To make matters worse, many non-race cycling events ban e-bikes as well. For example, one of my favorite events, the Sea Gull Century, bans e-bikes. They say, “For our event we do not allow motorized bikes/vehicles on the course for Sea Gull Century. This would cover anything from battery to gas powered scooters / bikes / motorcycles.”
Even though it’s questionable if e-bikes can be ban from a course on public roads, they do not offer an explanation for the ban. Clearly, it can’t be due to the speed of e-bikes since many participants riding traditional bicycle exceed the maximum speeds attainable on e-bikes.
More importantly, I think banning e-bikes from non-race cycling events is very short sited by the organizers. In many cases, the average age of participants is in their sixties. While many would continue participate in and support these events as they grow older, the bulk will not be able to if e-bikes aren’t allowed.
Ken Whittaker