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Will an Ebike help beat Chris Froome up Alpe du Zwift?

Video: can an e-bike help Dave beat Chris Froome up the Alpe du Zwift?

Is an extra 250W of help enough to help a third-cat chopper mix it with the pros?
by roadcc staff
Wed, May 06, 2020 12:27
4

Utility e-bikes, and e-mountain bikes are good for many things: helping you tow a load of booze back from the supermarket, or getting you to the top of a trail so you can hoon it down the other side, for two. 

But e-road bikes are becoming more and more of a thing, promising that you'll be able to stay with your faster, fitter mates. One such bike is the Canyon Endurace:ON, which is the German company's first foray into e-road and retails for £2,799. 

But If your plan is to keep up with your faster mates, just how fast can they be? That's what we decided to find out. Guinea pig for this was our Dave, who races in the third cats when we're allowed outside in groups and during lockdown is currently somewhere above race weight, in the same sense that the top of the Eiffel Tower is somewhere above the Champ de Mars. Anyway, we gave him the bike; after some jiggerypokery he managed to make it work on his direct drive trainer and promptly pointed it up the Alpe du Zwift, to see if he could beat Chris Froome's time from the Team Ineos race last week. Froome crested the climb in just over 35 minutes, behind race winner Rohan Dennis who posted a time of 34:15 for the 12.2km climb.

So, was the application of what some might call 'cheating' enough to turn Dave into a peloton-beater? Watch the vid to find out...

alpe du zwift
Zwift
Chris Froome
e-bike
road.cc staff

This content has been added by a member of the road.cc staff

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4 comments

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philhubbard | 4 years ago
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Probably worn out from your Zwift racing last night Dave, excellent race from you!

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dave atkinson replied to philhubbard | 4 years ago
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HA! that was the first zwift race i've ever been in that properly played out like a real race. even down to the doomed jump off the front by a couple of chancers with two miles to go 1

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handlebarcam | 4 years ago
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The comparison I'd like to see is e-bike versus recumbent. They're typically in the same sort of price range. So, for someone with a long commute, who wants to get in to work a little faster and less tired, does the aerodynamic energy saving of a 'bent add up to more or less than the energy you can get out of a battery?

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dave atkinson replied to handlebarcam | 4 years ago
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i think if you're getting an e-bike for your commute – even an e-road bike – then the greater part of that equation is: less tired. having ridden recumbents up hills, i can vouch for an e-bike being a LOT easier. If your commute is flat there might be some mileage in it?

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