The Pinkbike Academy season 3 will start in a few days. Ten mountain bikers from all over the world will compete against each other. The prizes are a professional contract with a bike brand and 30,000 US dollars in cash. As the first German ever Laura Zeitschel made it into the starting field of the Pinkbike Academy season 2 last year. In the end, she even found herself in the final of the best four. We were able to talk to her exclusively and came across quite a close relationship with ebike riding.
Laura, you had to pass several challenges at the Pinkbike Academy. One of them was called “The impossible climb”. You had to ride as far as you could up a very difficult ascent. Was that a moment when you wished you had an ebike?
Yes, definitely. Actually, not only then, but also in the cross-country race. Uphill is just not my absolute strength, as one could easily see in the episode.
Several times Laura Zeitschel had to grit her teeth at the Pinkbike Academy.
Your own fleet also includes an ebike. Is that more of a toy for you or actually a piece of sports equipment?
Definitely a piece of sports equipment. Especially in autumn and winter, I love to ride an ebike. Especially in the cold and wet weather, there’s nothing better than riding around for two hours. Not necessarily at ten kilometres per hour, but at an average speed of 16 or 17. I can do a lot more trails in that time. You don’t cool down, but you also don’t have those big peaks of exertion like you might with a regular bike. And in the summer I like to do my after-work lap on it. I think it’s pretty cool for that.
You ride mountain bikes both with andwithout electric assistance. From your point of view, how does riding differ between these two poles?
First of all, I have to admit that I have more fun riding down the mountain with my regular bike. However, the whole ebike thing is of course enormously practical, especially for people who ride more occasionally. When they get to the top of the trail, they are not completely out of breath and still have concentration to ride downhill safely. And such a person can, of course, usually simply ride longer on an ebike than on a regular bike.
You know this balance in terms of your own fitness quite well by now, don’t you?
That’s true. Especially when I want to return to my previous training load after injuries. In this situation even a regular bike is quite a challenge. An enduro bike also has a certain weight. Mine weighs about 16 kilograms. I have to work really hard uphill. That’s where the ebike comes in handy.
Laura Zeitschel (4th from right) in the midst of all the riders of Pinkbike Academy season 2.
Many ebike manufacturers strive for what they call a natural riding experience. We will leave it open as to what that is exactly. When you sit on an ebike, does it feel natural to you?
Hm, I don’t know. Natural is such a term. It’s hard to say. At least it doesn’t feel unnatural. On the one hand there’s the support, on the other hand you still have to pedal yourself. I’ve probably never really thought about whether it’s natural or unnatural. Strictly speaking, you could also ask what exactly is natural about a regular bike. That’s why I don’t really have an answer.
Nevertheless, could you imagine getting really involved in e-mountain biking, for example in the World E-Bike Series?
In a nutshell: no. Riding an ebike is definitely fun for me, especially when it’s going uphill on trails. That’s definitely cool, too. Riding downhill as fast as possible on a regular bike feels different, though. Yes, you can also do that with an ebike. But it just weighs more and, in my opinion, can be handled a bit more sluggishly. Which is not a bad thing in itself. To me, however, the fun factor is simply higher with my regular bike.
Pinkbike Academy winner Flo Espiñeira is congratulated by Laura Zeitschel.
Thank you very much for the interview Laura!
If you want to learn more about Laura’s experiences at the Pinkbike Academy, just watch the whole interview.
Pictures: Pinkbike Academy
