Yamaha sponsoring RideSB100 race with an e-bike class — ready to go 100 miles?

The Ride Santa Barbara 100 (RideSB100) is a world-class cycling race presented each fall. This year Yamaha has partnered with RideSB100 to create the first-ever electric bicycle class in the beautiful, sprawling California race.

RideSB100 race gets an electric bicycle class

The RideSB100 is mostly known for its 100-mile scenic route along the California coast and up through some grueling, mountainous climbs. But if you’d like to experience the race without putting in quite as many miles, there are other options as well:

• 100-mile: An advanced ride featuring the Gibraltar Challenge, a grueling 3,000-foot climb in just 7-miles.
• 100-km + Gibraltar: For experienced riders who want to tackle the famous Gibraltar Challenge.
• 100-km: A friendly intermediate cycling experience featuring scenic coastal and mountain roads.
• 34-mile: A fun and scenic course for casual riders and weekend warriors.

While the event has normally been for acoustic bikes only, this year electric bikes will get their own class. That’s thanks to a new partnership with Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles.

According to RideSB100 Director Jamie Monroe:

“We’re excited to introduce this all-new class and invite e-Bike riders to join our community and enjoy the beautiful cycling and scenery of Santa Barbara. Yamaha is the global leader in e-Bikes, and this partnership will help us develop this new class while improving the event for all of our riders thanks to their enthusiasm for cycling and unmatched experience in e-Bikes.”

To enter in the e-bike division, you’ll need a Class 1 e-bike. That means pedal-assist only, folks. Sorry, you’ll have to leave your 45 mph (72 km/h) throttle-controlled e-bike at home for this one.

You don’t have to use a Yamaha bike, though they do make some pretty great options. I had a blast trying out the Yamaha Wabash electric gravel bike earlier this year (see the video below).

But Yamaha has a number of other varieties of e-bikes in their lineup as well, from mountain bikes to road bikes. I’m guessing you’ll want something along the lines of the latter for the RideSB100 race.