![\"Bosch](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bosch-emtb-challenge-stage-2-lineup.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSince this was my first e-competition, I entered the amateur class. Amateurs rode a shorter course than advanced and pro riders, and from start to finish it took me two and a half hours to complete the event. That includes transfer stages (and taking a few wrong turns), so in terms of timed sections the top two amateurs completed every stage in under 23 minutes. Fitness-wise, this event was not a big challenge for me, which was appropriate for the amateur category. You don\u2019t have to be a superstar athlete to finish the route I rode.<\/p>\n
You would expect good trails in Whistler, and I thought the route featured some really fun runs. There were two short bike park descents, but the second stage was a great example of Sea-To-Sky gnarliness. We descended two of Blackcomb\u2019s trails, which were fast but technical runs with plenty of big rocks, roots, and some smaller slabs. The second-to-last stage took us down a rocky route with bigger, rougher slabs that demanded proper line choice\u2026 they aren\u2019t double black level features, but one did take someone out of the race.<\/p>\n
Navigation<\/p>\n
With no experience racing enduros, navigation was my biggest challenge. Thankfully, I have the Trailforks app, as Bosch provided GPX files of the race route. They did have paper maps as well, but checking those regularly would have been tedious. Following stage two, I met with a group of advanced riders and rode well past a turn I should have taken. At least that wasn\u2019t timed, but during stage three I went off course and cost myself a few precious minutes. I started down the wrong path again, transferring to stage four, but had my phone handy and quickly corrected it.<\/p>\n Most of the route was reasonably well marked, and marshals were positioned to help us cross public paths in one area, but some parts of the course could have been taped off a lot more obviously. One short section of a transfer route wasn\u2019t even an actual trail, and there was no tape to be seen. I do think the organizers could do a bit better at marking the timed stages at least\u2026 I heard rumors that one pro rider went off-route and wasn\u2019t too happy about it.<\/p>\n My Results<\/p>\n Well, I didn\u2019t place dead last, but not far from it! Had I not gone off course in the third stage, I would have placed much better, but with my screw-up, I landed pretty low on the list. I also blew it in both technical sections where we got penalties for putting our feet down, giving myself an extra 10 seconds. On the upside, I seem to do alright on downhill sections! On both the 2nd and last stages, only four riders posted faster times than me.<\/p>\n The Bike \u2013 Devinci E-Troy Lite<\/p>\n A huge thanks to Devinci Cycles for loaning me an eMTB for this event! I\u2019ve tested several of their MTBs and their rep lives very close to me, so I asked them for a bike, and they came through! I reviewed the E-Troy Lite<\/a> in 2024 so I knew what to expect from it.<\/p>\n While descending the second stage, I was reminded how slack and long the E-Troy Lite feels for a trail bike. It\u2019s too short on travel to be called an enduro, but it basically rides like one with a bit less squish. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re all wondering how a \u2018Lite\u2019 eMTB did for this event, and it got me through just fine! That said, a full-powered motor could have cut down my climb times, and the 400Wh battery would not have been sufficient for the longer advanced or pro routes.<\/p>\n I finished the race with two red bars on the display, so I didn\u2019t fully use up the battery but got close. Being somewhat conservative with the assist, I used a fair bit of Trail mode and Bosch\u2019s self-adjusting eMTB mode for tougher sections. I didn\u2019t use Turbo at all, but that\u2019s because I found it easier than expected to complete each stage as I went. The E-Troy Lite got me through the race with no mechanical issues.<\/p>\n Lessons Learned<\/p>\n The number one lesson I took away from this race was this: I wouldn\u2019t dream of competing in another enduro without acquiring a mount to keep my phone on my stem or handlebars (unless the route is fully taped off). I rode a good portion of this race with my phone in one hand, and I can\u2019t count the number of times I checked it to make sure I was on course.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Yes, a full-powered eMTB would have been preferable, but Devinci was kind enough to loan me an E-Troy Lite, and it got me to the finish line.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n