Podium Finish at Round One

It’s one of the most exciting bikes races in the world and holds no prisoners as some of the best mountain bikers from around the globe gear up to race head-to-head to compete for the prestigious UCI World Cup.

The opening round of the XC World Cup kicked off this month in Albstadt, Germany, and there were some epic scenes across the opening weekend including an incredible podium finish for eMTB rider Kjell van de Boogert. Taking part in the grueling eMTB race on Saturday, Kjell had an excellent race and reigned supreme taking home a worthy second place finish. 

‘I learnt a lot today. There was also quite a lot of attention for the BAFANG engine in the past few days here in Albstadt’, Kjell said speaking after the race. 

Kjell, who joined the team as an eBike rider and Development Engineer, competed on the newly developed American Eagle eMTB prototype. Combining a dual-suspension framewith the BAFANG M500 drive system which is fully integrated into the frame. The M500 drive system is one of the most powerful mid motors for eMTB’s weighing in at only 3.3kg and with a nominal power rating of 250 watts and 95 Newton meters of torque.  

In January, BAFANG partnered with Bart Brentjens’ MTB brand, American Eagle, on a development collaboration that saw the two brands produce an eMTB prototype capable of competing at the highest level – in the UCI World Championships’ newly created ‘e-mountain’ bike class. The new class will appear in the championships for the first time this August-September in Mont-Saint-Anne, Canada.

The American Eagle eMTB prototype will be put through its paces throughout the season as it competes in a series of demanding races – you can keep up-to-date with all the latest race news on our social media channels, or over on the Brentjens Mountain Biking Team social media channels.