If you put aside the fear of riding in traffic (which is real and justified), you don't need much fitness to ride downtown. Often speeds are low and you get frequent breaks at lights. Ime, it is less effort than walking a similar route. Obviously, in some locations there are hill climbs that are pretty rough but ebikes (I mean pedelecs) are a great fit for those.This whole thing is a crap fest based on athletic people using the lanes in optimum conditions.