Originally Posted by
prj71
That's good. Good for you. But I know you would have got there and built up that fitness quicker sans e-bike.
Majority of e-bikers will never do what you did though. That's what I was getting at. If a person is always going to ride the e-bike "because they can't climb those hills" then they aren't really working to build up the fitness. Riding the flat ground and down hills are easy on both human powered and e-bike.
I agree with some of your earlier posts and I agree that many e-bike riders are a menace on the mup and the road.
But I have to say that e-bikes can be a valuable tool for training, especially for those of us who have a-fib or other heart issues. One of my friends who raced road and crits for years got an e-bike when the doctor ordered him to control his heart rate. His wife, also a long time racer, got one, too. They have done club rides and group rides for over a year now and they are safe and don't try to blow up the ride or drop everyone. Last Saturday the wife came out on her old race bike and she was quite fast in the hills because of all the miles they had put in on the e-bikes.
Could she have reached this level of fitness without the e-bike? Yes but she wouldn't have put the hours in if her husband couldn't ride. I know this because when he was diagnosed her fitness dropped to the point that I could beat her on the climbs. Having those e-bikes has allowed them to train and have fun like they did years ago. Will he be able to climb like before? Probably not but I'm sure he is at a level he would not have reached without the motor.
I've considered one. I've dealt with a-fib, COPD, and joint issues and it's hard for me to do the rides I like to do. At 68, I have no illusion of suddenly becoming a faster climber. I've been on a bit of an upward trend in my ability the last few months, so maybe I'll wait a while.