A COLCHESTER electric mountain biker has spoken of his "massive surprise" after he helped his team to a podium finish on his debut.
Sean Ballard, 33, form Colchester, scooped a third place podium finish in the Enduro World Series 100 event, which featured athletes from all over the globe.
Billed as the “ultimate test” of rider and bike, the EWSE is the electric mountain bike world championship, with the first round taking place in Scotland earlier this month.
Ballard won six of the 13 stages at the event in a gruelling 65km endurance race, featuring nearly 3,000 metres of climbing across six hours in the Scottish hills.
Dozens of riders from across the world gathered to compete in the relatively new sport, which is designed to test man and machine.
Across the stages, 11 were downhill, though the bikes have a speed limiter installed that cuts any assistance from the motor at 15mph.
EeeDup owner Phil Seton urged Ballard to compete after seeing his potential following a mere six months with the team.
He said: “The motor helps the rider on the uphill, but organisers designed the two uphill stages to sap the life from pilot and machine on terrain that most would struggle to walk up, let alone ride.”
Seton’s motorcycle engineering background and Ballard’s skill on the bike proved to be a potent cocktail.
The team now lie third in the world championship after round one.
Ballard and the team will be back in action next month at Valberg, in France, where they hope to continue their success.
Speaking on his podium finish, Ballard said: “It was definitely a massive surprise and a bit of an eye-opener, I’ve always liked racing and I’ve done a few competitions before, but nothing like this.
“I felt it was going well and I felt comfortable and relaxed – I was more scared of going up on stage than the race itself.
“I previously raced normal push pikes, but not at that level and when I joined up with Phil six months ago he encouraged me to try it.
“I can still picture his face when I first pulled into the paddock after the race.”
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