A rider rounds a corner on the annual California Coast Classic ride.
Pete “Cap’n” Staylor loved hoops – and rubbed elbows with some NBA players back in his playing days. But the more he played, the more his knees hurt, until, like many ballers, he had to hang up his high-tops as eventually, the onset of arthritis made playing impossible.
Doctors told him he’d better prepare for long seasons watching basketball from his couch, not mixing it up on the court. It was a devastating diagnosis for the highly active Staylor, brought on by arthritis, the crippling degenerative disease typically associated with old age, but Staylor was only in his late 40s, and wasn’t ready to ride the bench of life. But just as the world entered a new millennium, Staylor found a doctor that recognized his zest for life and with a series of injections to help him regain some mobility. Then, he discovered a new passion: bicycling.
With cycling less painful on his arthritic knees, Staylor decided to try and tackle a daunting ride: The California Coast Classic, a 500-ish mile, eight-day camp-and-ride event down the scenic California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles on Highway 1 to raise funds to help find more effective treatments and hopefully a cure for arthritis. Pharmaceutical company Amgen is a key supporter of the ride. Funds raised by the ride go towards arthritis research as well as scholarships for young persons suffering from arthritis and other assistance for arthritis sufferers.
Passion renewed, Staylor hit the gym to get into shape for the ride, and borrowed a Trek race bike to complete the ride. At the ride’s end, he told anyone who would listen that he’d never do it again. “I just didn’t get into good enough shape,” he said.
Steve Staylor and his ebike..
Famous last words: 2023 will be his 20th year riding in California Coast Classic. He stayed connected to the ride and fundraiser both as a rider and a volunteer, but by 2014 the arthritis in his knees made riding – and walking – almost impossible, so he had them both replaced at the same time. However, one knee didn’t quite take and he injured it on another long charity ride in 2015. His doctors told him he could only ride in the flat, but that wouldn’t cut it for Staylor, so he sold his bikes and gear while maintaining his volunteer work with the CCC.
Then, he heard about an event at a local bike shop where he could try out a new kind of bicycle called an “ebike.” “Oh my God,” Staylor told Forbes.com, “what a game changer. I’m riding again! I’m happy!”
Today, Staylor’s still in the saddle riding in the CCC once again on a Class III ebike that also includes a thumb throttle. Hills he used to struggle on now bring joy. “I had to keep from laughing,” Staylor said of one particularly difficult ascent on the ride that he was able to conquer on his ebike. A typical ride day on the CCC is under 90 miles, according to an event spokesperson. Along the CCC route, there is support for charging batteries since most will run out of power after about 50 miles, and Staylor has a system of charging and swapping out the bike batteries along the route.
Staylor at the California Coast Classic event on his Haibike ebike.
Ebikes “have really got me active again,” Staylor says, noting that even with the electrical assist, he’s still getting an intense workout while riding, but without the knee pain. “There’s nothing cheating about it,” he says of those who might cast aspersions on using an ebike, “and it’s got me riding again.”
Staylor said his experience has brought out others to join him on the CCC, including the doctor who helped him with injections before he had his knees replaced. Staylor said that he asked the doctor to come join him eery year, and after 18 years of “no,” the physician finally joined him on the ride in 2021 – and on an ebike. He’ll be joining Staylor’s CCC team again this year. Staylor says several team members will be on ebikes.
The California Coast Classic follows Highway 1 for eight days.
But he’s also run into pushback against ebikes at other ride events due to several factors, including the weight of the bikes if they need to go up onto a rack. He even reached out to one ride director to get dispensation to ride his ebike – and received it. But on the CCC ride, ebikes are welcome and logistics are in place for charging and bike transport as needed.
According to CCC representatives, because the ride is focused on raising funds for arthritis research, approximately 30% of the riders in the CCC suffer from some form of arthritis, and for many, an ebike enables them to both participate in and complete the 8-day journey. Each rider is responsible for raising funds, as is common with these types of events, and the ride is limited to 250 participants. The ride takes place each fall along Highway 1 through Big Sur on the scenic California coast. Register here.