Cycling in the time of Corona

Good how that article starts out by quoting the WHO saying masks should not be worn while exercising. I stopped reading.

Sure, she’s only an Oxford professor of primary care, famous for teaching how to critically approach scientific literature. No reason to read her thoughts whatsoever.

Had you read the article, or even the WHO's justification of that statement
(namely (a) wetness decreases efficacy, and (b) it MAY increase respiratory effort)
[both of which we have previously discussed on this forum at various points in the mask threads- with me and several others suggesting the inefficacy in the early days- to my chagrin]
you might reconsider your position.

Personally- as the Prof Greenhalgh says- its a location based assessment-
Road/off road riding- on your own out of town- no need- minimal interaction time/ none.
Towpath riding/ park riding/ running on a busy stretch- probably wear one, yeah.

Most likely yes.

Act like you have the virus.

(he says after not wearing his mask running last night)

Her job title is immaterial when her arguments are so thin.

Her first one is that... because hospitals are full? What?
The second one is that the new variant is 70% more transmissible, but 70% multiplied by negligible is still negligible.
Her last is literally that people should wear them for virtue signalling purposes. "Wear a mask because it would make us olds feel more comfortable" is possibly her strongest argument.

It's a load of old bollocks. Also it doesn't sound like she jogs or cycles herself, or knows or cares about anyone who does. People making up arbitrary "why can't you just ...?" rules for other groups while declaring them no hassle are the worst.

Thats good, thanks. I don’t have to read or change my behaviour.

She does run.

Perhaps the UK should follow France and require people who are jogging or cycling to wear masks if they are unable to maintain a physical distance from pedestrians.

This seems just the kind of vague advise our government would love to give.

Joggers are the worst at social disty

What if that report is total bullshit?
I suppose if it is, the downside is that I wear a mask for the 3 minutes of my run that I’m near people.

People are the worst at social disty

Ftfy.

People, what a bunch of bastards.

People, what a bunch of bastards.

48% apparently

Pulled up in drizzle outside the Trademens' entrance to mespilus Towers.
No, not consgned, (once gain), to the doghouse by mrs mespilus,
just easier to manhandle bikes into a safe zone by this route.

Unclipped, clicked on 'Stop' on the activity tracker
when a van pulls up behnd me and the driver winds down the window.
Hmm, am I about to get payback for having
euphemistically wished a myriad of badly driven vans
'Have a good day' over the years?

Switch off jaw-conducting headphones.
Turns out he's asking me about my rear bike light.
Turns out he cycles a bit himself
and he has never seen a rear light as good as my Exposure Tracer,
which I acquired after someone tipped the forum off to a deal.

Adrenaline subsides, I wander indoors and plug the tracer and the other 3 lights
in to recharge.

Thank you van driver: You're one of the good'uns.

Wed 19 Feb,
cycling this afternoon in London was glorious.
The clouds cleared and the Sun shone. Still chilly,
but the correct (layers of ) clothing kept me warm.

Must be like this, routinely, in Swiztzerland.

I haven't paid much attention to the slow relaxation of the rules. I assume they haven't direct addressed exercise and stay local and cycling.

Any idea when you can start riding as normal (more than 10 miles from home which is the arbitrary number I've applied to stay local)

I'm not bother about group sizes as I only ride on my own.

Any idea when you can start riding as normal (more than 10 miles from home which is the arbitrary number I've applied to stay local)

Probably 29 March

I assume they haven't direct addressed exercise and stay local and cycling.

They have and no arbitrary number needed, ride within your ability and circumstance, be self sufficient.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20200512-about-bc-news-British-Cycling-Updated-Coronavirus-Guidance-0

The good weather this weekend meant all the zwifters were out and about, unfortunately they seemed to have forgotten that it's still one other person for exercise.

Either that or there are a disproportionately high number of men in same sex polyamorous relationships in Devon.

On a more positive note, fantastic seeing actual families out riding together.

Given how busy the cyclepaths looked, it felt like if these people started riding on the roads that there might be a cataclysmic change in how the public view bikes.

People have been riding in big groups over here in the U.S. since... Well... They just never stopped.

I'll be fully vaccinated by March 22nd. Is it immoral to try and ride with someone else for the first time since February last year? Not sure. Very conflicted.

On a more positive note, fantastic seeing actual families out riding together.

My only issue with this is how oblivious some parents are about handling their offspring (or themselves). Caught a two-family group yesterday and the parents were all up front chatting leaving the 5 kids at the back swerving all over the place. I think it's great for the kids to be having fun, but at least one parent needs to be at the back and able to tell them to ride along one side for oncoming or passing riders. Likewise, some riders need to accept that you can't go past slower groups without slowing down; super common to see people clipping along sections of the cycle paths frequented by families at full speed.

TLDR; people need to be more considerate

people need to be more considerate

rofl

(FX: Hippy weaves along the cycle path, skulling cans of DIPA. He chucks the empties at passers-by, shouting 'CONSIDER THIS!')

Not sure what the issue would be?

Not sure if you've seen, but British Cycling clarified their advice after speaking with DCMS. They've replaced the "stay local/area of the city in which you live etc etc" part with the following:

"In his response, the Minister for Sport reiterated the importance of exercise for our physical and mental wellbeing, and stressed that riders should remain as local as possible while exercising and use their common sense to determine what is and is not a reasonable distance - reflecting the fact that each individual will have different personal circumstances.

As a result of this, our recommendation is that you should ride from your front door where possible, ride within your ability and ensure that you are self-sufficient. If you do need to travel for exercise, you should do this as close to home as possible. We all have our part to play in reducing the spread of the virus, and by riding responsibly and taking extra precautions (such as avoiding crowded areas) we’ll be helping to keep ourselves and our communities safe."

Full link here: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20200512-about-bc-news-British-Cycling-Updated-Coronavirus-Guidance-0

clarified

That's one way to put it