Race Report: European E-MTB Tour #3 in Castino
Last weekend marked the fourth race of our first race block. After staying in Riva during the week, we headed to Castino in Piedmont on Thursday for the third round of the European E-MTB Tour. For most of the team, it was a new location; only Théo was familiar with the race from last year. To loosen up our legs after the drive, we headed straight to the Alta Langa Bike Park, where the race takes place. Of course, we chose a trail that isn’t part of the race course. We were surprised: the trails here are very flowing, with lots of changes in rhythm and gradient. The trail builders manage to get the most out of the roughly 300 meters of elevation available.
Friday: Fine-tuning and bike check
On Friday we visited the same trail again. Helen and Kelan had switched during the week to the DHX2 coil and the new 2027 Fox 38. Accordingly, they wanted to further refine their setup. Kelan changed from a -5 mm reach set to a +0.5 degree angle set and quickly noticed the positive effects of the steeper head angle in tight terrain. In the evening, the mandatory bike check took place. Nice to see: another Avinox rider was present. Yannick Pontal, a veteran in the e-enduro scene and SRAM test rider, has chosen an Unno Mith with an Avinox motor. We helped him briefly with the race setup of his firmware, and then everyone was ready to go.
Addendum: M2S Race750 and the bike check procedure
At this point it is worth explaining the bike check in more detail, as there are some concerns about system reliability. A key part of the test is the whitelist of UCI-certified motors and firmware versions. Only if both match are riders allowed to attend the bike check. This ensures maximum power output compliance. During the test, the wheel circumference including tire is measured. From this value, a maximum tolerance of 5% may be deducted. If you are outside this range, you are disqualified. As an end user, you cannot adjust this value, which is why manufacturers deliver bikes within a safe range. In addition, random top-speed tests are conducted throughout the day on a dynamometer. All podium riders are tested, as well as each manufacturer.
Practice and Alta Langa Bike Park
The bike park is fascinating. Castino and the surrounding region have very few residents. The trails were all built and are maintained by volunteers. You can really tell that on the trails, there’s a lot of passion behind them. The whole village came together to host the race. Here, we must give a big shout-out to Enrico from the Superenduro series. As the driving force behind enduro sports in Italy — he organized all EWS races and MTB World Cups in Italy, as well as the World Championships in Finale this fall with his company 4GUIMP — he knows how to organize events and find enthusiastic regions.
Saturday: Stage Training
In perfect weather, stage training began on Saturday morning as usual. In Italy, e-MTB races allow the use of only one battery, which can be charged during a break. The race circuit consisted of five stages and 1,700 meters of elevation gain. Battery management was therefore essential.
The stages were very varied and differed in length and technical difficulty. While Stages 1, 2, and 3 repeatedly featured flat sections with counter-climbs, Stages 4 and 5 were consistently steeper and more technical. The longest stage had a winning time of just over eight minutes. Definitely a worthy length for a European Cup.
Saturday Evening: Powerstage
As usual, the Powerstage practice session and race took place on Saturday evening. Compared to Belgium and Slovenia, the course was significantly narrower and more technical. Loose terrain, steep turns, and off-camber sections alternated with artificial log features. Anyone wanting to set a fast time here had to go all out. To maximize our chances of success, we fitted the Schwalbe Shredda Rear for the Power Stage. With its large knobs, it’s an ideal tire for soft and loose terrain. Depending on the athlete, we run between 1.0 and 1.2 bar in the rear tire during the Power Stages. The atmosphere was once again excellent thanks to the large crowd and the compact layout. Watching the race was a treat, and all athletes were cheered on equally.
Helen was the first to start the Power Stage. Unfortunately, by her own account, she rode too cautiously, had two brief hesitations, and lost about five seconds to the leader. Kelan started next and really felt the full length of the stage. While largely error-free, he lacked the spring in his legs. Théo was consistent as usual, had a small hesitation, and finished in second place, just over a second behind. It’s impressive how consistently he can deliver his performance on the uphills.
Men's Power Stage: 1. Giordanengo: 1:26.21 – 2. Théo: 1:27.44 (+1.22s) – 3. Dailly: 1:31.27 (+5.06s) – 6. Kelan: 1:33.89 (+7.67s)
Women:: 1. Chabbert: 1:51.30 – 2. Espineira: 1:54.75 (+3.45s) – 3. Helen: 1:56.67 (+5.37s)
At that point, the mood was still upbeat. Then we checked the weather forecast: it was supposed to rain all night from Saturday into Sunday. After training in the dust, we were in for a mud fight.
Sunday: Race Day
As mentioned earlier, our new suspension forks from Taiwan finally arrived just before the race in Castino. The problem: The new Fox 38 has a different mounting point for mudguards. So, without further ado, we unpacked the Dremel first thing in the morning and converted the bolt-on mudguards into versions that use zip ties. Another important issue was tire selection. Everyone was very unsure about this, but there was really only one right choice: Dirty Dan front and rear. Helen at least opted for a Dirty Dan on the rear wheel, which Lukas cut to improve rolling performance. The guys stuck with the combination of Magic Mary and Dirty Dan. A choice they regretted after the first stage.
Stage 1
The flattest and at the same time muddiest stage of the day. An absolute cold start. Lots of flat, washed-out turns where you could barely find any grip and had to ride with your feet out of the pedals the whole time. Anyone who wasn’t fully focused from the start lost time immediately. Théo and Kelan each took a tumble, crashing twice. Both got away without any major injuries, but lost valuable seconds. Helen, on the other hand, had an outstanding run and won the stage with ease. Her time of 4:30.72 would have been good enough for a top-10 finish in the men’s field and was just 5 seconds slower than Théo’s. For Kelan and Théo, it was time to shake it off, quickly forget the wrong tire choice, and fight back on the remaining stages.
Stage 1 Men: 1. Garibbo: 4:09.80 – 2. Dailly: 4:17.77 (+7.97s) - 6. Kelan: 4:19.97 (+10.18s) – 8. Théo: 4:24.74 (+14.95s)
Stage 1 Women: 1. Helen: 4:30.72 – 2. Espineira: 4:31.72 (+1.00s) – 3. Swift: 4:50.17 (+19.45s)
Stage 2
The longest stage of the day, with a winning time of just over eight minutes. The trail initially ran along a ridge with plenty of ups and downs before becoming steep and fast in the second half. Théo and Kelan made an impressive comeback. Kelan clocked the third-fastest time among the men at 8:11.04, proving what he’s capable of on the longer, physically demanding stages. Théo finished fourth, just 0.7 seconds behind Kelan. In the women’s race, Helen massively extended her lead: with a margin of over 24 seconds over Espineira, she won the stage in commanding fashion. In the men’s overall standings, the battle for the podium intensified: Théo, Ienzer, and Kelan were separated by just one second. It hasn’t been this close in a long time.
Stage 2 Men: 1. Dailly: 7:58.10 – 2. Garibbo: 8:01.02 (+2.92s) – 3. Kelan: 8:11.04 (+12.95s) – 4. Théo: 8:11.79 (+13.70s)
Stage 2 Women: 1. Helen: 8:56.28 – 2. Espineira: 9:20.42 (+24.14s) – 3. Chabbert: 9:26.03 (+29.75s)
Men’s intermediate results (PS+S1+S2): 1. Garibbo: 13:45.25 – 2. Dailly: +1.89s – 3. Théo: +18.72s – 4. Ienzer: +19.32s – 5. Kelan: +19.66s
Stage 3
The most technical stage of the day. At the top, there were many uphill sections, followed by a steep and narrow descent. Helen claimed another stage victory and further extended her lead in the overall standings. Théo rode to a strong third-place finish behind Garibbo and Dailly, securing his spot on the overall podium. For Kelan, this stage unfortunately marked the low point of the day: due to a bike problem, he lost a tremendous amount of time and dropped back to 13th place on the stage. His gap to the leader grew to over 35 seconds. The tight three-way battle for third place overall was thus decided for him.
Stage 3 Men: 1. Garibbo: 3:32.46 – 2. Dailly: 3:36.60 (+4.14s) – 3. Théo: 3:37.06 (+4.60s) – 13. Kelan: 4:07.68 (+35.22s)
Stage 3 Women: 1. Helen: 4:21.97 – 2. Espineira: 4:30.94 (+8.98s) – 3. Chabbert: 5:23.05 (+1:01.08s)
Stage 4
The final stage of the day. Stage 5 was canceled for safety reasons; conditions no longer allowed for it to be held safely. By this point, the results were essentially already decided. Théo and Helen secured their third-place finish and victory, respectively, without any trouble. Kelan was visibly disappointed about the time lost on Stage 3, which had happened through no fault of his own. Nevertheless, he fought his way through and brought home sixth place.
Stage 4 Men: 1. Garibbo: 3:59.26 – 2. Théo: 4:06.32 (+7.07s) – 3. Dailly: 4:06.38 (+7.13s) – 9. Kelan: 4:18.16 (+18.90s)
Stage 4 Women: 1. Helen: 4:46.95 – 2. Espineira: 4:58.05 (+11.10s) – 3. Chabbert: 5:15.96 (+29.02s)
Final Results
Garibbo rode confidently at the front all day and didn't put a foot wrong. Dailly secured second place. Théo rounded out the podium with his third consecutive podium finish. This means he has now stood on the podium three times in three races. Helen dominated the women’s standings with four stage wins out of four stages and a lead of over 43 seconds over Espineira. Kelan rounded out the team’s results with a sixth-place finish, though she could have finished significantly higher had it not been for the issues on Stage 3.
Final Men’s Results: 1. Garibbo: 21:16.96 – 2. Dailly: +13.15s – 3. Théo: +30.39s – 4. Ienzer: +55.35s – 5. Batista: +1:03.95 – 6. Kelan: +1:13.79
Final results, women: 1. Helen: 24:32.58 – 2. Espineira: +43.30s – 3. Chabbert: +2:14.23 – 4. Swift: +3:07.79 – 5. Henry: +4:16.49
Conclusion
A top-notch race and a weekend we’re very happy with. Théo on the podium for the third time, Helen with a dominant performance, and Kelan in sixth place despite some bad luck. The biggest takeaway from the weekend: When it rains, go with Dirty Dan. Especially on an e-bike, where traction on technical climbs is everything, there’s no alternative in the mud. We’re taking that lesson with us.
After four races in a row, everyone has earned a break for now. Théo’s next race is the French Nationals, Helen will compete in the Trans Madeira and then the German Nationals. The entire team will reunite in June at the Enduro des Hautes Vosges, Rémy Absalon’s invitational, and at the Bosch Challenge during the Velo Vert Festival in Bourg St. Maurice.
Check out the ROTWILD-Schwalbe Gravity Team’s vlog for more highlights from race day.
