The fact that Sofia Wiedenroth, based around Lake Constance, still occasionally experiences her discipline being laughed at is as absurd as it is real. More precisely, her two disciplines: E-Cross Country (E-XC) and E-Enduro, which have officially been run for several years under the UCI umbrella as the World E-Bike Series (WES). Even Sofia’s impressive stats don’t change that: pro rider with the international Specialized Enduro Team since 2021, rainbow jersey from her 2024 E-XC World Championship hanging on the wall, and in 2025 she added the overall World Cup title in E-XC. That should be enough to impress… right?
In reality, eMTB racing is still fighting for a good image. And, ironically, many of the prejudices making this harder come from other e-bikers themselves. Sounds crazy? It is. Time to change that. So, between two training sessions, we sat down with Sofia to finally understand: just how hardcore is eMTB racing, really?
Evolution of an E-Biker
Sofia’s MTB career started early, near Lindau on Lake Constance, on a conventional XC bike – no motor, no battery. Mass starts, brutal position battles on tight circuits, muscles burning as lactate floods in, heart rate through the roof, crashes and wins – Sofia has lived it all. Along with the relentless training required just to compete internationally in this discipline.
And she didn’t just compete. She delivered. Silver medalist at the U19 XC World Championships. By 2016, she’d claimed five German national titles and even cracked the top ten in the UCI World Cup. Beyond pure physical fitness, one thing truly set her apart: exceptional technical skill. Alongside her XC focus, she also dipped into enduro, picking up two German vice-championship titles and lining up for her first Enduro World Series starts — all of it on analog bikes. Then the motor entered the picture, opening up an entirely new dimension of mountain biking.
The results were really good. That’s when we realized I actually had a talent for it.
After some initial, pragmatic contact with eMTBs during rehab, curiosity led to her first races. It quickly became clear that Sofia’s hard-earned skillset translated almost perfectly to an eMTB: elite-level bike handling, a love for technical terrain, massive fitness, and tons of race toughness from her XC years. So why not combine all those strengths?
Her body type helps, too. Being relatively small and light gives her a technical advantage under WES rules: race bikes are capped at 750 watts of motor output. When that power pushes a lightweight rider, you get significantly more watts per kilogram – and more forward drive – than if the motor has to haul an extra 130 kilos. Bonus: better battery range. More proof that Sofia can squeeze every last drop of performance from an eMTB.
The two WES disciplines
E-XC: One hour of racing, mass start on a circuit. First racer to cross the line wins.
E-Enduro: Multiple timed downhill stages throughout the day, plus timed power stages uphill. Transfers aren’t timed. Lowest overall time wins.
Her mindset and race pacing – especially in heated mass starts – became key to thriving in E-XC, culminating in the 2024 world title. In 2025, she stacked the overall World Cup on top.
Sofia oozes street credibility as an XC racer. Her evolution into a 31-year-old elite eMTB athlete is seriously impressive. So who exactly would dare to mock that kind of performance? Let’s take a quick look at the dirty comment sections of social media…
The Lazy Myth
“If you want to do sports, you don’t get a motor for it!” – comment section
vs.
“Average heart rate 180 bpm: e-bike racing is a brutal sport – like any sport at an international level.” – Sofia Wiedenroth
“With a motor, it’s not a real sport!“ . That’s the kind of stuff Sofia and eMTB racing still hear. Even a world champion isn’t immune. Add comparisons to mopeds, accusations of cheating, and the persistent lazy myth. But where does this stubborn resistance come from, aimed at a scene where elite riders are pushing themselves to the absolute limit?
“My whole daily life is structured to be as serious and professional as possible. Comments saying this isn’t real sport and I’m not a real athlete can be tough to swallow sometimes.”
The hardcore MTB crowd usually sees things differently. Many seasoned riders understand the clear benefits of e-mountain bikes: riding a trail three or four times instead of just once before your legs are toast. Riding together with friends of different fitness levels without anyone falling behind on the climbs. And discovering a whole new technical challenge in uphill riding. Anyone who’s experienced that doesn’t need convincing: eMTB as a race format? Hell yeahhh!
At the same time, the lazy myth crumbles under simple facts. In her one-hour E-XC races, Sofia averages around 180 bpm – ouch. Exactly as high as in her former non-motorized XC races. In E-Enduro, her heart rate spikes just as hard on the timed downhill stages. For the top athlete, every (e-)bike discipline feels the same: 100 percent. Full gas. Podium or not.
Yet a lack of recognition comes from another corner of the bike world. And no, we’re not even talking about skinny, purist analogue-bike riders who consider motors on bicycles a betrayal of humanity. Some of the harshest critics already ride electric themselves – just far from technical trails. Tourers, commuters, everyday users. And they’re a loud crowd.
Many people underestimate how hard these trails really are. It’s right at the limit. Even the top men sometimes have to get off and push.
With all due respect, we think every form of biking is cool. But even if you blast up the steepest gravel road on an eMTB, you still don’t necessarily understand what eMTB racing really means. It’s not about doing the same old climbs faster and easier. It’s about riding sections that previously weren’t even imaginable. It unlocks an entirely new level of uphill challenges – with new physical demands and stress peaks. Only when you grasp that can you truly decide whether eMTB racing is cool or not.
New Stress Peaks
So what defines the special skillset of an eMTB racer? E-mountain bikes are heavier than non-motorised bikes and generate massive momentum that pulls on every contact point. Sofia’s watts-per-kilo advantage only matters if she can handle that power for an entire race.
In the Gym with a Motocross Coach
Strength training is a no-brainer for pro mountain bikers anyway. Strong muscles protect you in crashes and form a core pillar of performance. But Sofia deliberately adds extra sessions.
This is top-level elite sport. These riders are absolute machines.
Brutal gym work for shoulders and arms gives her the control she needs to wrestle her Levo 4 uphill through root carpets and rock gardens. Her fitness coach isn’t randomly chosen either: he works extensively with motocross athletes and knows exactly what it takes to handle heavy, powerful machines all race long.
Eye-Watering: Speed Reading
Maybe the toughest challenge happens inside her helmet. Call it speed-reading the terrain.
You’re flying through the forest and over these trails so insanely fast – you have to react and keep everything in view. It’s madness for the brain and the eyes.
Cleaning a nasty rock garden once is one thing. Doing it again and again, with riders chasing you, with the taste of blood in your mouth, and 750 watts relentlessly pushing you forward – that’s another story. Sofia had to train this skill step by step.
Display Spying and Tech Chaos
Another challenge: the tech overload. Even within regulations, eMTB racing leaves ample scope for optimization. Teams tweak motor response, software details, rider interfaces – months of development on top of physical training, involving riders, trails, and engineers. This rapid technical evolution creates a tricky situation for the UCI, while sparking plenty of curiosity within the teams. Leaving her bike unattended for a coffee break, Sofia has had competitors immediately snapping photos of every screen, hunting for clues about performance advantages of her Levo 4.
Through licensing and strict controls – including motor inspections – the federation tries to keep things fair. The challenges start with something as simple as tire pressure: too soft, and the effective wheel circumference changes, affecting calculations. Sofia believes the bike industry itself has a big responsibility here. How well they manage that will largely determine the sport’s credibility.
Benefits for Non-Racers
Okay: eMTB racing demands insane skills and introduces new levels of physical stress. And yes, you need serious fitness. But what’s that insight worth for those of you who just want to hit the trails for fun, without start lines and finish banners?
First, it’s healthy for the whole bike community to step on someone else’s pedals now and then just to recognize that passion for riding can take many forms.
Second, Sofia’s insights are the perfect push to challenge yourself and see your eMTB not just as a shuttle, but as a legit skills coach with a whistle. Tackling your first uphill challenges will be hard. Sure, what you already do well feels more comfortable. But new challenges – and the success that follows – bring huge motivation. Try it.
As long as I don’t have this strong base from the gym yet, I don’t even want to ride really fast.
Third: get strong. Props to everyone already doing strength training. If you’ve been procrastinating, take this as your wake-up call. You don’t just need power to catch and survive a crash – you benefit from it on the very first feature of your home trail.
Right after this interview, Sofia heads straight into her second session of the day: strength training in the gym. Thanks for your time, Sofia – and good luck!
eMTB racing is intense. The motor’s power creates huge trail dynamics and pushes riders like Sofia Wiedenroth into stress zones you’ll rarely experience outside racing. From that, we can gain not only respect for others’ skills and performance, but also a solid kick in the butt to level up our own technique and fitness – even without a start gun or finish line.
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Words: Moritz Geisreiter Photos: Sebastian Schieck