BEC111

I’m a casual member of a casual group and have joined them on rides to the start of which I don’t have to drive my car. Though the group riding is fairly large, they do practice social distancing while riding and pull up masks if gathered at a traffic light or other stop. The riders are pretty spaced out.

The route they take is the one I ride almost every day, just longer with a different start points. I usually ride from home to the start, do the route and then head home when the group heads back and I pass my local MUP entrance.

Even with the group traffic is no greater than it is on any other day at the time of the ride. I usually wear a gator or a mask that I adjust for the situation. No traffic, no mask. Partial or full mask as needed.

I am and live in a community of seniors who are very conscientious re COVID-19. To my knowledge there have been no cases among the 500 or so people in the community. Lots of us are bicycle riders of varying experience, skill and so forth.

We have a small group who coordinate our rides so we’re not alone on the trails. Each of us rides as they feel comfortable, we help new riders with basic skills and fix each other’s flats. We wait for riders who are slower or with the potential of health issues. And chat occasionally, socially distanced and masked. Here in Northern Virginia bicycle riding is one of the few legal and appropriate ways to socially interact.

JanMM

Sorry to hear of your ordeal but glad you are on the mend.

Except for two rides with the tandem club - a mature (?) and cautious (?) bunch - I’ve ridden with no one except me or my spouse since February. Riding 10 - 20 miles just about every day weather permits, most of the time with my wife, me on a recumbent chasing her on her e-assist Trek.
Our local club has cancelled weekend rides this year and also the Hilly Hundred, our premier fee ride. Hard to guess what 2021 will hold for club cycling. Not to mention for the world. I would have gone bonkers by now if riding solo or with household members were not possible in these COVID times.
One resource our club offers members is a large catalog of the courses of past rides available for download as cue sheets, maps and files for GPS devices.

downhillmaster

According to a recent BF poll, a large % of BF posters are at or near COVID high risk age.
Sonething I always take into account when trying to figure out most posts

CommuteCommando

Unfortunately, behavior within 500 feet of high tide is no better than being in FL. I haven't ridden the coast in months, and probably will not for many months to come.

reverborama

I guess I'm lucky (?) in that the majority of my riding is solo, the rest being with my wife. I do a handful of big events in the summer but none this year. Since March I have ridden 3 times each with one other person that wasn't my wife.

I really was mystified, especially at the beginning of spring, seeing groups out riding. Even now it doesn't make sense. Do you have to know someone who gets really sick and/or dies before you take it seriously? Maybe because the social aspect of cycling for me is primarily on-line I don't miss riding with my group the way others do.

SpeedyBlueBiker

I haven't rode with a group since September 2019. Covid has really killed that plus the large group around here has basically cancelled all their rides or severely curtailed the number that can participate. I'm used to riding solo so that's what I do.

Hermes

Typically, I do not do group rides except for training sessions at the indoor velodrome with my coach. That facility is shut down. My wife and I have been riding a lot together and we avoid groups on the road and social distance at stops from other cyclists. I do not know how much risk there actually is riding in a group and it may be close to zero but out of an abundance of caution, we avoid other people. It sucks but it seems like a small price to pay considering the potential consequences.

FWIW, I were a face mask around my neck and put it on when off the bike and around other people. I tried cycling with the mast on at tempo power an it was sort of okay but I do not think that all the CO2 is cleared on exhale and as such I would rebreathe some of my own air - not great.

I see large groups on the road. What always strikes me is the “out of CDC guideline” behavior I see off the bike when the group stops - too close, no face coverings and etc. I drive and park to access some of the routes. I observe groups starting and or finishing their rides and the close contact, touching and other less than ideal behavior strikes me as a potential problem. And I get it. People want to socialize. I will say it again. It sucks.

Our local paper reports community outbreaks which means at least 3 people got Covid from the same activity. It is mostly bars, restaurants, work places, private parties. I have not seen a group ride reported. I would assume that the outdoor nature of the activity limits transmission.

For now, I am a hermit. I do not like it and I do not have to like just accept it.

caloso

We did a zoom happy hour with a friend couple on Saturday. They're both cyclists, and the husband asked me when he was going to see me on the River Ride again. That's our big Saturday morning race ride. It's what got me into racing actually. And I would usually go every week, but I haven't gone since March. I said "Not any time soon. Probably not until there's a vaccine." The wife said "Didn't you watch the Tour? They didn't have any issues."

Sure, if we lived in France, and I was in a bubble where I could be assured that everyone around me gets tested, I would be fine with going on group rides and doing mass start races. But we don't, so I'm mostly on Zwift, doing solo training, and our weekly TT with my son.

bikejrff

At least our local club delayed club rides until beginning of July. Now they post pictures of every ride; no social distancing & no masks when not riding while milling around parking lot, gas station, etc. I think they are stupid.

PaulRivers

This has to be a joke...yes, I have heard historically that the germans were good with tracing people and elimination via a now-defunct political party...but my understanding is we're trying to avoid doing that again...

MinnMan

Take it to P&R

rm -rf

I know a few riders that only ride solo. Solo road riding has it's own risks. One of them had a minor collision with a car. Only some road rash, he's lucky.

Riding with one other rider, side by side, seems quite safe. I try to notice the wind direction at stops, and try to keep the wind blowing across, not rider to rider. The few seconds to get separation if the riders need to single up isn't too risky.

I'll go with up to 6 or so riders that I know. No drafting. We often are quite spread out, more than 100 feet.