RCS Sport, owners of the Giro d’Italia, have launched a new Giro E edition of the race that will see five teams of two riders each undertake the 18 Italian stages of the race on Pinarello Nytro e-bikes.
The race will begin in Sicily on Tuesday 8 May when Giro resumes with Stage 4 from Catania to Caltagirone following the Big Start in Israel.
It will end in Rome on Sunday 27 May, with the riders participating in the Giro E riding the same route as that of the Giro d’Italia ahead of those competing in the UCI WorldTour race.
The Giro E is partnered by Enel, TAG Heuer and Pinarello, which will supply the Nytro ‘eRoad’ bikes used in the race.
> Pinarello unveil Nytro electric road bike
The new race was announced yesterday as Rome hosted its first ever Formula E race for electric cars.
To promote the Giro E, Team Sky’s Gianni Moscon, riding a Pinarello Nytro, and former Formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella , in a Formula E car, took to the circuit to promote the new race.
There’s no word yet on the identity of the teams or riders who will be taking part in the Giro E.
Interest in e-bike racing has been building for a while, however, and the European Cycling Union (UEC) has said that it would add professional e-road and e-mountain bike races to its calendar for 2019.
> Apparently professional e-bike racing is going to be a thing now
In February, the UCI said that it was speaking to national federations and other parties in the industry about creating regulations to govern e-mountain bike racing.
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9 comments
If these bikes are still limited to 25km/h the only place the motor will be helpful to a pro will be up the (steeper) hills - or to preserve energy on the less steep hills. I have no problem with the concept of e-bike racing but I can see the outcome being a sprint finish every stage as the hills will have less impact.
This looks interesting. The Formula E part moreso than the E bike stuff.
Let me get this straight, cycling is fuelled by person power with no emissions and now we're supposed to increase emissions by using powered bikes. Seems somewhat illogical.
no, you're not supposed to do anything. You don't have to use them. It's not as if suddenly everyone with a bike has to start using these, or the TdF etc are all insisting on e-bikes. Why does anyone give a shit if someone wants to hold a race over the same course at a different time using different vehicles? If it were steam-powered pogo sticks nobody would be getting hot under the collar, would they?
The GIro seems to be leading the way in pioneering dumb ideas - first the start in the Middle East, now this inanity.
I agree, it's about selling "E-bikes" (mopeds) and catering to the lowest common denominator.
And as I always say: e-bikes suck.
I’m quite sure April 1st was about two weeks ago? Did I miss something?
It's not about sport, it's about selling ebikes.
I'm all for them to allow those less able to do more or keep up with their mates but not sure about this at all.
Just not getting this e racing business at all. If everyone has the same bike, power is still essentially all in the riders legs. Unless you basically haven't got enough battery power to do the entire race and batteries must be used strategically, what is the point? The best rider would win with batteries or without.
You know how in Formula 1 (or Formula E), everyone has access to basically the same technology, aerodynamics, engines etc. In fact they put in regulations to make sure that no-one has a bigger fuel tank or a more powerful engine or wider tyres...
It all comes down to tactics, strategy, pit stops and driving skill.
Same here. No good just sticking it onto max power, you'd be out of battery in 60 miles. It's just an extra element of strategy within the game of bike racing. And if that tech trickles down into commuter bikes then it's all good. Let them get on with it, you don't have to watch it!