Alta Motors announced today that it will compete in the upcoming Erzberg Rodeo, becoming the first electric motorcycle to contest the off-road event. Ty Tremaine and Lyndon Poskitt will compete for the San Francisco-based manufacturer.

Erzberg Rodeo is known for being one of the hardest motorcycle races in the world. The 35-kilometer (22-mile) race is part of the Red Bull Hard Enduro Series. Only a handful of riders finish the event within the four-hour time limit. In 2017, only 25 riders completed the race through the Austrian mountains. In 2016, only nine completed the race.

This year will be the first time Tremain has attempted Erzberg. 

"Having the opportunity to make history by riding the first electric is an honor," he said in a press release. "After the past few months racing the Redshift, I am confident it will give me my best shot at conquering the Iron Mountain."

"After challenging Erzberg on a rally bike last year, I'm eager to see what I can accomplish on a premium bike that is designed specifically for this environment," Poskitt said. "Partnering with Alta made sense because they've built a bike that delivers the control and power critical for this type of race—it just happens to be electric."

"We built the Redshift to compete head-to-head with the best gas bikes in the most brutal environments in the world. The Erzberg extreme enduro is the place to demonstrate that," Alta Motors Chief Technical Officer and co-founder Derek Dorresteyn said. "The race comes at a time when electric bikes are struggling for acceptance in international competition. We are grateful that the Erzberg organizers share our belief that competition should be about advancing technology—not restricting it—and that they are providing a platform to demonstrate that electrics should have the right to compete."