Interesting article in one of my subscriptions...about how ebikes have made a difference in the lives of cyclists (like me) who are past their *best before date* on 2 wheels lol.
One of the guys has afib, so thought I'd share;
"The benefits of riding an electric bike also rang true in our chat with Brian Frith, a South Yorkshire-born Jersey resident of 74 whose passion for cycling, in particular for cycling with his tight group of riding friends, has been dented somewhat following a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF). It’s a heart condition that causes an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate.
While he still rides his non-powered Parlee road bike for solo rides when he can ride at his own speed, his 2020 purchase of the carbon Specialized Creo SL Expert e-road bike has been his saviour for the continuation of his cherished group rides.
“We have got such a lovely group of cyclists,” says Brian.
“Only a few of them have been in a club before, and most have started cycling somewhat later in life, just as I did. The guy who leads our rides, he’s the slowest in the group but he’s got the most extraordinary knowledge of Jersey lanes. We have 700 miles of road here in Jersey and we seem to find new ones on every ride.
“While the clubs here will stick to the bigger roads, we wander around the countryside, but always on the hills. And it was the hills where I was getting into bother with the AF, which is why I got the ebike.”
Though the bike hasn’t fixed his health problem (he says an operation called an ablation could do that), the bike can dig him out of a hole when his AF flares up.
“It kicks in without warning,” he says. “I can have rides where it’s absolutely fine and the AF starts and I suddenly lose all power. It manifests, usually, with the first hill I come to.
“Everyone else disappears into the distance, but I lose all power. I feel lethargic, without energy. It’s startling, the loss of power in my legs. The top valve and bottom valve of the heart are out of rhythm and it can send my heart rate as low as 39 or as high as 200; when at rest it’s 60.”
Brian is looking forward to a solution to his AF, at which point he’ll see even more benefit from the Creo.
“I live on the east of the island. We can ride for 20 miles to La Corbière on the west, stop and have coffee before we head into the hills and I’ll be sitting there thinking, ‘Ooh, this [AF] feels dodgy.’ I have an Apple Watch and in the last 18 months it’s had the capability to measure AF.”
“It can tell me I’m positive, though I can usually feel it if I am. So instead of going with the group into the hills, I can instead use the power on the bike to get home without overstressing things.”
“Were I on the Parlee, I’ve got an hour’s ride home that’s going to be quite tough, but with the bike’s motor it means I don’t make the problem worse.”