Originally Posted by surak

It's as you say, not all impairments are visible, and thus I don't wish for lightning to strike down anyone just for being on an ebike. But it's pretty obvious that the huge influx of ebikes is not due to suddenly a lot of people with impairments being able to fulfill their wish to ride a bike. I'd say it's mostly the same crowd with disposable income but no wish for any cardio that's adopting hoverboards, electric skateboards, and scooters.

Some of us are annoyed not because those people are enjoying themselves, but that they're doing it in the same exact confines (read: organized events) of our road cycling hobby. I'm sure equestrians would be equally "thrilled" to share the same events as people in motorized vehicles.



Their chosen level of difficulty is intermingled into the same ride the traditional non-assisted riders are doing, which is where I take issue. It is, as @Cypress wrote, like taking a road bike on the 5K walk/run, or what I see being more likely, a scooter. How would you feel if hypothetically someone were to participate in a stair climbing event for charity but hired a porter to carry them up every third flight? And then a few years later, it isn't just one person, but a significant percentage choose to forgo doing the "analog" stair climbing event because that's for masochistic chumps.

It's not all about catering to the crowd that wants an easy time. Maybe encouraging that behavior will discourage so-called analog participants. The events I've done have different routes and a walk/run option (even a virtual/remote option), and a natural grouping forms among the self-powered. You can ride/run with the fastest folks and congratulate each other crossing the finish line after setting a slew of new PRs. Or have friendly chats and exchange life stories with those around you while cruising/walking at a comfortable pace. Or encourage each other while huffing and puffing over a particularly nasty ramp and share in the relief and feeling of accomplishment of cresting that last climb. To me, the powered rider whizzing by other riders is just an anomalous element that doesn't mesh with any of those experiences, and I see no benefit in increasing that kind of participation.