Originally Posted by
InTheRain
An event like the STP I really don't care what kind of a bike is ridden or if a cyclist wants to hang on to a car, or draft another cyclist or paceline (which I have done and the STP literature encourages riders to learn how to do it safely.) It's not a race. There are no prizes. Yes, you get a t-shirt/jacket... you pay for it and it shows up in your mailbox a few days before the ride.
Don't you also get a patch if you complete it in a single day? Agree that it's not a race but there is a recognition that is an accomplishment, - even more so if you complete it in a day. It's not just a "ride".
Originally Posted by
InTheRain
An e-bike rider is going to have to have his own support and extra batteries to complete a ride like the STP. For an e-bike like mine, to ride on full assist (no throttle... don't have one) for 200 miles, I would need 7-8 batteries. On level one assist (which is actually more difficult than riding my carbon fiber bike) I would need about 4 batteries. The batteries are $1200 each. It's not an option that I would even consider in a distance event like the STP. However, if someone chooses to do something like that, I still think they have accomplished an amazing thing. Even if they full-throttle an e-bike (20 mph is the limit) that means they are going to be sitting on a bicycle saddle for a minimum of 10 hours. If it is legally classified as a bicycle, and those types of bicycles are not excluded from an event... nobody should judge or care. If you complete a distance event on your carbon fiber sub 15 lbs bike and you draft in a paceline, should the guy that rode solo on his Walmart bike with nobby tires disapprove of your "accomplishment?"
I am glad to hear that battery technology has not yet made it practical to complete STP on an e-bike. As far as how a guy on a Walmart MTB should feel towards guys with $10,000 bikes riding in a pace line, well, that's up to him (or her). I think they can feel very good about their own accomplishment. The guys in the paceline may do it in a single day which is also an accomplishment. They make take longer than the MTB dude, which is not as impressive, all else being equal.
Nobody should be rude or condescending to anyone, but to pretend there isn't any judgement going on (good or bad) is just naive. It doesn't matter whether it's e-bikes or CF wonders. Personally, there are certain things I find impressive and other things less so.
What the MTB dude and the CF dudes have in common is that they complete the distance under their own power. At some point the application of technology or technique crosses a line and turns the event into something else. For me it's when you put a motor on a bike. I understand that it some cases they are still legally classified as bikes but that doesn't mean they are appropriate for use in any cycling event.
You may not care if someone completes STP by spending the middle 100 miles riding in a car. After all riding 100 miles isn't easy either and they still get their shirt. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it or call them out, but I think that's cheating. Other people can have different opinions. That's fine. I'm not likely to change mine.