Here's my take on ebikes: "
I would love it if someone that I enjoyed riding with didn't have the physical capability or fitness ..." I'm sure I am not the only one here who started off riding with less than optimal fitness. 10-15 miles was a long ride for me. What happened? I kept pedaling and got more fit. If someone has a legitimate handicap that makes pedaling hard to do, sure - get yourself some assistance. If, however, someone just doesn't want to put in the effort to get fit (which is really part of what cycling is about, right? Exercise?), then why even bother?
I can understand @rideinTheRain or other commuters using an ebike, especially as they might be riding 5 days a week and may not have shower facilities at work and want to limit sweat (and seeing as RITR has an actual bicycle they ride as well), but if someone is riding recreationally, they should be enjoying the gains of increasing fitness. Hills are good for the soul. Especially soul crushing hills.
I used to sail back in the day, even taught it at a summer camp doing Sunfish and Hobie Cats. Then when I was in the USCGA, I spent a glorious week sailing on the Coast Guard's tallship, The Eagle. One of the best weeks of my life. Now that's sailing