During my week of adventuring in the Czech Republic I had come to the realization that this was too good to be true. Why, in a week of rappelling, wakeboarding and mountain biking would I suddenly be given the luxury of a motorized bike that pushes me around and does all the work for me, without my assistance in peddling?
While an electric bike, aka e-bike does indeed contain a motor, it does not spare you the difficulties of peddling, but solely assists you in what could otherwise be a painful journey. Going uphill on a bike seemed like it would be painful. Especially when I realized that there was no actual motor on the bike, like a scooter. It was more of a motor that pulled you forward as you peddled. I’m not science-y, just accept that this bike had a mind of its own. After a quick lesson on how to make the e-bike go, we went uphill, the e-bikes lurching us forward as we got used to letting the bikes take control.
Heading into the Krkonose Mountains
We rode down the mountains, through the trees spread out enough to give each other enough space for the sunrays to push toward us. Occasionally, I stopped to take in the view, to enjoy every shade of green that surrounded me. Then, I sped down the hill, the fresh air blowing my helmet back.
After reaching the bottom, it felt good. I never knew that I would enjoy riding an e-bike. The power it gives you to go uphill is addictive, so much so that I got a little gear-happy and ended up breaking the chain. Don’t show off when riding your e-bike.
It wasn’t just riding an e-bike though, it was exploring the Krkonose mountains not as a photographer there to only enjoy the view, take some pictures and leave, but to really feel the air produced by the trees that sit on the mountains blow in my ears as I challenged myself to reach speeds that I was scared to reach. Up and down the mountain I went, and in the end, I was proud that I had taken on a new activity.
A walk on the pretty side
