Race Report: E-MTB Challenge Riva del Garda 2026
At the beginning of May, the third race of the season, the Bosch E-MTB Challenge, took place in Riva del Garda. After two demanding weekends in Slovenia and Belgium, we were particularly looking forward to the one-day format, especially as Théo, Helen, and Kelan were each dealing with a few minor injuries from the previous weeks.
What makes E-MTB racing particularly exciting is that no single concept has fully established itself yet. The E-MTB Challenge, for example, follows a completely different approach. The series is primarily designed to be accessible to everyone and can be completed without specific training. For professional riders, there are individual, more specialized stages featuring so-called "no-feet" zones. If a rider takes a foot off the pedal in these sections, a 5-second time penalty is applied.
With the opening of the new ROTWILD Store in Torbole, we were especially motivated and eager to build on the strong results we had achieved in Belgium.
Travel to the Race
For Helen, Kelan, and Théo, the race day began at around 9:00 a.m. at the festival venue. From there, the route initially followed the Ponale Road towards Lake Ledro, where the actual race section began. The approach ride, which included around 1,000 meters of elevation gain, added an extra challenge before the riders entered the technical trails.
Stage 1 – Up/Down at Lake Ledro
The first stage was a so-called Up/Down stage. The course first zigzagged downhill across a meadow, then climbed back up the hillside through steep grassy turns before descending once again to the finish line. All riders definitely felt the intensity of the stage in their legs and lungs. As far as E-MTB racing is concerned, this was an excellent stage: easily accessible, highly visible for spectators, and located right by the lake. We'd love to see more stages like this in the future.
Stage 2 – First "No-Feet" Zone
Stage 2 began with a short technical uphill section and the first "no-feet" zone of the day. Théo and Kelan made it through cleanly without having to put a foot down. Helen had a brief stall and picked up the first time penalty of the day. After that, the trail continued for around 1.5 km along the hillside. The question on everyone's mind was: when would the first proper downhill stage of the day finally arrive?
Stage 3 – Pro Stage with Rock Steps
Stage 3 was the first Pro Stage of the day. After a series of large rock steps came the second "no-feet" zone. Théo was the only rider in the entire Pro field to complete the section without incurring a time penalty – an advantage that would later prove highly valuable. Kelan also made it through without a penalty. The stage then continued with another long traverse to the finish, which was more or less downhill.
Stage 4 – Finally downhill
On Stage 4, the riders finally got what they had been hoping for: the first continuous downhill stage of the day. The track featured open, loose gravel corners and ended with a technical section. As the race progressed, the rider groups increasingly merged, meaning Helen, Kelan, and Théo each had to overtake several competitors. Fortunately, Torben and Lukas were positioned at the right spot and captured the maneuver on camera. In the end, everything went smoothly, with no negative consequences for our riders.
After the first four stages, it was time for a break. In the women’s race, Helen and Anna Spielmann were locked in a true head-to-head battle, separated by just half a second. In the men’s race, Théo had already built a comfortable lead of 23 seconds – his clean Pro stage without any time penalty had clearly paid off. Kelan was sitting in fourth place, less than a second behind Damien Oton in the fight for the podium.
Intermediate standings – Women: 1. Helen Weber: 18:28.68 - 2. Anna Spielmann: +0.53s - 3. Tracy Mosely: +10.88s - 4. Ines Thoma: +16.16s - 5. Florencia Espineira: +30.05s
Intermediate standings – Men: 1. Théo Ruhlmann: 15:47.58 - 2. Kenny Muller: +23.30s - 3. Damien Oton: +36.15s - 4. Kelan Grant: +36.93s - 5. Christian Textor: +46.76s
Stage 5 – Polenta and another Up/Down
After a short break, during which the riders were well treated with polenta, another rather unspectacular Up/Down stage followed.
Stage 6 – Mechanical issues
Stage 6 turned out to be somewhat of a setback for us and cost us two crank arms. Kelan’s aluminum crank was completely bent outward after a crash, and Helen’s carbon crank was also damaged. As a result, the final stage was ridden with caution. When we reached the finish, Helen was in 1st place, as was Théo, with Kelan in 3rd. It was unexpected, but all the more satisfying.
Waiting for the results
Then came the long wait. Due to the evaluation of the “no-feet” zones, no official results were available until the podium ceremony. In the end, however, it was another top result for the team and the Avinox M2S Race750: the finishing order remained unchanged. We celebrated victories in both categories, as well as Kelan’s strong third place, as he moved up from fourth in the second half of the day and beat Damien Oton by more than 13 seconds.
Final standings – Women: 1. Helen Weber: 24:39.97 - 2. Anna Spielmann: +5.76s - 3. Tracy Mosely: +14.09s - 4. Ines Thoma: +29.16s - 5. Florencia Espineira: +38.87s
Final standings – Men: 1. Théo Ruhlmann: 21:25.60 - 2. Kenny Muller: +30.59s - 3. Kelan Grant: +45.33s - 4. Christian Textor: +50.07s - 5. Damien Oton: +58.06s
Conclusion
A format with both strengths and weaknesses – great for grassroots and amateur riders, with the potential to make E-MTB racing accessible to a wide audience.
More impressions from race day can be found in the ROTWILD-Schwalbe Gravity Team vlog.
