I know there are some here who would rather eschew a goal of completing the tour under their own power and choose instead a goal of remaining upon the machine - an e-bike - for the entire ride. Like Brother Dave said, everybody's got their own kick going.
I think that is it.
I've had reason to think about this whole ebike thing ... the passionate emotions it seems to evoke among cyclists pro and con. Why?
I've come to believe that the reasons are rooted in the question "what does cycling mean to you."
Is it just for fun? Is it about being outside? Is it about transportation? Is it about getting/staying in shape? Is it about the camaraderie? Being green by getting around on your own power? Burning stress? Is it about facing and overcoming challenges? Is it about achieving physical goals (distance or climbing) that you never thought you could achieve?
And of course, for some there is the question ... can I ride a road/mountain bike the distances I would like to ride anymore. What are my physical limitations?
Ebikes are well suited to some of those purposes, and not much for others. I think our own personal balance of those reasons for cycling is likely to predict whether we are hearing the siren call of ebikes or not. Maybe the smartest among us are those that have an ebike for the purposes it makes sense to them (e.g. commuting) and a bike for the other purposes (physical goals).