Gabor Cser, Andras Szatmary and Regina Schmidel have been all utilizing bikes with motors from EPowers and it is these motors which have brought on their disqualification.
The UCI stated: “Following the E-MTB bike checks that came about in the present day in accordance with part 13.2 of the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Competitors Information, the President of the Commissaires’ Panel discovered that the “EPowers” bicycles didn’t adjust to the necessities of the UCI Rules.”
The section 13.2 regulation states that bikes should adjust to the EN15194-2017 norm that ensures e-MTB motors present pedal help as much as 25 km/h and a most steady rated energy of 250W. To test that the bikes are compliant, each competitor’s bike was examined this morning utilizing engine diagnostics, a tuning equipment search and a rear wheel rollout measurement. The UCI permits a 5% tolerance is allowed both approach on the EU customary however it appears the EPowers motors fell outdoors this.
The rules additionally present an inventory of accepted producers and EPowers was certainly one of these till the ruling in the present day, when the UCI eliminated them from the record.
EPowers’ founder, Stefano Varjas, is a controversial determine within the highway biking world and was the inventor of a hidden motor and magnetic wheels that have been suspected to have been utilized in main skilled races. He claims he has by no means knowingly bought his know-how to an expert rider, however acknowledges his motor might have been bought by means of intermediaries. That motor is just not a pedelec motor, which gives differing energy output primarily based on the enter of the rider, however a daily motor that’s related to the cranks and gives a continuing energy of as much as 240 Watts. EPowers at the moment sells a spread of carbon highway bikes for non-competitive riders that include the motor fitted however no mountain bikes. On the present time, it’s unclear whether or not that is the model of motor that was being utilized by the disqualified riders.
Each different bike handed the pre-race checks and the UCI will now carry out random engine diagnostic checks on the beginning line in tomorrow’s race and the highest 5 riders of every class in addition to some random bikes will likely be taken on to the testing management after the end.
