E-bike Grumbles Echo In The Bavarian Alps

Lenggries, Germany, Sept 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Sep, 2019 ) :Robert Werner and his wife Ursula usually make time to say a friendly hello to hikers as they ride their gently whirring e-bikes up trails in the Bavarian Alps.

But more often than not, their greetings are met with frowns.

"The first thing they look at when they see us are our bikes," says hotelier Robert, 46, of his electric-powered bicycle.

"If we have an engine, they respect us less." While the Werners are convinced of the virtues of e-bikes which have pedals but also an electric motor that can assist the rider's pedal power, others are less enthusiastic about the new revolution in cycling.

On their e-bikes, the couple powers up the 800-metre (2,600-foot) ascent to the summit of Herzogstand mountain in half an hour -- without breaking a sweat.

Many purists believe exploits into nature should be powered by muesli bars, not the electricity grid, and regard the assisted cycling boom as another hi-tech intrusion into the great outdoors.

The presence of e-bikes on Alpine trails and mountain paths has become a subject of controversy.

Complaints by hikers have appeared in the German media often accusing e-bike enthusiasts of whizzing up and down the paths, posing a risk of collision, while others point to environmental concerns.

"Electric bicycles allow more people to access the paths," including those that previously saw little use, said Friedl Kroenauer, 59, of environmental group BUND Naturschutz.