The Orbea Gain 2023 arrives at the Giro-E

Orbea will be part of the Giro-E, the electric bike version of the Giro d'Italia as a supplier to the Sara Assicurazioni team, which will use its road e-bike, the new Gain, launched just a few months ago and which will have its competitive test in this unique event on Italian roads.

The experience of the Corsa Rosa on an Orbea Gain

The Giro-E is undoubtedly one of the most innovative events in cycling today, offering, in parallel to the great Italian round, a competition of 20 stages of around 70 kilometres in which the participants must not only manage their strength in the best possible way, but also the batteries of their bikes in order to have enough energy to face the decisive stages of each day with the greatest possible help.

A race that includes the same finishes that we will see in the professional race, of course, with the spectacular climbs to summits such as Campo Imperatore, Crans Montana, Monte Bondone or the mythical finish at Tres Cimas de Lavaredo.

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In any case, it should be noted that the Giro-E is not a professional competition as such, but rather has the format of the Italian Gran Fondo, what we call here cyclo-tourist marches, which have a competition format there, although instead of being a completely free route, a series of timed sectors are established, which are what define the classification.

In the Giro-E there are the official teams that ride all the stages and compete for the general classification and there is also the possibility to register for individual stages.

All of this on bikes approved according to European regulations for e-bikes, i.e. motors with a maximum power output of 250 W and limited assistance at 25 km/h, conditions that the new Orbea Gain presented by the Mallabia-based brand in January meets, a renovation that further enhances the character of this model as a true road bike, with geometries similar to those of its competition models and a handling and sensations that differ little from these except for the obligatory extra weight of the bike.

In any case, the Mahle motor, located in the rear wheel hub, allows the bike to be set up cleanly and as unobtrusively as possible to achieve the most natural pedalling and to have the right assistance at all times depending on the power exerted by the rider.

These are qualities that the members of the Sara Assicurazioni team, one of the 17 official squads registered for the 2023 edition of the race, will be able to enjoy during the Giro-E, a competition that began in 2019, with Orbea supplying the bikes with its Gain.

In addition, the Giro-E is a perfect testing ground in which to push the Orbea Gain's qualities to the limit in a challenge that is not only physical, but also technological for the bikes, with stages that, between distance and hardness, squeeze the maximum capacity of the batteries and motors. The cyclist has to manage the remaining energy in the same way as he usually does with his own reserves, either by measuring his strength and each movement, choosing the most appropriate pace for each moment or cleverly playing with the different motor modes to know where and when to squeeze the available energy.