July 5, 2019 - USA Cycling announced that the first sanctioned Class 1 e-MTB races sponsored by Bulls and ePowered by Bosch would be held April 12 at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, Calif. The event joins a growing list of sanctioned races at the festival such as Downhill, Cross-country, Enduro, Dual-Slalom and Road.
“With the growing popularity of e-bikes and the UCI including the discipline in the World Championships, we are working with events, industry partners and athletes to assist with providing guidelines for e-bike events in the U.S.,” said Chuck Hodge, USA Cycling’s Chief of Racing and Events.
“The Sea Otter Classic is thrilled to host this USA-Cycling-sanctioned e-MTB race,” said Frank Yohannan, president and CEO of the Sea Otter Classic. “There has been a lot of interest in e-bikes from the cycling community, and we are happy to offer both Amateur and Pro races at this year’s event.”
The e-MTB race is open to both men and women who will compete in six amateur age categories and a Pro category. The e-MTBs that use certified Class 1 e-bike systems from Bosch, Brose, Yamaha or Shimano will be welcome to compete in the race.
The first-place prize for Pros (both men and women) is $750, the second-place prize is $500 and the third-place prize is $250, for a total purse of $3,000. Winners in all categories will receive power tools. New in 2019, Sea Otter will be adding chipped timing to the race.