I'd ridden almost a thousand miles over the summer on an e-bike, mostly commuting. With fall weather closing in, I took the opportunity to test my fitness level out on an extended ride. I have fond memories of riding out to the Buena Vista ferry with Neil, and had mapped out a loop that was within the capacity of my battery if I rode conservatively (and contributed some wattage).
Relive 'Buena Vista Loop'
There were lots of cute Halloween displays at the farm houses in the area. There was only one farm dog to keep an eye on, thankfully behind a fence. I did get quite a scare by a red-tailed squirrel making a surprise run at me before veering off. That bushy tail in the blur of peripheral vision makes it look like a much bigger animal! There was also a small bushy gerbil-size rodent along the road I stopped to check on. He did not look too healthy, but when I reached down to share a pretzel with him, he high-tailed it with remarkable vigor. I left the pretzel as a peace offering and hopefully he came back for it.
I've been using an app call Komoot to plan and track trips. I can then use the generated data and photo(s) to create the video at the top. Technology has come quite a ways.
The ride took a little more than 2.5 hours with rest stops at the ferry, the bridge, and Hill Top Cemetery. It clocked in at 38 miles and took 540 Wh (according to my Kill-a-Watt meter). This is ball-park to the stated 40 mile range and 500 Wh capacity of the battery. I don't think I could trust my luck much farther since pedaling a 50 pound bike without any help is quite a chore (ask me how I know).
My legs were sore the following day, but a good sore. I am very curious how I would do on a regular bike at this point, and reckon a 20 mile pedal-only trip would be roughly equivalent. Might be time to dust off the now thirty year old Trek and find out.
