Marin says its newly redesigned Alpine Trail E enduro eMTB is built around handling, battery placement and Bosch backup, rather than headline-grabbing power figures. The launch of the new full-power enduro eMTB says something interesting about where electric mountain bikes may be heading. Yes, it has Boschs latest Performance Line CX motor. Yes, theres an 800Wh battery. Yes, it has 170mm of fork travel, 160mm at the rear and aggressive geometry. However, the more interesting news is what Marin hasnt done with the new Alpine Trail E. At a time when DJIs Avinox motors have made peak power and torque the biggest talking points in the eMTB world, Marin has gone with Bosch and a different message: that handling, battery packaging, reliability and service support matter more than winning the spec arms race. The main objective with the Alpine Trail E was to make the best handling full-power eMTB, Marins Matt Cipes told BikeRadar. Boschs energy dense and short (423mm) 800Wh battery is absolutely the key to unlocking the magic. Reducing weight on the front end of the bike improves handling, making a bike thats awesome to ride. Pair that with Boschs proven reliability track record and extensive service network and it was an easy decision, Cipes continued. Marin is effectively saying it wants the bike to ride like a non-assisted enduro bike first, with the motor system chosen to support that rather than dominate the story. Cipes added: For Marin the overall package is key and while some attributes may look super spicy on paper, it is the sum of all parts that matters. We feel strongly that the ride of the Alpine Trail E will speak for itself. A Bosch-powered full-power eMTB Marin says the Bosch CX motor and shorter 800Wh battery were chosen to keep weight lower and further back in the frame. Marin Bikes The new Alpine Trail E uses Boschs Gen 5 Performance Line CX motor, which Marin says delivers 120Nm of torque, up to 750W of power, and 600 per cent assistance. That still puts it in serious full-power territory, even if Marin isnt chasing the most extreme peak numbers. All three models get an 800Wh Bosch PowerTube battery, removable with a single Allen key for off-bike charging or swapping. Marin says the battery fits every frame size, including the small. Theres useful battery flexibility, too. The Alpine Trail E can accept Boschs smaller 600Wh battery without extra hardware, saving a claimed 900g for shorter rides, uplift days or lighter-feeling laps. Riders chasing maximum range can add Boschs 250Wh PowerMore range extender, giving a potential 1,050Wh total capacity. Every model also gets Boschs Kiox 400C colour display, integrated into the top tube, with connectivity to the Bosch eBike Flow app for ride tracking, route planning and motor tuning. Lighter and cleaner than before Marin says the redesigned Series 4 aluminium frame has helped cut weight, with savings found in the rocker link, clevises, bridge and dropouts. Marin Bikes Marin says the new Alpine Trail E is 1,345g lighter than the previous model. That isnt down solely to the Bosch system. The Series 4 aluminium frame has been redesigned, with Marin claiming nearly 445g of frame weight has been removed from areas including the rocker link, seatstay clevises, chainstay bridge and dropouts. The frame keeps the practical fixtures youd expect from a hard-use eMTB, including weather-sealed internal cable routing, SRAMs Universal Derailleur Hanger, Boost 148x12mm rear spacing, chainstay and down-tube protection, tool bosses under the top tube and two sets of down-tube bosses for a bottle or Bosch range extender. Marin also says ground clearance around the motor and down tube area has increased by 37mm, helped by a slimmer motor housing and down tube. 160mm of MultiTrac 2 suspension The Alpine Trail E uses Marins Horst-link MultiTrac 2 suspension layout, delivering 160mm of rear-wheel travel. Marin Bikes The Alpine Trail E gets 160mm of rear-wheel travel from Marins MultiTrac 2 suspension layout, paired with a 170mm fork. Marin describes the rear suspension as a Horst-link system designed to balance support, progression and sensitivity for aggressive enduro riding. The brand says it worked directly with RockShox and X-Fusion on custom shock tunes for the Alpine Trail E, rather than fitting off-the-shelf dampers. All three models use a mixed-wheel setup, with a 29in front wheel and 27.5in rear wheel. That gives Marin the now-familiar enduro eMTB blend of front-wheel rollover and confidence with a shorter, more manoeuvrable rear end. Aggressive, adjustable geometry The chainstay flip chip changes rear-centre length by 8mm and bottom bracket height by 6mm, enabling riders to tune the Alpine Trail E for agility or stability. Marin Bikes In its baseline setup mixed wheels, short chainstays, high bottom bracket and middle headset position the Alpine Trail E has a 63.5-degree head angle across all four sizes. Reach starts at 435mm on the small, then grows to 460mm on the medium, 490mm on the large and 520mm on the XL. Stack heights run from 620mm to 646mm, while the effective seat tube angle is 78.5 degrees across the range. Chainstay length is 442mm in the short setting, with a 352.2mm bottom bracket height. Wheelbase measurements run from 1,234mm on the small to 1,330mm on the XL. Marin also specs 150mm cranks across the size range, a sensible call on a full-power eMTB built for technical climbing. Theres adjustment at both ends of the bike. Swappable upper headset cups give plus or minus 0.75 degrees of head-angle adjustment, while chainstay flip chips alter bottom bracket height by 6mm and chainstay length by 8mm. In the low/long position, the chainstays grow to 450mm and the bottom bracket drops to 345mm, providing stability for faster, rougher tracks. Models and pricing Marin says the Alpine Trail E is built around handling first, with the Bosch battery kept low and compact to avoid a front-heavy feel. Marin Bikes There are three models in the new Alpine Trail E range. Prices start at 4,499 / $5,999 / 4,999 and climb to 6,899 / $8,999 / 7,999. Marin Alpine Trail E1 The Alpine Trail E1 opens the range at 4,499, but still gets the same Series 4 aluminium frame, Bosch CX motor and 800Wh battery as the pricier models. Marin Bikes Frame: Series 4 aluminium, 160mm travel Motor: Bosch Gen 5 Performance Line CX, 120Nm torque, 750W peak power Battery: Bosch PowerTube 800Wh Display: Bosch Kiox 400C Fork: X-Fusion Vengeance HLR, 170mm Shock: X-Fusion H3A HLR Drivetrain: Shimano CUES LinkGlide 10-speed Brakes: TRP DHR EVO Comp Dropper: TranzX adjustable-travel Tyres: Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial Gravity, 29x2.5in front / 27.5x2.5in rear Price: 4,499 / $5,999 / 4,999 Marin Alpine Trail E2 The Alpine Trail E2 looks like the sweet-spot build, adding RockShox suspension, SRAM Transmission and Maven brakes to the same Bosch-powered chassis. Marin Bikes Frame: Series 4 aluminium, 160mm travel Motor: Bosch Gen 5 Performance Line CX, 120Nm torque, 750W peak power Battery: Bosch PowerTube 800Wh Display: Bosch Kiox 400C Fork: RockShox Zeb Select+, 170mm Shock: RockShox Vivid Air Select+ Drivetrain: SRAM Eagle 70/90 Transmission Brakes: SRAM Maven Bronze Wheelset: WTB Sportterra Tough i30 Dropper: X-Fusion Manic HC Tyres: Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial Gravity, 29x2.5in front / 27.5x2.5in rear Price: 5,699 / $7,499 / 6,799 Marin Alpine Trail EXR The Alpine Trail EXR is the range-topper, with RockShox Ultimate suspension, SRAM GX AXS Transmission and DT Swiss wheels. Marin Bikes Frame: Series 4 aluminium, 160mm travel Motor: Bosch Gen 5 Performance Line CX, 120Nm torque, 750W peak power Battery: Bosch PowerTube 800Wh Display: Bosch Kiox 400C Fork: RockShox Zeb Ultimate, 170mm Shock: RockShox Vivid Air Ultimate Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle AXS Transmission Brakes: SRAM Maven Silver Wheels: DT Swiss 370 Hybrid rear hub, F527 rims Finishing kit: PNW Loam dropper, Range lever and Range handlebar Tyres: Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial Gravity, 29x2.5in front / 27.5x2.5in rear Price: 6,899 / $8,999 / 7,999

Gijs Leemreize is the only rider combiningthis year's Giro d'Italia with Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. With only one week setting apart the finish of 2026's first Grand Tour and the start of re-branded Critrium du Dauphin, it's logical that no other riders have opted for such a schedule. In fact, no...

The "post-Evenepoel" Soudal - Quick-Step felt a little bleak in the first months of 2026, and it's taken until Giro d'Italia to finally reclaim the spotlight in one of their fine disciplines; bunch sprints. Paul Magnier stood on top of the feeding chain in three out of four bunch sprints and brought...

The race goes into the Alps with the first of three summit finishes.Un Flamand au Parc des Oiseaux: the sprint win for Wout van Aert. Visma-LAB and Cofidis led the chase all stage when a move of six got way on the first climbs and never gave them much more than two minutes. In the final stages more teams joined in and the break was finished.The finishing straight was three kilometres long and felt almost as wide until the finish came into sight. Helped by lead-out from Matteo Jorgenson and then a 600m turn from Edoardo Affini, Van Aert launched with 200m to go and held off Hugo Hofstetter and Phil Bauhaus. For a rider saying hes searching for form there might be some way to go but all the same this was a solid long sprint. For all his talk of poor form right now hes now got two stage wins to his name and was second on Stage 4 too.The Route: 181km, 2,850m of vertical gain and a day of dja-vu. The start is in Saint-Vulbas, home of Mark Cavendishs final Tour stage win in 2024 although today in the town itself rather than outside by the logistics park that hosted the finish last time.The mid-stage climb of the Col du Granier sees the race traverse the Chartreuse Alps via a scenic road with steep cliffs and balcony sections cut into the hillside; and where Bernard Hinault once stopped to pee. More importantly today its got a lot of 6-7% gradients. The descent is steep and twisty, but used by the race recently in 2024. Theres a long valley road via Albertville to Ugine, Alex Baudins home roads as it happens.The climb to Hry sounds gentle with the 5% average on the profile but its 7% most of the way, the average is reduced because of a descent mid-way so this is a selective climb, and all on a small, twisting road including on the way down. The Tour de France was supposed to come here last year but a last-minute change because of a bovine disease and angry farmers prompted a change.The Finish: the Dauphin came here in 2023 where Georg Zimmerman won but for once theres no dj vu as that time they took the main Col des Saisies route up, then cut across to Crest Voland. This time its just the road up from the valley floor, a climb all the way.Its a steady main road up and one of those climbs where you ride thinking Im not feeling good today but then realise its 8-9% a lot of the way.The Contenders: with 100 riders over six minutes down the breakaway has a good chance today, the teams with GC ambitions dont need to lock down the stage, especially as there are two more mountain stages to come.Georg Zimmerman (Lotto-Intermarch) won here last time but this finish is more suited to someone at ease on an Alpine climb. Marco Frigo (NSN), Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal-Quickstep), Yannis Voisard (Tudor), Gal Glivar (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) fit the bill but they have seven wins between them and nothing in the World Tour yet.Ben Healy (EF) does win from the breakaway but will he be retained to help Alex Baudin defend yellow, or if hes going to lose it then why not try to take the stage? Pello Bilbao (Bahrain) can win but the form is a question today, while team mate Santiago Buitrago isnt far down on GC but could try a move on the final descent.Otherwise to extrapolate from the opening stage glimpses, Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) and Isaac Del Toro (UAE) are suited here with Ayuso being the most experienced but also not prolific in summit finishes.Netcompany-Ineos dont have to launch moves and this suits both Oscar Onley and Kvin Vauquelin who only have to match rivals to stay ahead on GC. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-LAB) looks in great form but he doesnt finish so well out of group sprint, its solo or bust.Del Toro, SeixasAyuso, OnleyJorgenson, Vauquelin, Bilbao, Tejada, Buitrago, HealyWeather: sunny and 26CTV: KM0 is at 12.45pm and the finish is forecast for 5.00pm.Postcard from Mont GranierChartreux, Chartreuse anyone? Play word association in France and its a monastic order, an alcoholic liqueur, a colour and a breed of cat. Its also range of mountains in the Alps and the race crosses it today via the Col du Granier.Nearby sits Mont Granier, a big table-like mountain whose steep flanks were revealed by a vast landslide in 1248 where half a billion cubic metres fell away, including blocks several hundred metres long, some of which rolled down the valley and came to halt several kilometres later.The Charteuse Alps range runs north-south, bookended by the cities of Chambry and Grenoble. Only today the race crosses from west to east: up, over and down. This is the wrong way as the Chartreuse Alps have been spectacular in races before when the route has gone along over the top via the Col du Granier, the Col du Cucheron and Col the Porte, sometimes referred to as the trilogie Chartreuse.In 1947 Jean Robic would win the Tour thanks to an attack on the final stage but he was within touching distance of yellow in part because of his win in Grenoble after romping across the trilogy of climbs. In 1958 the race took the reverse direction and Charly Gaul started the Col de Porte with a two minute advantage on the chasing bunch. With cold rain pouring down he took time on each of the climbs to win solo by 14 minutes, defrocking yellow jersey Louison Bobet by 19 minutes, Jacques Anquetil even further back.Action-packed short stages in the Tour arent new. The 1989 Tour de France used the trilogy during a 125km stage. Pedro Delgado, third overall, attacked after just 50km and was later joined by Greg LeMond, Laurent Fignon, Gert-Jan Theunisse and Marino Lejarreta, a breakaway royale that stayed away with LeMond winning the sprint.Today the Chartreuse trilogy is largely forgotten. It makes you wonder what race-winning terrain today could vanish from the collective conscience in the future too.The post Aura Tour Stage 6 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

No, it's not a season to remember at EF Education-EasyPost with at least four riders in the infirmary. The most recent addition to the unavailable list is Mikkel Honor - the 29-year-old Dane crashed hard in the final phase of Heistse Pijl, suffering a dozen fractures and a collapsed lung on the day...

As has been a long-running tradition at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the Dutch formation will sport unique jersey designs at Tour de France this summer. And this does not only apply to men, but also Visma's women's team racing at Tour de France Femmes at the start of August. The team of defending cham...

The UCI jury had started to enforce a new rule this week which has caused many teams at the on-going Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes to lose a significant amount of money ahead of stage 3 team time trial.The reason? Coming late to an equipment check prior to the team time trial. Team manager Mario Aerts...

After several difficult days searching for form at the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, Wout van Aert finally delivered a statement performance on stage five. The Belgian rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike proved the fastest in a bunch sprint, taking victory ahead of Hugo Hofstetter and Phil Bauhaus aft...