Auto-Biography, Chapter 27 (Pt. 2): American in Norway e-gripes about e-bikes, then relents

Seems like we just arrived in Norway, but if Backroads’ trip itinerary is correct we are leaving after only one day.

Yep, after being totally spoiled at the Son Spa, on a fjord in Southern Norway, we are headed to Sweden. But not before the usual sumptuous, all-you-can-scarf breakfast.

An early highlight of today’s ride is Rygge, home to a Norwegian medieval stone church that is 854 years old. And here I am, bitching and moaning about verging on 80.

But, somehow, I can still ride a bike — just not very fast. On the menu today is a jaunt to Fredrikstad, an historic, delightful Norwegian town with stone streets and centuries-old storefronts.

At 43 miles and more than 2,000-feet of climbing, the ride is not easy. But the hills are green and the roads are smooth. My MO is predictable: I am passed by almost everyone in our touring group on the downhills. Then I overtake most, but not all of them on the ups.

My riding companion, Marv Ordway, is way faster on the downhills and can outclimb me when the grades steepen. But there were others in our tour who stay ahead of us seasoned cyclists even on the steepest uphills.

They beat us to the summits, only with an asterisk.

That asterisk is that these fellow riders were on electric bikes. They get freshly charged batteries from Backroads each morning and are off to the races. Yes, if you wondered, e-bikes can kick ass.

Several years ago, while vacationing with friends in Washington, we took a ferry to Victoria, British Columbia, and rented bikes to tour the city. One of my pals, Pete, got an e-bike.

“Don’t sell these short,” he urged a couple of miles into our jaunt. “Give it a try.”

We switched bikes, and when I hit the e-throttle on my borrowed mount, the thing took off. I was amazed, but very wary. “If I ever buy one of these things,” I thought to myself, “it will be the beginning of the end.”

So I haven’t. And, yes, I’ve had my butt kicked by e-bikers more than a few times. Back in 2018, I was passed by one during the Wildflower Century up in Chico. “It’s going to take me two batteries to get through 100 miles,” my fellow rider said without a trace of guilt. “So I’m carrying a spare.”

“Good luck,” I replied, while silently adding, “Ya cheater.”

“Thanks,” he added, then he and his battery ate up the next hill and left me in the dust.

I never saw him again. But here’s the key question: Was that e-jockey really cheating?

Well, the Wildflower Century is a ride, not a race. Medals are not given out, finishers are not listed in order and there are no standings or prizes. So, now that e-bikes are OK, will the door open wider? Could a leather-clad, tatted-up outlaw biker on a growling Harley also enter the Wildflower?

I doubt it, but you get my drift.

Of course, Backroads allows e-bikes and furnishes them for their dozens of bike tours around the globe. And who could blame BR? E-bikes open their tours to many more participants who might not ride without an assist from Reddy Kilowatt.

Reddy who??

OK, the answer betrays my advanced age. This lightning-bolt-limbed cartoon character represented American power providers for decades. Mr. Kilowatt was highly popular during the 1950s, when I was growing up — and when electricity meant TV.

But does Reddy belong on a bike?

OK, I’ll admit it: I am changing my mind. My new answer is a solid maybe: Verging on 80, I’ve done a reality check: Someday — and I hope it is not soon — I too may need an electric motor to continue riding. (For more on this subject, see below for adjoining story.)

Plus, the e-bikers on our Scandinavian tour were delightful folks whose company I enjoyed.

But enough of this e-bitching — and back to Norway and Sweden.

After lunch in Fredrikstad, founded by King Frederik II in 1567, we waited to catch a shuttle across the border. And I tried out a set of medieval stocks in the town square. After one minute locked in, I concluded that I’d rather ride an e-bike than suffer another minute — and insisted on release.

After a 90-minute bus ride, we were in Tanumstrand, Sweden, on the Skagerrak Strait. And we were told to be ready for a boat ride to a seaside restaurant serving up a buffet of fresh, locally caught seafood.

And at this point, the whole e-bike-vs.-real bike argument seemed pretty irrelevant. We were all having a ball!

The dinner cruise? Beautiful, bordering on spectacular? The seafood? Scrumptious. Our rooms? Spacious and comfortable. Our luggage? As it had every night, it waited in our arrival at the foot of the bed.

(Next week, through Sweden, back to Norway and on to the finish line.)

Life-changing experience? My brief, exciting ride on an e-bike

There’s a sign out at Sonora Cyclery that may be prophetic: “Electric bikes will change your life.”

So is this a threat or a promise? And how exactly might it change my life? More adrenaline? More pounds? Or some of both?

Being a serious (well, sometimes) reporter who took a few swipes at e-bikes in the adjoining story, I figured I better find out first hand. So I drove out to the Cyclery earlier this week to check out its e-stable.

“Think about it,” said owner Brent Carkeet. “How many flat roads do we have here in Tuolumne County?”

I knew the answer: None. The runways at Columbia Airport are about as close as we get. And I don’t want to be dodging Cessnas or Cal Fire bombers on a bike.

“And how many times have you ridden to Groveland and back on Wards Ferry Road over the past year?” Brent then asked.

“Once,” I said, recalling a March ride with my merciless cycling coach, Lynn Kemp. But it took me days to recover from that exhausting haul, and it was followed by vows to never, ever ride it again.

“But with an e-bike, rides like that become manageable,” said Brent. “You can enjoy the climbs, take in the scenery and still get some exercise.”

Some. Because here’s the bottom line: On an e-bike, a battery is doing much of the work.

OK, yeah, I’m probably starting to sound like the skeptical stagecoach driver when first confronted with Henry Ford’s Model T: “Forget it!” the grizzled driver thunders. “That noisy, new-fangled contraption will never last.”

Well, with electric bikes that moment has come and gone. Battery power is here to stay in the cycling world. “Half our sales are now e-bikes,” said Brent, who may have then seen my grimace.

Then he took me over to the store’s computer and showed me a picture of an e-bike he thought would be great for me: A Trek Domane SLR 6 Pro Carbon. Price: $7,449. (For some perspective, followers of Auto-Biography may remember that I bought a car for less than half that amount a few months ago.)

But then Brent played his trump card: “Well then, why don’t you take an e-bike out for a ride?”

Minutes later, I was aboard another Trek bike (an Alant 7S) in the Sonora Cyclery parking lot. I shoved off, started to pedal, and within seconds came to an uphill grade. Suddenly, the bike took over.

I rocketed up the incline without expending an extra breath. In no time I was at the top, with a huge grin on my face and adrenaline coursing through my veins. So I did it again. And again! It was a blast.

But was it really bicycling?

I called up my coach, Lynn Kemp, who rides about 10,000 miles a year. If she owns an e-bike, I figured, I’d get one, too.

“No, I don’t have an e-bike,” she scoffed. “But one of my riding partners has one, and it does help her keep up.”

When I pressed, Lynn hemmed, hawed and finally conceded she might get an e-bike “when I turn 90.”

So I promptly came up with my own compromise strategy: I might get an e-bike when I turn 80 — which is only about a year and a half away.

Chris Bateman worked as a reporter, editor and columnist at The Union Democrat for nearly 40 years. Now semi-retired, he still contributes columns on a variety of topics. Some of his past columns, including all previous chapters in his Auto-Biography series, can be found on The Union Democrat’s website at www.uniondemocrat.com. He can be reached at chrisbateman1908@gmail.com.

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