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Wanna race Ted King at Sea Otter Classic? On an e-Mountain Bike?

Written by Tyler Benedict
30 Comments
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Bosch’s Brian Sarmiento competes in the 2016 “Industry Challenge” eMTB race (Photo c. Bosch)

For the second year in a row, Bosch and Haibike are presenting the eMTB race at the Sea Otter Classic, and this year they’ve attracted some top talent to see how human muscle compares to electrons. The short course should be very spectator friendly and includes some crushing hills to test the battery and motor. Full PR below…

PRESS RELEASE – Bosch eBike Systems invites racers to participate in the 2017 Haibike eMTB Race epowered by Bosch, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 21st at the Sea Otter Classic.

This year’s eMTB race looks to be bigger and better than ever, with a new race course that will test even the best of riders. Scheduled for four laps, each 2.9-mile lap will feature 373 feet of climbing—with 1.4 miles featuring a max grade of 24 percent, which will put these eMTBs to the ultimate electric test. The downhill singletrack sections are fast and flowing with many obstacles along the way including two rock gardens and the “Gravel Speed Trap”—a gravel section designed to stop cars going more than 200mph! Click here to view race course on Trailforks.

“Last year we had over 110 riders participate in the race, which was an unbelievable turnout for the first year,” said Claudia Wasko, General Manager of Bosch eBike Systems Americas. “This year we look to eclipse those numbers on a new race course that will challenge even the best eMTB riders.”

Don’t own an eMTB? No problem. The Bosch eBike Demo Zone is the largest gathering of eBike brands under one tent at the Sea Otter Classic featuring the newest models from Bulls, KTM, Lapierre, Riese & Müller, and Trek. Find us at Booths 708-711, next to SRAM.

Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Nat Ross is participating in the race for the second year in a row, along with other big names like former Tour de France participant Ted King (Cannondale brand ambassador) and Martin Frey (Team Bulls). “The eMTB course has a bit of everything in it and challenges even the best bike handlers in the world,” Ross said. “The sport is evolving quickly and eMTB is here to stay. I’m ready to rumble!”

The eMTB race is open to both men and women who will compete in six age categories and a Bosch sponsored “Industry Challenge” to benefit the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). The Bosch Industry Challenge for NICA is open to anyone who currently works in the cycling industry. The fastest racer will win a $2,500 purse to donate to one of the 19 NICA leagues operating across America —winner’s choice! Additionally, Bosch will contribute another $2,500 towards NICA’s efforts to expand interscholastic cycling.

To register for the race, please click here. After registering you can reserve an eMTB (if you don’t already own one) by clicking here (first come first serve, subject to availability).
Tyler Benedict
11,281 articles

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com, where he’s been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel and ride in new places.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler also loves the Vanlife & family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part and off-grid adventure.

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dave
dave
7 years ago

Lame of Ted King to participate. This is how he gives back to the sport?

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boom
boom
7 years ago
Reply to  dave

He is giving back. Even (ex?) pros can enjoy e-bikes too. Well done Ted!

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How About A Real Race?
How About A Real Race?
7 years ago

Wait a minute, I thought the e-bikers were to race Ted aboard a regular bike.

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Justin Walsh
Justin Walsh
7 years ago

Nope. I refuse to normalize motorcycles in mountain-biking.

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Reality Check
Reality Check
7 years ago
Reply to  Justin Walsh

News flash for you; No one cares what your opinion is. Your attitude only make you appear like a grumpy curmudgeon. If there was every a venue to host an ebike race it would be Sea Otter. You know, a place that normally hosts motor sports events
“Damn kids! Get off my lawn!”

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Justin Walsh
Justin Walsh
7 years ago
Reply to  Reality Check

Ha! You care. Clearly.
What I care about is preserving access to trails, and the fact that these motorcycles threaten that access.

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Chris
Chris
7 years ago
Reply to  Justin Walsh

They’re not necessarily motorcycles. Many ebikes only work when you’re pedaling. In that regard an electric assist motor is no different than suspension and derailleurs! They’re all mechanical devices designed to make pedaling easier for the rider. As someone who does plenty of hiking and trail running I’ve encountered plenty of assholes on trails who are going WAY faster than they should be because they’re riding full suspension bikes. Maybe we should ban those as well? Rigid single speed or nothing! 😉

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Flux
Flux
7 years ago
Reply to  Chris

Doesn’t matter. The anti-cycling group will only hear “motor”, and they won’t give two sh_ts about the technical aspect of how they work.

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Chris
Chris
7 years ago
Reply to  Flux

As someone who does a lot of trail running I love hearing all the MTBers whine and snivel about ebikes possibly flying past them on trails. Now you know how every runner/hiker feels when some inconsiderate a**hole on a full suspension goes flying by us! Maybe it’s because I’m getting older but it seems like the rise of long travel full suspension bikes has also led to a noticeable increase in asshole behavior to other trail users. Seems like this was less of an issue back when rigid bikes and 2″ tires limited the speed with which you could easily ride.

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Justin Walsh
Justin Walsh
7 years ago
Reply to  Chris

The difference is the legal definition between active and passive recreation. This designation is what matters when access decisions are being made, and bikes with motors on them, regardless of when they engage, are no longer passive recreation. That blurred line is the real argument being made in city councils and at land management hearings. e-bikes are paving the way for people to ban bikes because it’ll also ban e-bikes.
No one here is whining or sniveling about how easy it is to ride a bike or how fast people go besides…

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Pete
Pete
7 years ago
Reply to  Justin Walsh

Justin, you are very, very correct on that dividing line.

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Craig
Craig
7 years ago
Reply to  Chris

100% agree with your entire comment there Chris

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Jonathon
Jonathon
7 years ago
Reply to  Chris

And now you’ll have a**holes on E-bikes going even faster.. Derailleurs are not at all similar Motor-assisted pedaling. WTF

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Jonathon
Jonathon
7 years ago
Reply to  Jonathon

Damn, if your going to censor my use of the word a**hole, then ctrl+f and censor Chris’s use of the word a**hole, the person I was quoting.

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Jonathon
Jonathon
7 years ago
Reply to  Jonathon

Much appreciated

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mortimer
mortimer
7 years ago
Reply to  Chris

Motor-cycle.

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jason
jason
7 years ago
Reply to  Justin Walsh

Every trail system and land manager will make their own determination about whether to allow e-mtbs, and I seriously doubt that determination will affect regular mountain bikes. Most likely Class 1 e-mtbs (pedal assist) will be allowed in some places, but anything with a throttle will likely run into the “no motorized vehicles” limitation. As one of the guys who builds and maintains our local trails I (and the rest of the club) am taking a wait and see approach. We don’t have any evidence that e-mtbs cause any more damage to the trail, everything is pretty much speculation at this point. We clearly have skin in the game, because if they do more damage we will have to fix it. The city (the land owner) is relying on us to give them our input and will make the call based on that. We have bigger worries than e-mtbs when it comes to trail damage and access. Riding closed trails is way more of a problem, and don’t get me started on all the skidding in mtb videos…

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Justin Walsh
Justin Walsh
7 years ago
Reply to  jason

The real argument is about the designation of protected lands for passive recreation. Not so much the damage angle. Motorized bikes (regardless of throttle type) violate some of those area classifications, making it easier for people to challenge access to bikes in certain areas.

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jason
jason
7 years ago
Reply to  Justin Walsh

So you are saying that the sheer existence of e-mtbs will cause land managers to ban all mountain bikes rather than drawing a distinction between motorized and non-motorized bikes? If motorized bikes are banned in some areas then they will still be banned, but the existence of e-mtbs doesn’t add motors to standard mountain bikes or rewrite any rules about land use. The damage angle absolutely matters, because that is what results in someone at public works getting angry phone calls from dog walkers and hikers.

Anyone worried about those blurred lines should get involved with local trail advocacy groups and show up at those city council hearings. Be available to explain the difference. The reason why the city council and public works are letting us make the call is because we show up and we work with them.

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Scrambler
Scrambler
7 years ago

Someone please invent E-Hiking shoes. With a spring or tank treads or something. That will fix the trail access debate!

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Matt
Matt
7 years ago

Where do we stop? What if I’m tired of paddling, can someone make me an E-Whitewater kayak?

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fred
fred
7 years ago
Reply to  Matt

upstream whitewater!

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thorsten schaette
thorsten schaette
7 years ago

hey all your haters, want to trade my knees for yours ? Ill lend you my ebike and ride without any help than.
Do you think that all that trail belong to you and ONLY you ? Wake up, E bikes are here to stay, better start working on your attitude now.
thor

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Jonathon
Jonathon
7 years ago
Reply to  thorsten schaette

Car drivers assume the roads were built for them, but it was cyclists who first lobbied for flat roads more than 100 years ago. The improvement of roads was first lobbied for – and paid for – by cycling organisations. And eventually cyclists were pushed aside for motorized vehicles to rule the road..

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Gillis
Gillis
7 years ago
Reply to  thorsten schaette

Your bad knees don’t entitle or give you rights. But e-bikes could take them away from a lot of us. Keep your knees and your ebike, and keep them on road and trails designated for motorized vehicles.

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Mike D
Mike D
7 years ago

I’m not a “hater”; I don’t care if you pass me on your silly e-bike.. my ego can handle it just fine.

This is simply a matter of access. The moment your motorized bicycle impacts access to trails that I helped create and help maintain, then we will have an issue. The problem is that e-bike users and proponents have offered very little in the way of comparative trail impact studies, and instead seem content to ride the coattails of every mountain bike supporter up until this point. This ignores the *years* of meetings, impact assessments, planning, and partnerships it takes to get trails approved and built–but you don’t care, because the bike companies are selling you on ‘pedal assist’, and that this motorized bike should be lumped in with all mountain bikes by default so that they can make another buck. I take this as an unappreciative slap in the face.

“My bad knees” is an argument of entitlement. ‘I can’t do [the thing] without special accommodation so there should be an exception for me’ is the attitude of a selfish individual. The burden of proof is on you, e-bikers, as the new comers. *SHOW ME* multiple, independent studies illustrating comparative trail impacts. Show me that the motors are unhackable. Make your case for access, like we have had to do for decades, instead of trying to sneak by on the hard work of those that have come before you. If you can do that, I’ll be happy to see you out there on the trails.

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Lars K.
Lars K.
7 years ago

Well that escalated quickly. Need I remind you this article is not about land access or trail use groups. This is about an e-bike race (that benefits high school Mtb racers) at an internationally recognized MOTOR sports complex. Every one who’s pissed off about e-bikes on local trails should actually be supporting this type of event which is on a closed course at a motor sports race track. Come on!

I don’t nessarily agree with e-bikes on trails either. However, like it or not, they won’t be going away. They will actually continue to get more access rights and trails open to them in the future. Not the opposite scenario that many of you desperately hope for. I know this because of one simple fact. Which is, the major brands who now sell e-bikes have been actively negotiating with.land managers (i.e.- paying them off, by “donating” cash) for the past four to five years in anticipation of these bikes coming to market. The deal is already done. Sorry, but we’re all too late for this party.

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Allan
Allan
7 years ago
Reply to  Lars K.

The great thing about this is we’ll know who is right in the near(?) future. If you are correct Lars, then that’s fantastic. Open the trails to all, there are places I can go hike and climb where no bike can even dream of going, so it doesn’t bother me. But for those who use these places exclusively to bike on trails might not enjoy some of the consequences. Normally I’m not in favor of slippery-slope arguments, but I can definitely e-bike technology “improving” to the point where these bikes are basically Teslas…electric dirtbikes with a lot of power, allowing users to go very fast and doing more damage to trails. With the way government “works”, it will be impossible to keep up with the ever changing e-bike technology, and how to handle improvements in power and speed these bike produce. And what…are you going to have armed guards stationed at all trails, enforcing some laws on what kind of motor your e-bike has? So, if you open the Pandora’s Box, as you claim it already is, then there really is no end to what kind of electric motorcycle is brought into these places.

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goridebikes
goridebikes
7 years ago

The anti e-bike arguments here seem to come from a lot of people that have 1. Never ridden one, and 2. Never ridden one…

Here’s some things to consider (from an e-bike commuter and motor-free mountain biker) before I even express an opinion about whether or not e-mtb is a good idea:

Many pedal-assist models are electronically limited (e.g. assist cuts out) below 20mph. For reference, on the fast+flowy trails that so many of us ride these days, it’s VERY easy to pedal yourself to far in excess of this… flat terrain and descending can even be hampered by the motor oddly cutting in+out (if you’ve never ridden an e-mtb, take one out on a flat road and you’ll instantly understand this).
The motor makes it possible to CLIMB and to sustain flat/mild uphill terrain speeds – these are areas where the additional speed is highly unlikely to be dangerous (again, they typically cut off assistance around 18mph)..
Point here being: if anything, it’s LESS likely that “some a-hole on an e-bike” is going to cause trail drama, because they aren’t tearing downhill any faster than you or I on our 6-inch “all-natural” steeds… ride one and you’ll understand that it hampers the “rowdy” factor.

Also, the e-mtb are HEAVY AS HELL!!! Even “light” ones are in excess of 40lbs.. they don’t wheelie for sh*t, and honestly their weight makes it pretty tough to skid or drag the rear brake (especially as many of them are plus tires)…

Before arguing a side, you should experience both sides of this.

My suspicion is some minds might be changed… As other commentors have attested, I think it’s unlikely that e-mtb is causing damage beyond the damage you shitheads do when you ride in the mud and skid around every berm b/c you saw some vid on pinkbike…
I also think the ANTI crowd is vastly over-estimating what these e-mtb are capable of.

That said, for me personally – I use e-bike to commute to work daily and it has cut 10min of my commute and removed my excuses “i’m tired, etc.” – I wouldn’t go back. But, there are fast road riders who pace or even drop me on flats because the extra 200-watts of power doesn’t make up for the extra 40lb of bike, and they’re in much better shape..
As for MTB, I want a light, nimble and motor-free ride; I think suffering through climbs is part of the deal.

BUT, I would NEVER begrudge someone wanting to ride their fkin bike outside.. the (deleted) over here crying about e-mtb “riding the coattails” or needing to do their own advocacy need to “check their privelege” .. if e-mtb gets MORE people riding trails, that’s a good thing – we, as MTB people can coach them on manners and etiquette (and maybe some of you fellas can take some notes yourselves about riding muddy trails, eh?) – and add more voices to our side of things.

A bike with a motor and no throttle has the power to add another person to the fight for more trails..

Now, bikes with throttles… that’s a whole other evil.

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Mike D
Mike D
7 years ago
Reply to  goridebikes

Someone using the phrase “check your privilege” in an un-ironic way has pretty much ended their argument before it has even begun…for pete’s sake, don’t be that person.

I’ll respond in brief, as I’m sure goridebikes post will likely be yanked for language–but on the off chance that you get a chance to read this before it does:
1. I’ve ridden e-bikes, so right off the bat your first claim is false. Not only have I ridden them, but many varieties, both on road and off (I work in the industry). So strawman #1 can be laid to rest–you are not the only person to have ever ridden an e-bike and formed an opinion after doing so, but nice try.
2. Yep, I think they’re great in the city. Nice option for commuting, etc. And seeing as how they have a motor, the road seems like a great place to ride them. Which brings me to….
3. A motorized vehicle has no place on non-motorized trails. Period. “Pedal assist” yadda yadda.. I know, I’ve heard it all before. But batteries will get better, bikes will become lighter, technology will progress at a blazing rate–just look what has happened to cell phones in the last 12-15 years. However, this isn’t a discussion being had merely among the mountain bike community. This is a discussion being had among all non-motorized trail users. You know, the ones like Sierra Club (and others) that don’t want bikes there in the first place? Yeah, those people. So never mind trying to convince other mountain bikers that your e-bike should have access everywhere a traditional bike does… this is about trying to convince hikers and horse riders that a bike with a motor on it should have its place on non-motorized trails. THAT is not my fight to have–yes, do your own leg work e-bike users.. I’ve been doing my own for over a decade. NO, I do not believe that ‘hey the more riders out there the merrier’. That is a ridiculous capitalism-poisoned mantra loved by those selling bikes. Do you think the same thing about cars? ‘Hey! Everyone drive a car, the more people out there, the better it will be!’. Of course not. More cars = more traffic = more road wear. The sport of mountain biking has seen an increase in its user base annually for years now. It is growing just fine. It is in no danger of going away any time soon, and in no need of e-bikes to come and ‘save it’.

In a hypothetical scenario where there is a private trail network open to *only* bikes, I’d have little issue with e-bikes, at least in principle. If someone on an e-bike crushes me going uphill that’s ok, my fragile little ego can handle it. However private trail networks are hardly ever the case…which means this is not a debate about egos, but a debate about access. So it comes down to this: In seeking as large of a voice as we can get for access on behalf of mountain bikers, is it worth the risk of aligning ourselves with bikes that have motors on them? That’s a hard no from me. If those users want to do their own legwork and make a case for trail access for themselves, I’m all for it… but I have no time or energy to try to make the case to horses and hikers about the merits of ‘pedal assist’. Not my burden to bare.

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