Mark Nel and Joris Ryf got their 2022 FNB Wines2Whales eBike race off to a solid start on Monday 31 October. The ‘pro’ and the ‘schmo’ managed to finish second on the stage 72km stage from Lourensford to Oak Valley and learned some important lessons along the way.
“It was a good introduction to eBike racing. I can’t remember ever having as much fun on a bike. The category was a lot bigger than I expected and it was really competitive. We went into the red zone from the start and my average heart rate for the stage was 160bpm!” said Nel, who is brand new to eBike racing, but not to bike racing.
“The enjoyment factor was high throughout except on the portage section. My Walk-Assist mode was giving some issues so we lost quite a lot of time there unfortunately. But overall, it was an unbelievable experience, especially doing it with a guy like Joris, who is one of the world’s best eBike racers,” added Nel.
Ryf is the reigning Swiss eBike champion, finished third at the 2022 UCI World Champs and second overall in the 2022 UCI eBike World Cup Series.
“Joris was amazing – so patient and giving me really valuable advice in terms of what mode to be on and some of other nuances of eBike racing. It was great to race a different format and I completely see the attraction. I can see myself doing a lot more eBike racing in future,” smiled Nel.
“Mark did very well in his first attempt at an eBike race! I had some hard times in the beginning with my European software that limits me to 25kph of pedal assist. We lost the front group early so we changed our tactics. Mark went with his 32kph on the flats and I closed the gap to him on the downhills,” said Ryf
“We lost the Specialized guys quite early when Mark took a wrong turn. It was really windy, which made it tough. It’s really hard to pedal above the motor’s limit, especially into the headwind. Mark improved as we went along though. There were quite a lot of gravel roads, but I am looking forward to Stage 2, which I hear has more singletrack. We will try to get the win for sure,” added Ryf.
Joris shot a video summary of Stage 1. Watch it here!
