This was our experience in the Giro pedaling for the Yamaha team

At the start, the excitement was the same as before a stage of the Giro d'Italia with a finish in Naples, but this time something was different. We were in the middle of the peloton and we were riding Yamaha's new eBike Wabash. This was our experience in the Giro-E 2023 pedaling for the Yamaha team.

What is the Giro-E and why is it generating so much interest?

For those who are still a bit confused, let's start with some context first. Yamaha Spain invited us to participate in the Giro-E 2023 pedaling for their team during stage 6 of the Giro with arrival in Naples and we went there to find out what the Giro-E was all about.

The Giro-E is a cycling event parallel to the Giro d'Italia that takes place a few hours before each day of the professional stage and along the same routes. The mileage of each stage is obviously less, for that reason the starting point is changed, but the finish and all the infrastructure of this Grand Tour is shared. But the main feature of this Giro-E, which every year sells out earlier, is that you must participate with a road-assisted bicycle.

Teams participate in which the components can change every day, except for the leader, and it is a perfect test for brands to give the opportunity to the media, workers and fans to get to know their products and live a unique experience.

The Giro-E has been held since 2021 and every year it generates more expectation and sells out registrations in a short time. It was from the start in Sorrento, in our case we lived stage 6 of the Giro-E between Sorrento and Naples, where we discovered why it has so much interest among fans.

And it really gives you the opportunity to live an experience very close to that lived by the professionals of the Giro. The presentation of teams and the signature control before the start already make you warm up and then, riding with closed traffic on the same roads that the leaders of the Giro will do shortly after, surrounded by all the vehicles of a Grand Tour already make you feel like a professional. In addition, let's not forget that the finish area is shared and in our case we were able to enjoy the town of Naples, one of those that best concentrates the Italian spirit and where the fans are more devoted to cycling.

We had to ride a "comfortable" stage without big climbs, the same one that Mads Pedersen would win hours later in a sprint, but that's exactly what the Giro-E wants. That the stages are affordable, not easy, and they get it with a lower mileage and make them on an assisted bike that ensures the effort of each rider to the finish line but saving the most agonizing moments that would have on a muscular bike.

As we say, we only had time to enjoy on the Yamaha Wabash RT configured for the occasion (below we leave you all the complete characteristics) and the attention of the Yamaha team that even surprised us with a special provisioning based on pizza a few kilometers from the finish line. What better way to finish in the city where the pizza was born.

Yamaha, a cycling brand

For those who still do not place Yamaha in all this cycling paradise, the Japanese manufacturer is in the common imagination associated with motorcycles, the truth is that it is a brand very committed to the sport and cycling. It is not for nothing that Yamaha is the official bike of the Grand Tours.

But Yamaha not only shares ideals and experiences with cycling, for years it has been developing technologies and engines for bicycles with pedal assistance, and in 1993 they launched their first electric bicycle. Now it is enough to enter its website to see that it has a fairly complete catalog of models for mountain, gravel and city.

A range of bicycles designed for the general public and to which we predict a very important role in the market in the coming months after seeing some of their latest releases under the SwitchOn umbrella. For the moment Yamaha does not want to focus on the more competitive eBike segment and its commitment to comfortable, powerful bikes with great autonomy seems very successful to reach the majority of electric bike users.

Yamaha Wabash RT, an e-gravel for cycling enjoyment

During our adventure in the Giro-E we were able to enjoy the advantages of the Yamaha Wabash RT, an eBike intended for gravel and bikepacking but with great capacity for asphalt routes, something in line with the current All-Road trend.

The geometry of its frame, made of aluminum, is clearly focused on the comfort and enjoyment of the rider, something that contributes to details such as the dropper post that comes standard or the handlebars with a wide opening. In our case, the Wabash RT was configured specifically for a road stage and the dropper post was replaced by a lighter one, as were the wheels and tyres.

What we were able to squeeze out was the powerful Yamaha PW-ST mid-motor together with its 500 Wh battery. A very quiet drive unit with a torque of 70 Nm that surprised us with its very natural pedaling and fast power delivery. Something that was easily comparable with the rest of the bikes in the peloton when the slope changed abruptly and the PW-ST motor helped you keep the pace while others dropped off or we overtook them.

Overall, we are left with the feeling of pedaling on a robust, powerful and comfortable eBike, very efficient both on the road and on easy trails. We could define it as one of those bikes easy to recommend for most riders looking for a versatile eBike.

Try one at a Yamaha dealer

Another of Yamaha's strengths is its extensive network of YEEC (Yamaha eBike Experience Centers) where anyone interested can visit Yamaha dealers to request a test ride, get more information or purchase the model of their choice directly.

On the official Yamaha website you can find further information and soon will be updated with new models, stay tuned.