist support.

And then there will be 5 separate classes for men and women with @ 5-10 riders in each. It’ll be like masters racing where no one can tell who wins what, or cares.

As long as there’s an uphill stage where climbing matters, and there isn’t a way to put riders on equivalent motors or check compliance, the riders on the most powerful motor will have a big advantage.
 

STATO

Active member
Feb 18, 2020
195
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North
Is the EWS using the same stages for Pro riders in the EWS-e & EWS race and in the same order(Except for Stage-5 the Power Stage)?

I was looking at the times for EWS Pro stage 1 & 2 to the EWS-e Pro stage 1 & 2 and there is a big different in times. I know the conditions were not good for the EWS Pro riders, but still the EWS-e Pro were minutes faster. I was expecting the EWS-e Pro to be 20sec ~ 60sec faster, but not like 4mins ~ 6mins different.

Totally different schedule and MASSIVELY different conditions.

EWS Stage 1 was supposed to be same as EWS-E Stage 6 (almost, EWS had shortened course due to weather)
EWS was 30 seconds slower even with shorter course but horrendous conditions on a physical track with slick mud and rocks, dont think you can compare.

EWS Stage 2 was not raced by EWS-E.

All other EWS stages had to be cancelled due to the weather.

Closest comparison ive seen was Jesse Malamed headcam, vs Martyn Brookes headcam from EWS-E stage 4 (he hasnt posted stage 6), about 4:20 is the start point of the EWS Stage 1.


 

Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
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Seems his French is better THAN your English too ;)



Every day's a School day ;)
 

Mr-EPIC-3

Active member
Feb 25, 2020
194
125
USA, So Cal
And then there will be 5 separate classes for men and women with @ 5-10 riders in each. It’ll be like masters racing where no one can tell who wins what, or cares.

As long as there’s an uphill stage where climbing matters, and there isn’t a way to put riders on equivalent motors or check compliance, the riders on the most powerful motor will have a big advantage.
For now the open eMTB class is going to work, but eventually as the eMTB sport grows, the manufactures and race org's will need to set rules for motor Nm & assist. I actually would say there is 4 classes right now, EWS-e could have Up-To-85Nm and Over-85Nm Pro Men and Pro Women, and assists should be limited to 300% ~ 350%. As far as the climbing stage, Moseley mention that there was transfer stages that would have been great for the power-stage.
 

Mr-EPIC-3

Active member
Feb 25, 2020
194
125
USA, So Cal
lol
Only 45 competitors actually raced.
First year of a EWS-e race what were you expecting 100. I am sure the eMTB class will grow over the next few years and COVID-19 didn't help much. Next year there will be double that number in racers:)
 

Pivot

E*POWAH Master
Jun 11, 2020
668
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Seems his French is better THAN your English too ;)



Every day's a School day ;)

Very sweet of you Gary, I do learn every day
 

STATO

Active member
Feb 18, 2020
195
123
North
I think they are asking too much with this opening season EWS-E.

6 stages (mostly short but with lots of transition riding) meaning 3 batteries per rider, probably 4, to ensure race day batteries are charged while doing some final practice. Less stages or transition (same as EWS) and more riders from Pro teams or DH/XC racers might be able to compete. Do we gain anything from knowing the EWS-E riders put in the miles on transition stages? they will always be managing batteries to allow full power on the stage, seems pointless to do extra transition distance over stage distance.

Also a climbing stage so difficult one slip-up will totally ruin your race, i think a less tech stage but with tech option to take risks for bonus would be more comparable to the downhill stages and more interesting to watch.
 

STATO

Active member
Feb 18, 2020
195
123
North
Very interesting... these races will help drive innovation. We need to support it.

Are these races visible on UK TV channels?

The EWS (and EWS-E) have their own youtube channel where they post videos. It not broadcast live anywhere.
 

Rosemount

E*POWAH Elite
May 23, 2020
822
1,748
Qld Australia
lol
Only 45 competitors actually raced.

Well actually ...
There `s this thing going around called COVID 19 , you might have heard of it ?

Are people allowed out of the UK ?


Perspective --- Jesse Melamed won the EWS round . He hasn`t ever won a round outside of Whistler . And not in the last cpl of years .

Several big names are not competing in EWS this year .
 

STATO

Active member
Feb 18, 2020
195
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North
Perspective --- Jesse Melamed won the EWS round . He hasn`t ever won a round outside of Whistler . And not in the last cpl of years .

Several big names are not competing in EWS this year .

Thats a bit harsh, true people were not there but he beat Martin Maes by 5seconds, who beat Jesse by over a minute in Zermat 2019. Either you saying Jesse isnt a winner AND Martin has somehow lost all his ability. Or you accept Jesse has improved.
 
Aug 31, 2020
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Sospel
Also a climbing stage so difficult one slip-up will totally ruin your race, i think a less tech stage but with tech option to take risks for bonus would be more comparable to the downhill stages and more interesting to watch.
The technicality is required to limit the effect of motor/power/rider weight differences. Technical climbs are going to be more about climbing skill (obvs some bike/motor differences too). Whereas a less technical climb will just be won by the lightest person with the most torque.
 

RickBullotta

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Jun 5, 2019
1,849
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The technicality is required to limit the effect of motor/power/rider weight differences. Technical climbs are going to be more about climbing skill (obvs some bike/motor differences too). Whereas a less technical climb will just be won by the lightest person with the most torque.

Certainly skills will matter a lot on tech climbs. But it is really combined rider + bike power (and power to weight) that wins, not just the bike torque. I did one of the GNCC eMTB races, and it was every bit as physically demanding as a regular MTB race - heart rate PEGGED. If you want to win, you need to use your full physical capability as well as the bike's capability.

For me, I've noticed is that the more that a trail is 'traction impaired' or has lots of tight turns, the smaller the difference in speed on my eMTB vs my regular MTB. There's some stuff we ride that I'd be slower on my KTM 300 than on my eMTB or MTB (and some that I'd be 2-3X faster). Raw power isn't always the differentiator. But it helps. ;-)
 

Mr-EPIC-3

Active member
Feb 25, 2020
194
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USA, So Cal
Thats a bit harsh, true people were not there but he beat Martin Maes by 5seconds, who beat Jesse by over a minute in Zermat 2019. Either you saying Jesse isnt a winner AND Martin has somehow lost all his ability. Or you accept Jesse has improved.
JesseM and MartinM are both EWS top 10 racers, but the fact that JesseM (0 Stage Wins Last) beat MartinM ( 2 Stage Wins Last) in really bad condtions by 5secs just means JesseM got lucky on some race line choices. Next year when RichR & SamH are back in lineup it will be alot tougher to win stages or a race.
 

Rosemount

E*POWAH Elite
May 23, 2020
822
1,748
Qld Australia
Thats a bit harsh, true people were not there but he beat Martin Maes by 5seconds, who beat Jesse by over a minute in Zermat 2019. Either you saying Jesse isnt a winner AND Martin has somehow lost all his ability. Or you accept Jesse has improved.

I accept Jesse may have improved .
He also competed in the recent races in Canada and would have been match fit .
Wet weather was an X factor .
I also believe that the competition was not as strong ...
 

Rosemount

E*POWAH Elite
May 23, 2020
822
1,748
Qld Australia
I've had Covid-19

Your perspective is naive.

Oh @Gary we have so much to learn and so little time to absorb it ?
I can only give thanks and praise you are here to enlighten me with your pearls of wisdom . ?

EWS was raced in a different format . Only 2 stages because of weather conditions .
Jesse Melamede did give credit to his Crank Works racing getting him ready for EWS .
 
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Gary

Old Tartan Bollocks
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Oh @Gary we have so much to learn and so little time to absorb it ?
I can only give thanks and praise you are here to enlighten me with your pearls of wisdom . ?

Jesse Melamede did give credit to his Crank Works racing getting him ready for EWS .
Jesse put 10seconds into the second placed rider Maes on the first stage. A very wet stage physical with very low visibility and a horrible final pedal to the finish.
Are you saying Hill and Rude would also have beaten Maes (one of the fittest and most technically skilled riders on the circuit) by more than 10 seconds? Who else of the few riders who sat out the round are you hinting at doing the same?

Do you know a single rider who was at Zermatt EWS?
Or are you just going to try to find titbits of info via YouTube to make you sound like you know what you're talking about?
 

wepn

The Barking Owl ?
Jul 18, 2019
1,006
1,145
AU
I've had Covid-19

Your perspective is naive.
Hope you're okay now.

I'd call leaders who ignored experts & tore down pandemic defences just in time for a pandemic - naive. Now that I think about it, naive may not be the most accurate description.
 

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