Coronavirus – Advice on Riding Alone

Government advice to everyone (I am sure you are aware, but quoted below for clarity) is that you should “stay at home”.

Going away from home is an exception. “You should only leave the house for very limited purposes” which includes “one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household”. 

And “even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household”.

Following this CUK has updated its advice to members which can be read here.

Cyclists riding alone are more vulnerable than in a group should problems arise (punctures, mechanicals, falls).  And potentially they may have to call on others to help, including the NHS. Accordingly, CUK have emailed further advice which is quoted below.

“Our advice is to go out for long enough to keep yourself in good shape physically and emotionally, but avoid doing very long rides. We suggest people ride a loop close to home rather than a long out-and-back route, so that in case of a mechanical they can walk home unaided. Try to avoid areas you know are likely to be busy, to make it easier to maintain social distancing of at least two metres from other people. Ride within your limits to reduce the risk of requiring anyone to come to your aid and impacting on stretched resources.”

I can see from the blogs that a number of us have done some lovely rides. But please remember that there has been a lot of negative comment, not necessarily directed at cyclists, and not necessarily well informed, about people abusing the restrictions. So be mindful of how your actions may be interpreted by others, not least in blog posts which can be seen (and possibly misunderstood) by others.

Above all, remember the advice is intended to protect us all and the NHS, and hopefully shorten the time before we are able to go out without restriction. 

Stay Well.

Author: Dave Vine

5 Comments:

Geoff Gregory 28 March 2020 at 16:00 GMT

Message received and understood, I do have a get you home backup in place before I leave home, was thinking I would curtail rides but Christine insists I keep healthy, God bless her !!!!

Simon L 28 March 2020 at 16:04 GMT

Message received, with regret. I will be riding closer to home from now, and looking forward to forthcoming group rides even more than ever.

Janice 28 March 2020 at 17:33 GMT

Yes me too....

Brian 28 March 2020 at 18:24 GMT

Mmm. Yes, I agree that a backup plan to get home is good. However I also note that the Centre for PeriOperative Care says that it is very important to stay fit and healthy. Specifically good nutrition, not too much alcohol and BRISK EXCERCISE! This is even more important for those in a high risk group ( EG: over 70) as it reduces the chances of ending up in intensive care and thus benefits the wider public and NHS as well as the doer. So also does a good dose of Vitamin D ( from sunshine) as it boosts the immune system.

Compared with shopping it seems to me that cycling solo is very safe and meets all the above and with care the 2m rule is easily achieved. Usually only messed up by some fit 30 year old overtaking at arms length and shouting out a friendly "Good Morning" as they do so. I think British Cycling need to have a word with their fraternity - some near Box Hill this morning were certainly not solo.

So there is a balance to be struck. Make sure you have a backup plan but continue to do enough to keep fit. At least a long walk home is possible with SPD cleats but the advice from Cheryl is to ensure that I can get somewhere that she knows well enough to pick me up if necessary.

mike morley 29 March 2020 at 11:23 BST

David, thank you for this prompt! While I applaud Janice for her amazing ride on Wednesday, I guess that she too feels admonished, what a shame Janice you will now have to self isolate for 12 weeks to make up for it! As for me I do go for a circular ride self isolating on tracks around the N.Downs at Epsom, usually hardly seeing a soul, apart from that under my shoe! I have some sympathy with Brian's comment. I took my fixi to bikes for us to be converted to a lower free wheel gear and saw loads of BCF types roaring along in close proximity over box hill! Was my journey really necessary, you have every right to ask but I am trying to strike a balance. There was only one customer in the shop and I like to support a shop that has supported me over the years! They have to my mind one of the best bike mechanics in the area called Andy he is brilliant! That's all for now, stay safe keep your distance and keep moderately fit as best you can!