Two bicyclists from Muskego became the first e-bike riders to complete the annual Ride Across Wisconsin event last weekend, according to Wisconsin Bike Fed.
Out of a field of 700 participants, nearly all on regular bicycles, Andrew Drefahl and Emily Carman rode 235 miles from La Crosse to Milwaukee on their Harley-Davidson Serial 1 electric bikes, not motorcycles, in less than 18 hours.
They averaged about 17 miles per hour when they weren’t stopped for breaks, an overnight stay, and swapping out batteries.
At times they passed elite cyclists, on road racing bikes, with their Serial 1s that provide electric assist up to nearly 30 mph.
“There was a really steep climb where everybody was in their lowest gear, pumping hard just to stay vertical, and we passed them at like 10 miles per hour,” Drefahl said.
Still, he and Carman got a good workout. Their e-bikes provide “pedal assist” but don’t do all the work.
On the lowest-assist mode, the bikes can go more than 100 miles on a battery charge. On higher-assist levels, it’s much less.
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The couple exchanged run-down batteries for fresh ones at planned stops staffed by Wheel & Sprocket bike stores and Wisconsin Bike Fed. That way they didn’t have to carry spare batteries on bikes that already weighed 59 pounds, and it kept them moving along the route.
“Without that support, we would have had to do all the charging ourselves,” Drefahl said.
There were wet, slippery bridges that caused even some experienced cyclists to fall. But the e-bikes’ wide tires handled the bridges and gravel trails well.
Unlike regular bikes, you don’t shift gears on the Serial 1s. There are four modes of pedal assist, and the electric motor kicks in to help maintain the rider’s desired cadence regardless of the terrain or riding into a headwind.
“You just pedal as hard as you want. It’s very intuitive and natural,” Drefahl said.
Serial 1 is an electric bicycle company spun out of Harley-Davidson, the world’s largest manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles. In May, Serial 1 revealed its second-generation e-bikes equipped with Google Cloud software capturing ride data, and for anti-theft purposes, has the ability to track, monitor and digitally lock a bike.
In June, Serial 1 launched an off-road bike with adjustable front suspension.
“The vast majority of our world is unpaved,” Aaron Frank, the company’s brand director, said in a statement. “Fire roads, Jeep trails, single-track paths, terrain parks, ski hills, state forests; there are so many great destinations to explore on two wheels.”
Drefahl said he and Carman, a married couple, would definitely do Ride Across Wisconsin again on their e-bikes. Two other e-bikers completed part of the course.
He said a few of the fast riders, on regular bicycles, teased them about having pedal assist but that overall people were just curious and accepting.
The ride motivated them to get back on their nonmotorized bicycles as well.
“It was so invigorating to be reintroduced to this sport in this crowd. It was great just being on two wheels and feeling the wind in your hair,” Drefahl said.