Innovating for soft mobility: two projects for the E-Bike Marathon
20 km on an electric bike while consuming as little energy as possible: that’s the challenge of the E-Bike Marathon competition. Two ESTACA teams are taking on this challenge, designed for high school and university students. The focus is on innovation, performance, and raising awareness of sustainable mobility. This first edition is more than just a race—it aims to train future generations in bicycle technologies, stimulate technical creativity, and inspire careers in a booming sector.
E-Bike Marathon: A 1st edition for tomorrow’s mobility
Launched by CYGO (a group of 80 bicycle industry companies), operationally supported by the ID4MOBILITY competitiveness cluster, and funded by the Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, and Centre-Val de Loire regions, the competition is both a technical challenge, an innovation lab, and a human adventure. Each participating institution receives a complete bike. From this common base, teams—guided by a teacher—must optimize their electric bike in terms of mechanics, electronics, and strategy, without modifying the provided battery, motor, or torque sensor. On race day, teams compete on a karting track with a maximum speed of 45 km/h and at least two wheels. Several awards will recognize their efforts: Grand Prix, Innovation Prize, Collaboration Prize, Best Bike Prize… The event highlights ingenuity, creativity, and a deep understanding of sustainable mobility technologies.
Two ESTACA teams committed to innovation
A team of mostly 2nd-year students from the Roue Libre student association (Paris-Saclay campus) is preparing for the competition as part of an Associative Technological Engineering Project (PITA). A second team, composed of 4th-year students, is working on the ESTA’Ride project as part of an Industrial Engineering Project (P2i) on the Laval campus. For the students, this event is much more than a competition: it’s a full-scale experimentation lab. By mobilizing their skills in mechanics, electronics, energy, data, and modeling, they put their training into practice—from theoretical calculations to real-world circuit testing, including simulation and fabrication. According to the ESTA’Ride team: “Several team members already use soft mobility daily. It’s a current and relevant field we wanted to explore. We chose this project for its innovation potential, its concrete nature, and, of course, the desire to perform in the competition. It gives our work a clear and motivating goal.” For the Roue Libre students: “We were looking for a challenge to develop a bike, so this competition was a natural choice. With our skills in simulation and mechanics, combined with our passion for cycling, we hope to rank well at the finish line.”
The link between education and research at the heart of the projects
Participation in the E-Bike Marathon illustrates the importance of the link between education and research at ESTACA. Issues such as energy efficiency, motor/battery optimization, assistance management, and energy recovery are central to the work carried out in our laboratories. Involving students in this type of challenge promotes experiential learning, stimulates innovation, and creates concrete bridges between scientific advances and their industrial applications. It’s also a way to raise awareness among future engineers about sustainable mobility and energy transition.
See you on May 28, 2026, to discover the results and the talents of tomorrow who place energy efficiency at the heart of the challenge.
