Social Distancing and Cycling

[scott43]

Soooo...3rd day of self-quarantine..weather is turning..up to 8C today... Are people doing social distancing while riding? Anyone getting out? Do you worry about being contagious and infecting a responder in the event of an injury?

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I'm sure hoping to get out soon, but we got 6" of snow yesterday and still have a couple inches of ice on the ground. I think the MTB trails here are at least 3 weeks from being ridable. Once it does get warm I'll be out on the road though.

 

[Crank]

Local chapters of NEMBA ended their group rides.

People still riding.

I have been on the trails once and will be out again soon.

 

[luliski]

I went out on one road ride.

 

[cantunamunch]

There's fewer drivers out but they are NOT being more considerate - watch yourself.

Normally busy twisty roads with blind corners or blind rollovers - avoid them even more now. Singleton speeders are everywhere, and they don't have other traffic to warn them of you being up ahead.

We're in a rain spell - trails are close to being peanut butter where they aren't already. I'm still in fendered road fixie mode. Eff cleaning drivetrains.

 

[wooglin]

Local roadie club has stopped supporting group rides. And everyone I see out there is either social distancing or the worst paceline rider ever.

Having said that, and having ridden through the dregs of many a snot rocket over the years, I'd be at least 30 ft behind anyone else on the road. Maybe more.

 

[coskigirl]

I wouldn’t do group rides but once I have time I’ll be out on both bikes.

 

[AmyPJ]

Our MTB trails can't dry out soon enough. I've ridden the MTB on the roads here (very rural) and around a waterski lake that is being dug because yaay, dirt! We did do one trail ride last weekend on some of the only dry trails in the whole SLC region. There were a lot more people out than I anticipated would be. Kept our distance, let faster riders pass immediately and gave them plenty of space to get ahead. Until more trails dry out, we'll be lying low and riding the pavement and maybe some fire roads. Considering that ski season usually lasts into mid-April, then we wait another 6 weeks or so to ride even a few of our trails, it's going to be a looong two+ months of waiting. Expecting 1-2 feet of snow even at valley level tonight. Normally, I'd be doing the happiest of happy dances. Instead, got some snowshoes, will go hike in the woods and enjoy what we have, including our health so far.

 

[skibob]

I'm in Northern California, so I've been riding roads and bike paths. But our city just closed all the parks yesterday and somebody told me this included banning bikes from the bike/walking paths even outside of the parks. This makes no frigging sense. Its hard to ride less than 6' from somebody unless you are trying (and I don't anyway).

 

[cantunamunch]

I'm in Northern California, so I've been riding roads and bike paths. But our city just closed all the parks yesterday and somebody told me this included banning bikes from the bike/walking paths even outside of the parks. This makes no frigging sense. Its hard to ride less than 6' from somebody unless you are trying (and I don't anyway).

Good thing you're not in Spain already or you'd be signing up for Zwift like everyone else.

 

[skibob]

Good thing you're not in Spain already or you'd be signing up for Zwift like everyone else.

I'm so grateful not to be in an apartment right now. We have a half acre (large by CA standards) with 5 very large (40-70') olive trees and a paved circular path. My son's first assignment from the new school (ie, my wife and I) was to calculate how many laps = 1 mile. We are all walking a mile every day. Good to get sun on your skin for Vit D every day too. Did anybody see the guy in France who ran a marathon on his balcony?

 

[Plai]

Road local Creek trail with my kids the other day. Left the house earlier than later (9ish) and returned by 1030 just to avoid people on the popular trail. Traffic on the trail was noticably heavier after 10a.

Whenever we stopped, it was well away from others.

We're staying away from the MTB trails. The local MTB clubs have been sending emails saying those trails are getting crowded and don't really meet social distancing guideline/intents. My guess is that it really refers to the parking lots, which can get crammed.

Next ride with the kids will probably be back surface roads through quiet neighborhoods. Many of the people on the trail were the usual situational unaware, and that's just dangerous for all involved.

 

[Jwrags]

I have been road riding a few times in the past week, mostly solo. When I have been with a buddy we keep our distance. I try to be more thoughtful than usual when blowing a snot rocket or coughing.

 

[cantunamunch]

I'm so grateful not to be in an apartment right now. We have a half acre (large by CA standards) with 5 very large (40-70') olive trees and a paved circular path.

Them's huge. Can you get to any of the immature fruit, say midsummer? There totally needs to be a slingshot lesson in there somewhere.

 

[Doug Briggs]

MTBing won't be on my radar for a while. There is still feet of snow on the trails and driving to dry ground is not my the table. Where and when I ride generally means seeing 5 or fewer people. Passing will be an issue, in either direction, due to the narrowness of most trails.

 

[Rich McP]

First road ride today. We're due for rain the next couple of days though. I'm not worried about infecting any first responders. I'm a careful rider who REALLY doesn't want to get busted up anyway, and now I have that much more reason to avoid a problem. Plus, based on my understanding of our situation, the odds that I (that's me, not a random person in general) am a carrier is very low. Even if I do get to meet my local EMS, I'm probably not a risk to them.

 

[skibob]

Them's huge. Can you get to any of the immature fruit, say midsummer? There totally needs to be a slingshot lesson in there somewhere.

LOL. Are you nuts? I have a 10 year old son and many windows on that side of the house!

Aside: Where we live used to be a huge commercial olive farm. Much of it was built up haphazardly for decades, but the last little bit was subdivided into 33 homesites and they meticulously preserved the trees. We believe its likely that our trees go back to the original plantings which we are told was the 1930s.

 

[Tom K.]

Riding darn near every day. Road, gravel, and some mtb (though we've been alternating between freeze/thaw and a bit too much rain).

Previously posted on the mtb side of things, but what the heck!

 

[Unpiste]

Having said that, and having ridden through the dregs of many a snot rocket over the years, I'd be at least 30 ft behind anyone else on the road. Maybe more.

Also, seriously, this is just rude under any circumstances (which hopefully means this statement is entirely unnecessary).

If you need to blow your nose (or spit, or whatever) and you're on a trail with other people, just stop and find a good spot off to the side. (And, please, contain your coughs / sneezes.)

 

[Crank]

Road ride yesterday just tooling around the local hood on my mtb.

Much less traffic on main roads. Tons of folks out walking, running, biking on side roads. Most keeping their social distance other than some groups of teens.

We drove out to a nature preserve on the shoreline of Long Island Sound for a walk last Sunday and the roads near the beach were full of walkers and bikers. Most not paying any attention to car traffic; cyclists riding 2 and 3 abreast; walkers walking with traffic rather than against it. Definitely not the usuals out.