Every now and again, a flicker of life shines through from a hidden corner of the cycling universe. This time, Diamondback Bicycles is the team that’s to be in the spotlight with a very modern e-bike.

A roostertail of dust sprouts out behind me as I bomb down a gravel road, speeding down a steep hill in the woods as fast as I possibly can go. And it is fast. I'm blazing. My gaze strays to a tree at ...