Should e-bikes be allowed in Cycle Tour and other Races

[Danger Dassie]

5 minutes ago, Ravenhash said:

I guess why stop there, lets ask the guys with the 125cc (add a pedal in the mix) or less to join us and turn Cycle Tour into a mini "Isle of Man"

Ok this is a silly analogy. Just report the cheaters and make peace with the fact that where cycling "events" have a seperate ebike category. 
Honestly bud, outside of the licenced groups it makes zero difference. It's about participation, and I'd rather see that than have some heavy handed ban. 

[_David_]

4 minutes ago, Eldron said:

Having motorbikes in bicycle races is ridiculous.

Buy an ebike, ride it, have fun, enjoy etc but as soon as timing is involved then leave your motorbike at home. It's a bicycle race.

My sentiments exactly.

[Danger Dassie]

The correlation with motorbikes is patently stupid. At a stretch a more accurate description would be a moped, even then not accurate by a long shot. 
There is room for participation at timed events, and if it means a family or couple are able to safely enjoy it together, then great. A separate fun cat for ebikes, also cool. 
W2W have two cats, a fun cat that starts at the back and a race cat that starts before everyone, seems to work well.
Of all the challenges at events, ebikes aren't even a blip on the radar of problems, just people who individually feel out of joint. Maybe take a race licence then and see how you go.

[100Tours]

1 hour ago, Ravenhash said:

Is it now completely acceptable that e-bikes are considered a Bicycle and allowed in Cycle Races?

Yes. But only if they actually have fun doing it 😗

If you're not starting in the first batch with the funny symbols on the race numbers then you're riding a fun ride. I went past an oke riding with one leg on Sunday - didn't hear him complaining about the extra legs on all the other bikes either.

 

[NicholasT]

7 minutes ago, 100Tours said:

Yes. But only if they actually have fun doing it 😗

If you're not starting in the first batch with the funny symbols on the race numbers then you're riding a fun ride. I went past an oke riding with one leg on Sunday - didn't hear him complaining about the extra legs on all the other bikes either.

 

There was a guy at the last 94.7 with one leg who started overtaking us all on the climb after kyalami. Maybe I should have complained that he had an unfair weight advantage.😀

 

[_David_]

[Sitting@89]

42 minutes ago, NotSoBigBen said:

*waiting for something new to be said about these luigat vietse*

Was going to put up the horse one but it's been overused 😜

I’ll do it for you, yes overused but appropriate enough to still be funny

[Paul Ruinaard]

15 minutes ago, NicholasT said:

There was a guy at the last 94.7 with one leg who started overtaking us all on the climb after kyalami. Maybe I should have complained that he had an unfair weight advantage.😀

 

The thing is you had nothing against his leg - in fact it was a fine example of a leg. The problem was neither did he (to quote derek and Clive) 🙂

[Jbr]

Yes ebikes should be allowed at events like these, because they aren't just races, they are a great opportunity to ride some of the most beautiful roads in the world without the risk of being taken out by a car/taxi/bus or being attacked/stabbed.

But since you're riding with a motor, you shouldn't be timed. All ebikes spotted with a chip should be DQ'ed, same for TT bars.

[Eldron]

23 minutes ago, Danger Dassie said:

The correlation with motorbikes is patently stupid. At a stretch a more accurate description would be a moped, even then not accurate by a long shot. 
There is room for participation at timed events, and if it means a family or couple are able to safely enjoy it together, then great. A separate fun cat for ebikes, also cool. 
W2W have two cats, a fun cat that starts at the back and a race cat that starts before everyone, seems to work well.
Of all the challenges at events, ebikes aren't even a blip on the radar of problems, just people who individually feel out of joint. Maybe take a race licence then and see how you go.

Put a handful of watts in and get several hundred watts out. From a motor. On your bike. The correlation is spot on.

I'll happily compromise on the involvement though - a non timed event that starts after the non motorised participants would work.

[Skubarra]

1 hour ago, Danger Dassie said:

Honestly bud, outside of the licenced groups it makes zero difference. It's about participation, and I'd rather see that than have some heavy handed ban. 

Sure, right at the back it makes zero difference but in the middle groups they do have an impact on the race. Since we are on the 99er I have a mate who rode that ride in one of the lower alphabet soup groups, did a few breakaways from his bunch only to see the bunch pulled back to him by a guy on a ebike. They also caught a bunch or 2 ahead of them by slipping mr e-bike. 

Guess its not a tragedy in the larger scheme of things but why does it only matter if it is A bunch? Why can't the peeps in K bunch not have a bicycle race without being pulled or hauled in by ebikes? 

No point ranting about these things because ebikes mixing it up with normal bikes is now standard fair at funrides, but I will never be a fan (unless they all start right at the back)

[Nick]

15 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

Guess its not a tragedy in the larger scheme of things but why does it only matter if it is A bunch? Why can't the peeps in K bunch not have a bicycle race without being pulled or hauled in by ebikes? 

Is the problem in this scenario really the ebiker though?

[Ravenhash]

Very good point, if e-bikes affect the outcome of any group of Cyclist irrelevant of the Cyclist start group, organizers need to consider letting them Start completely  on their own. I do think they be better off starting in front on the Elites, instead of pushing the slower (who are actually faster than them) guys out of the way at the back because he has an automatic 300Watts. I mean really if you spend enough money you can get a 1000Watt e-bike.

[Eldron]

23 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

Sure, right at the back it makes zero difference but in the middle groups they do have an impact on the race. Since we are on the 99er I have a mate who rode that ride in one of the lower alphabet soup groups, did a few breakaways from his bunch only to see the bunch pulled back to him by a guy on a ebike. They also caught a bunch or 2 ahead of them by slipping mr e-bike. 

Guess its not a tragedy in the larger scheme of things but why does it only matter if it is A bunch? Why can't the peeps in K bunch not have a bicycle race without being pulled or hauled in by ebikes? 

No point ranting about these things because ebikes mixing it up with normal bikes is now standard fair at funrides, but I will never be a fan (unless they all start right at the back)

The bigger question is - what are perfectly capable people doing on ebikes in the first place?

If you want to ride with your slower mates, disabled mates, health issue mates great but if you're on an ebike in the single letter groups sitting on the front of the peleton then you're just being a douche.

[Jewbacca]

The events industry is wrecked guys.

If e-bikers had to split, there would be less paying entrants, which would probably be a tipping point for some events.

Lumping them in with everyone else keeps the industry going. It allows events to generate revenue and be sustainable.

After 2 years of being dead in the water with no income, the organisers need all the revenue they can get to start digging themselves out of the proverbial hole.

There are massive, far reaching financial and logistical implications at play that far exceed your butthurtedness.

Embrace the change, don't fight it. It's happening whether you like it or not and for now it NEEDS to happen.

[Nick]

6 minutes ago, Ravenhash said:

Very good point, if e-bikes affect the outcome of any group of Cyclist irrelevant of the Cyclist start group, organizers need to consider letting them Start completely  on their own. I do think they be better off starting in front on the Elites, instead of pushing the slower (who are actually faster than them) guys out of the way at the back because he has an automatic 300Watts. I mean really if you spend enough money you can get a 1000Watt e-bike.

Ebikes are not as fast as you think. Especially if they adhere to the max assist speeds and wattage rules.

It would be carnage if the ebikers went out first at a road race.