Strategy, Fitness, and Grit: Winning on an eMTB

What's it like to race on an e-bike in a world-renowned bike event? We asked racer and right-hand man here at Epicenter Cycling, Mark Marquez.

Mark took the podium with a 5th place finish at Sea Otter Classic 2021 … which is no cakewalk among elite athletes. He breaks it down for us how he succeeded with an impressive race result:

Weapon of Choice

The Trek Rail 9.7. A long-travel carbon electric mountain bike with a powerful Bosch motor system. That right there is the secret sauce to setting yourself up to win.

Race Strategy

Punch it into turbo mode for the whole 80 minutes and let it fly. The 625 wh battery speaks for itself when the rider can stay pinned on every corner, hill, and technical section.

Mental Game Plan

Go with the flow, and don't hold anything back. The result? Just pure fun.

Race Highlight

Getting comfortable and finding control in the pace of the event. Everything was fast. The Rail 9.7 provided so much speed and assistance that the entire race was fast. The climbing was fast, cornering was fast, descents were fast, all from the start.

Ready to start your own training for Sea Otter 2022's e-bike race? Check out the new Trek Rail 9.9 today!