Florian Vogel relies on the e-mountain bike

With a distance of 312km and 13'500 meters of altitude, the Heckmaier Transalp is one of the most notorious Alpine crossings. It is usually completed in five daily stages - but Florian Vogel does it in an incredible 27 hours on his e-hardtail. Without a break, without sleep.

Experienced and well-trained athletes normally only dare to tackle this Heckmaier Transalp in five daily stages. Not so the two cross-country pros Florian Vogel and Markus Schulte-Lünzum. The idea of the two: To complete the route in under 36 hours, without breaks and without sleep. In addition to the physical exertion, the biggest challenges for Flo and Markus were to be concentration and the mental aspect.

But first, let's talk about the equipment that will take the two athletes across the Alps: The Focus Raven2 was chosen. On board this hardtail is the Fazua evation drive, one of the lightest and most compact e-bike units currently available. Focus had already caused a sensation with this drive on a motorized racing bike.The quasi built-in, gentle tailwind on the Raven2 - and probably also the good condition of the riders - ensured a significantly faster time of 27 hours and 20 minutes than the targeted 36 hours.

The slim design and light weight of 3.3 kg of the drive unit combines the motor, battery and electronics to form the so-called Drivepack. According to the Munich-based e-bike innovator, this allows bicycle manufacturers to develop frames that integrate the system elegantly and unobtrusively into the down tube.

One of the reasons why several manufacturers are using the patented Fazua evation drive is that the motor and bottom bracket gearbox are completely separated from each other from a speed of 25 km/h upwards. Thanks to the decoupling above 25 km/h, the rider pedals without any noticeable resistance from the motor, using only their own muscle power. Sporty bikers thus experience gentle support on uphill sections, tailwinds and when setting off. Other unique selling points of the evation drive, in addition to its complete integration into the frame and its light weight, are the exceptionally natural riding characteristics with support for e-bikes.

Another unique selling point is the Drivepack, which can be clicked into and out of the down tube with a single movement. This enables quick and easy conversion from a bicycle to a pedelec. And definitely also interesting to know: The motor of the Fazua drive comes from a Swiss forge. "The electric motor of the Fazua system is a Swiss development that is also manufactured in Switzerland and bears the 'SwissMade' label," says Christian Staudemann from the Bern-based company Smart Drives.

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