Bosch eMTB Challenge supported by Trek enters its third and biggest season

Stuttgart/Reutlingen – The Bosch eMTB Challenge supported by Trek takes things a step further for 2019: For the first time, the Bosch eBike Systems challenge series which is jointly organised with bicycle manufacturer Trek, is touring six European countries. In Germany it will form part of the Bike Festival Willingen, before moving on to Austria, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The challenge is aimed at eMountain bikers from different age and performance classes and promises plenty of fun for every competitor with an even wider choice of routes: Thus, the "Advanced" category includes an additional stage with an even greater degree of difficulty. Tyre manufacturer Schwalbe is a new partner in the eMTB Challenge. Due to high demand in 2018, starting positions will be limited to 150 per event for 2019’s series.

Something for everyone

The eMTB Challenge offers impressive versatility. Participants must cover around 35 kilometres and negotiate an altitude differential of about 1,000 metres. Riding technique and orientation are both important skills, as are fitness and intelligent battery management. The stages, which offer a mix of uphill and downhill sections, are ridden against the clock without any prior practise. In the transfer stages, the emphasis is on good orientation rather than just speed. Various orientation points have to be found along the route – missing one will earn the biker a 10-second time penalty. The rider with the fastest overall time is the winner.

Three categories

The stages of the "Amateur" and "Advanced" categories are aimed at ambitious amateur riders and include demanding sections that will also provide exciting challenges for professionals. Since last year, it is also possible to compete in the "Explorer" category. In this case, the riders participate in the eMTB Challenge without the time trial element: This means that they can bypass all stages, but must instead pass a number of additional orientation points. Thus, families, partners or groups with different levels of performance can sign up together for the eMTB Challenge and enjoy the special atmosphere of the competition. First and foremost, the challenge is all about riding enjoyment and the shared experience on the trails.

High demand and limited starting positions

Due to last year's high demand, the starting positions for the eMTB Challenge will now be limited to 150 per event. "The race format attracts a variety of rider types and performance levels in the area of eMountain biking. Increasing demand is a positive sign: It shows that mountainbikers simply enjoy the thrill of the eMTB Challenge," says Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems.
Riders can look forward to varied trails against an impressive scenic backdrop in all six countries. The kick-off will be at the beginning of May at the BIKE Festival in Riva del Garda (IT). This will be followed by events in Solothurn (CH), Willingen (D), Innerleithen (Scotland, UK), Bad Goisern (Salzkammergut, AT) and Avoriaz, Portes du Soleil (FR).

More information on the Bosch eMTB Challenge can be found here:
www.bosch-ebike.com/emtbchallenge

The teaser video for the Bosch eMTB Challenge can be found here:
https://youtu.be/lXu7knmMNgs

The Bosch eMTB Challenge 2019
More information on the individual events and registration can be found here:
• 03/05 – 05/05/2019: BIKE Festival Garda Trentino in Riva del Garda, Italy
https://riva.bike-festival.de
• 10/05 – 12/05/2019: Bike Days Solothurn, Switzerland
https://bikedays.ch
• 17/05 – 19/05/2019: BIKE Festival Willingen, Germany
https://willingen.bike-festival.de
• 09/06/2019: TweedLove Transcend Bike Festival, UK
http://tweedlove.com
• 13/07/2019: Salzkammergut Trophy, Austria
www.salzkammergut-trophy.at
• 24/08/2019: Avoriaz, Portes du Soleil, France,
www.boschemtbchallenge.fr