LETTERS In the last edition (Arrivée 150 winter) we posed the question: Should e-bikes be allowed entry into Audax events? Readers have plunged into the debate with gusto, expressing a range of opinion, but all favourable. Here’s what you had to say:
Arrivée151Spring2021
OLD ENOUGH TO CHANGE MY MIND Sir, I read with interest your review of The Alan Linge Ribble Endurance SLe range in the winter magazine, and the measured arguments surrounding the acceptance of such machines on Audax events. More than 70 years on the saddle atop a selection of 531 steel frames, outs me as a traditionalist whose views on electric assistance can be easily envisaged. However, no longer able to enjoy Audax events, my riding is now limited to a few hundred miles a month. I dread the day when even this is beyond me, when I’ll have to reconsider my attitude to e-bikes. Regarding their acceptance on Audax rides, I feel our stated aims limit any argument for exclusion. They may need their own category and awards system – well within the capabilities of our membership to construct. If for no other reason, this year’s horrors have clearly shown the need for social inclusion, and I hope AUK will seek to address this issue. Alan Linge
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I JUST WANT TO RIDE Sir, I’ve completed two PBPs in the past, but these days I’m much slower, partly due to old age, and partly my health. I gave up riding with groups of friends a couple of years ago because I couldn’t keep up when going uphill. They were kind and waited for me, but it put too much stress on my heart. On our group’s trip to Majorca I decided to rent a couple of e-bikes. One of these was a Pinarello, a flashy looking speedster, which was great, though
David Cox Gerry Goldsmith
expensive. Returning home I test-rode the bike Richard reviewed, which was good except that, being a 5ft tall female, the reach was too long and the bars too low. After some research the Pinarello turned out to be the best for me – so I bought one. For winter use, I have my trusty old tourer customised with an add-on battery and motor. It’s still hard work on distance rides, and the e-bike range prevents me from doing much more than 100k. But I’d love to ride again with old Audax friends, but can’t see me getting round in time on a non-electric bike. I don’t want to gain points, I just want to ride! Gerry Goldsmith GOOD IDEA – WITH MITIGATIONS Sir, We should welcome the use of e-bikes. Their users have much in common with those riding Audax events, and to exclude them seems perverse. The more people sharing the Audax experience, the merrier. However, we should acknowledge that e-bikes confer a physical advantage and that future developments in battery technology could lead to them being used for pacing riders of un-powered bikes. I know Audax is meant to be non-competitive but the competitive spirit is often in evidence among riders at the front of events. In order to allow e-bikes to ride alongside un-powered bikes in Audax events, I would suggest two regulations – to mitigate against the possibility of future e-bikes being able to provide power-assistance at high speed, we should adopt the regulation that an e-bike shall not provide assistance above 15mph; and to acknowledge the physical assistance given by e-bikes, riders should be awarded e-brevets. So far as annual Audax awards are concerned, I would suggest that e-brevets could not count towards them. I don’t think this would act as any deterrent to e-bike riders and would, I hope, satisfy those riders who like to compete for those awards. Adrian Hanson-Abbott BREATHE EASY WITH AN E-BIKE Sir, I really enjoyed your well-written article and Richard Betts’ test ride of the Ribble. The proposal, should it arise at a future AGM, to allow regulation e-bikes on Audaxes, identified to protect the bulk of enthusiasts, would get my vote.
I’ve been in Audax for some time, mainly joining local 200k events organised by my club Beacon RCC. I’ve also completed LeJog and Side-to-Side permanents on an unsupported tandem, and relatively recently attempted the Montgomerie Madness. However, I’m a 74 year old geezer with an asthma problem. I had my first asthma attack in March 2019. I’d ridden out to marshal a Beacon Time Trial full of beans, stood around in the cold for hours and then wheezed my way back for 24 miles. This resulted in an emergency hospital admission. While in hospital I thought about replacing my bikes with e-bikes. A Brompton for mixed mode and local trips, a utility hybrid for shopping and towing the trailer and a Ribble for longer rides in the country. I can still do Audaxes within the time limits, and ride up any of the local hills between Birmingham and the Cotswolds – albeit slowly and in winch gear. I’ve kept fit on a dumb turbo and now do solo rides into the countryside with a picnic to keep my mileage up. But at what point do you decide that the risk of a heart attack to pursue a healthy hobby, outweighs missing out on the rest of family life and other enjoyments? The argument for e-bikes for utility use is, I think, won. My e-Brompton means I’m not tempted to use a car for local solo trips in the city and is a good start on my e-bike conversion. I’ll be checking out the very attractive Ribble range next year. It would be nice to be able to use it for some events. My asthma was the result of commuting through Birmingham for 40 years, mostly by bike. A recent study from Leeds University, presented at Ideas with Beers Tuesday webinar with Brian Deegan, showed how riding hard in polluted cities can damage lungs and hearts. The author advocated e-bikes because you don’t have to breathe so hard. David Cox OBE IMPORTANCE OF INCLUSION Sir, Your articles on e-bikes were well written, and raised an important issue. I really can’t see what the problem is with e-bikes taking part in Audax. Some people try to make events harder by riding fixed wheel. Some of us have made them really hard with a not-so-strong stoker on a tandem. These are personal choices and there are “boxes”
on the brevet card to show fixed wheel and tandems. What’s so different about an e-Bike? Least readers think I am pushing a personal cause I have never ridden an e-bike. However, every cyclist I know who has progressed to an e-bike has done it with considerable reluctance. Audax is a personal challenge so it’s what we achieve that’s important. For many e-bike riders the effort and achievement may be more than that experienced by a fit young athlete. It’s also worth noting that many of the new breed of e-bikes are hardly distinguishable from a road bike. It’s easy to cheat in an Audax and as an organiser I would not have a clue if someone used a Ribble e-bike, or similar. Hopefully organisers won’t be required to check all bikes with a thermal camera to ensure mechanical doping is not taking place. However, one of the most important things is that AUK needs to be as inclusive as possible. The camaraderie of all involved is perhaps the best thing about the Audax association. There is ample evidence that those who have achieved in sport often suffer badly from low self-esteem and depression when affected by reduced performance, particularly where this is related to health issues. It would be great to keep such people actively involved in Audax. In my opinion we should allow e-bikes on a trial basis with immediate effect, which will provide evidence to allow a suitable redrafting of the rules at the earliest opportunity. Colin Gray ALL POWER TO THEM! Sir, I converted my trusty Hewitt tourer to electrical assist in early 2018 as I suffer from a heart condition, atrial fibrillation (AF), that, as I get older (I’m currently 72), is not helped by hard rides. I find that I now enjoy rides again without worrying about holding up the others, as I used to have to slow down to manage my AF. It also allows me to keep up with younger riders so that I can continue to enjoy club rides and cycle touring. For my last Audax, back in 2019, I used my new Ribble electric and entered without realising that electric bikes were not allowed. I thoroughly enjoyed the Audax ride with my cycling chums around the Nottinghamshire countryside. AF is quite a common occurrence in older cyclists and if electrical assist keeps them cycling then all power to them – so to speak. Electric bikes provide huge benefits to older and health-challenged riders. Peter Morgan
