So, Now that some time has passed, and we have survived the end of the world, I am taking some time to think and write about
electric cycling. I am interested in sharing some experiences, and am asking you, for your productive ideas.
This Ride the Rockies, has been the pinnacle of my cycling career. Starting out as a BMX racer as a kid, then a Mnt Bike racer,
sponsored by slingshot, I rode one of the very first suspended frames in the industry. Then for the last ten years, designing,
building, and riding bikes and trikes, with a focus on electric assist. It's been almost 40 years of pushing pedals, Ehy?
The challenge for me, is to get acceptance, to find our place, and ride with our people. Sometimes, you just feel like the ugly
duckling, trying to fit in somewhere. While this ride was very rewarding, and enjoyable, and amazing, it was very challenging.
Not only because I designed, and hand built the bike. Not only because I spent months riding each week to be as prepared as
I could, somewhat training for the ride. Not because it cost so much to do the event, both energy and monies, But because
of the people, the mentality, and the comments.
Now, just to let you know, I do ride my bike, because I love to ride, and feel the freedom that comes with it. I ride hard, and
Push myself to ride at the very best of my abilities, every-time I ride. Not that I am racing everyone, it's just a natural push
that we all feel, when riding in groups, and with people who love to ride, and go through time and space like in flight.
So, I guess it was kinda weird for me to sign up to ride with 2,000 roadies, for a week through the mountains. Lot's of serious
lycra clad folks, some with race aspirations, some in teams, some from the Tour De france, some for long distance solo riding.
For me, it was an opportunity to ride with real riders, who love to ride, and were going for distance, and to challenge
themselves to some of the most difficult riding available to us, with a great support team to make it happen. The crew on
ride the rockies was great, providing great shelter, food, snacks, medical care and marking the roads to ride. But, the
challenge was with the riders, who seem to have a total distain for this budding industry.
I mean, I got hundreds of nasty looks per day, and hundreds of non supportive comments, to flat out attacks against me. We
had folks who would say the meanest things while riding out on the road, and climbing for hours on end. Cheater, was the
most common comment, along with faggot, asshole, why would you be here, why not just ride a motor cycle, here comes
that guy again, Cheat, motor man, and even from the special Olympics support team, why pedal? Sigh.
Most of the time, I would slow up for a moment, and explain that I had designed, engineered, hand built this bike, and
that I am testing it out in hopes to produce it to help people with invisible disabilities to ride again. And many times,
people would get it, and have a positive comment, like keep up the good work. In which, I would feel better, knowing
that another person may have a new idea about what we are trying to do. But sometimes, it would not matter, and the
attacks would keep on coming. Most of the time I would shake it off, and keep on riding as hard as I could, doing the
best that I could, climbing these mountains for three to four hours at a time. Granted, I was flying past hundreds of roadies
per hour at 15-17 mph, while they were grinding away at 5-6 mph. Sometimes a true athlete would dump over 750 watts
and catch up to talk with me, and I would ease up to talk for a moment, then they would fade back with the rest of the
pack.
One guy on a recumbent, flat out attacked me, my bike, my character, who I am as a person, and went on and on. I almost
lost my composure, and wanted to just knock him off the cliff that we were riding by. I wanted to really hurt him, as he
had been hurting me. He had no idea of who I am, what I had done, and do, to be at places like this. Turns out, he claims
that he is a designer of oil refinery plants, and maybe he saw a disruptive technology passing him by. The second day he
attacked, I almost let him have it, and am thankful another rider broke us up, and helped me to get back on track. I know
that hurting him, would not help anything, and it would not show the rest of the crowd not to mess with me. I had to be
better than that, but, I was at my threshold for being able to continue on. And I did, I lay the hammer down, sped up to
almost 20 mph on that climb, and dusted him, big time. Then I backed off, and brought my cadence back to a proper
speed, my amp draw back to reality, to make the long haul, and settled in to continue on. Sigh.
So, how do we gain acceptance? I am a life long cyclist, and I am riding the next generation in advanced technology. They
chose to use gears, chains, heart rate monitors, GPS, Enhanced water supplements, maybe some dopers out there from
the racing industry...where do we draw the line. This was not a race. We all choose our equipment. We all rode at our
ability. These advanced technologies are here, and are making a place at the table, one way, or another.
How does the electric cyclist gain acceptance, in the cycling community. I recently read through a book at our local
bike/coffee used book store, and it was about the bike tribe. BMX, roadies, fixies, mnt bikers, touring bikes...no
electrics included. The National Handmade Bike Show is coming up in my home state, and they would not even write
back to me, when I submitted my application with this bike, and our trikes, as I have been hand making these since
1999, when I got into it. Rocky Mountain Flyer Magazine refuses to write back to me, as I have sent them a very nice
write up upon this ride, with these photos that I have shared with our E bike community on endllessphere. The only
folks I can get a little recognition from are the motorcycle gang folks, like when I went and climbed Mount Washington
at the Harley days, part of a biker rally. Or during the Portland International Raceway, human powered championships,
when we worked hard to get a electric assist devision. The Pikes Peak folks are about done with us, after the Optipunk
shenanigans.
I want to see electric cyclist groups of riders, riding at races, riding with riders in cycling event, allowed on bike paths,
welcomed to be there, as one of the group of cyclists. We are part of the solution, we have values to create in society,
we help people to be able to ride with others, and to do work. It seems to be catching on, as more and more companies
are making it to the industry trade shows. But, how do we become legitimate in the eyes of other cyclists. How do we
separate ourselves from the people who slap weed wacker motors onto junk bikes, and make everyone cringe...how
do we find our place at the table. At least we don't have Lance Armstrong screwing up our public image right now!
Ideas? rants and raves welcome. Peace, Josh K.
