Fondos increasingly are races on the timed climbing segments. Lookup almost any GFNS event, timed segments.

Commuting and for exercise for physio and heart patients, heck yeah. Maybe replace some cars in stage racing with safer Ebikes to bring food or bottles. Ebikes for the win there.

Anything else, it’s bullshit. Endurance sport is about the purity of suffering. Which is why there’s such a strong condemnation of dopers.

I think some of you need educated. A grand fondo is not a race.

Yeah, timed segments are common too. But the ones I'm referring are pure start-to-finish races.

I'm in between Mario and Huffy. I think e-bikes can be welcome at gran fondos and other rides. But they need their own mass start time, and some clear rules. At times they do not belong amongst other riders. Good fences make good neighbors.

There are some types of ad-hoc group rides where they are not welcome. They have no place at some competitive group rides.

Sometimes you just need to shut your mouth instead of proving your ignorance.

"A Gran Fondo is a cycling challenge that takes bicycle racing to the next level. Part personal challenge, part serious competition, the Gran Fondo National Series courses lead riders through country roads with challenging climbs and incredible scenery. Courses are offered in lengths of ~30, ~60, and ~100 miles so participants can take part in a distance that matches their goals and ability. Each rider is assigned an electronic timing-chip to keep track of their progress throughout the course and to allow riders to compete for best time through highlighted sections of the course. There is no start to finish time as in traditional racing formats, but rather only time sections count toward a rider's competition time. This means you can take your time between race sections, stop at the aid stations, and regroup to enjoy the ride with your friend and teammates. At the finish a hot meal and beverage awaits you, as well as finisher medals for the gran route finishers. Whether riding for a cause, a personal goal, or for competition, the Gran Fondo National Series courses are some of the most beautiful courses in the North America.

In other words, you are e-bike fan boy. I said in my very first post on this thread that I thought they were fine except for in competitive races. So now your defense is that timed gran fondo events with age groups and awards are not "real races". Who is the twat now?

Can I ride an electric motorcycle, or even a gas powered one for that matter, in your club ride or a Gran Fondo?

No one previously would have thought that riding a moped in a cycling event was ok, but now we have e-bikes, which look like regular bikes, so that's somehow ok because it looks like a bike. Ridiculous!

I think e-bikes are fine for transportation and personal enjoyment, but cycling events are for bicycles. They should be for human powered bikes only.

I think e bikes are great. If the road versions were more affordable (or if I made more money...LOL) I'd certainly buy one just from the standpoint of being able to cruise around on a bike for 3-5 hours and enjoy being outside without feeling completely wasted by lunchtime. If I end up feeling strong and want the workout...just don't engage the motor/battery...or go farther/faster with the motor/battery in the same amount of time adding in the watts I'm putting into the pedals.

As for group rides...I think they are fine for "casual" group rides where everyone keeps 1 bike length apart and nobody is really trying to tuck into the draft. Just hang in the middle or back and just make sure you are not torturing the rest of the group by going to the front and forcing the pace too high.

For more aggressive group rides, as long as the rider using an e bike has experience with how tight groups works it should be fine. What worries me is when a novice rider who has no experience riding with Cat 1-3 type road racers shows up with an e bike and gets into the action for the first time only because he can now hang with a motor. There is a lot more too riding with that type of group than having enough power...but as long as you know what you're doing, I don't see it as a problem.

As for fondos...I wouldn't mind seeing an e bike division where they are separated from the results and started in a way where they can't get into the mix with those intending to compete. While I do think we should hang onto bike racing events as traditional competitions of fitness, we also have to accept that that market is dying out. If event organizers want maximum participation, they have to get creative on how to be more inclusive of other markets who may be interested in dropping money for their event but can't do so without an e bike.

Can I ride an electric motorcycle, or even a gas powered one for that matter, in your club ride or a Gran Fondo?

No one previously would have thought that riding a moped in a cycling event was ok, but now we have e-bikes, which look like regular bikes, so that's somehow ok because it looks like a bike. Ridiculous!

I think e-bikes are fine for transportation and personal enjoyment, but cycling events are for bicycles. They should be for human powered bikes only.

IMO, group ride is fine....if the group is OK with it. It's a great way to increase inclusiveness, and integrate more folks into "no drop" rides.

IMO Centuries and Fondos are another story entirely. They are purposefully there to challenge ourselves. Centuries will typically have multiple distances (30mi/62mi/100mi for example) to accommodate different fitness levels. Doing the 100mi represents a commitment to training enough to complete the event (much like training for a marathon or IM). Using an ebike removes that challenge. You shouldn't claim you did an endurance event, unless you did it under your own power.

I think in any kind of organized group event, whether that be a century ride or even your local group, it would be good form for e-bikes to have some sort of identifying feature...such as a tail light/headlight combo. That's helpful to people like myself with a mental disorder that drives them to have to try to "win" all the time. I don't mind getting crushed by ebikes but I at least want to be able to console myself that it was the bike, if that is the fact of the matter.

That's exactly the kind of pish I'm talking about.

That's a load of rubbish.

Did someone steal the only Strava KoM you had with and ebike? Oh poor wee soul. 😂

It's not rubbish.

I wouldn't want to ride in a group ride with folks on ebikes. If you can't naturally ride at those speeds there is a very good chance your bike handling in general and at those speeds are probably not up to par.

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