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Peter Sagan might be the current reigning world champion and one of the fastest men on two wheels, but there's a new challenger in town – his granny Joan.
In these two hilarious videos, Specialized is celebrating the third generation of its Turbo electric bike by pitting Sagan and Joan in a hill climb competition on the mean, and very steep streets, of San Francisco.
The video starts by showing the 81-year old Joan riding her way around the city, enjoying the benefits that electric bikes can offer – varying levels of riding assistance. That's until Sagan - for reasons unknown sitting in a tent in the woods - spots her claiming to be the greatest cyclist in the world and challenges her to the race.
What follows is a Rocky-esque training montage of Sagan, but is it enough? The video below holds the result:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJETokbfnNI
Mike Sinyard, founder and CEO og Specialized said: “We’re excited to introduce on the Tour de France this unusual product demo featuring two unlikely competitors. Will an electric bike help a Grandma beat the world’s fastest cyclist in an uphill, head-to-head race? Let’s see.”
Whilst many cyclists might turn their noses up at the idea of a motor on a bike, this video demonstrates one the very real benefits of an electric bike; allowing those who might not be able to ride a standard bike to still enjoy the benefits of cycling.
Though the video does make a joke, it also raises the serious point that many people could benefit from the assistance in their day-to-day lives allowing them to gain vital exercise and run their errands.
“Electric bikes are levelling the playing field for the future of cycling. This spot shows that even a Grandma could give the champ a run for his money. Now imagine what it could do for those who just want to move around in an even more efficient way?” said Rich Silverstein, co-chairman and founder at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, an avid biker himself.
Might we see Granny Joan find a spot on the Bora-Hansgrohe team? Only time will tell...
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