CoogansBluff

Just curious what your standard would be for returning. For those who haven't returned to group riding, or recently did, would getting a vaccine make you feel safe enough?

Group rides have resumed for some weeks here, although it appears participation is still down more than 50%.

base2 

I'll return to leading group rides when the club I associate with quits puting a limit on the number of riders that can show up. When they eliminate the mask requirement & the related hoops to jump through, maybe I'll be interested in donating some of my time for their cause.

Honestly, It's been a year and a month or 2 since group rides were cancelled. I don't even know what all the requirements & rule changes are anymore. I'm not sure I'm even interested enough to find out.

surak

When vaccinated, yeah. I have done some rides at casual pace with groups, masked, but no fast pacelining where I have to breathe hard. I suspect outdoor activities are very unlikely to lead to spreading and catching the disease, but I see no point in testing the odds when group riding is a fun but completely optional thing.

Rage

Group rides are coming back over here, as well. With limited numbers but the percentage/breakdown might be self-imposed. Not sure.
Still isolating until I can get the vaccine, though.

caloso

When I get vaccinated. The only persons I've ridden with in the last 12 months are my wife and kids. We've had some racing: local road and XC time trial series, plus some CX racing with CV-19 restrictions (limited fields, spaced starts, masks on except when racing). But I'm not going on any group rides till I get jabbed.

Eric F 

I've probably been riskier than I should have been. I've continued to do some smaller group rides (10-20 riders) that have included tight formation, spicy pace, and not very many people wearing masks, and well as more casual rides with 1-3 friends. I've stayed away from the larger groups. My logic probably isn't very sound, but this where I've felt comfortable. I don't generally wear a mask when I ride, but will put it on for refreshment stops.

DangerousDanR

The local group ride page has this still up:When the rides start up again I hope to rejoin the group. I expect to have been vaccinated by then, so that is not likely to be a big issue for me.

rubiksoval

I've done group rides off and on since last summer, though nothing over 12 riders. Winter is just about done so our group rides are picking back up again. Hasn't really been much concern, and we ride easy and hard and the like.

For this, I leave it up to each individual. If you want to ride with a group, go for it. If not, no worries, there, either. Being outside and constantly moving doesn't seem to pose much, if any, risk in my opinion. The MD that rides with us has stated as much as well, but choosing to ride in a group or not is such a nonissue that I don't think there should be much consternation about it.

CoogansBluff

Good responses. I got vaccinated 12 days ago, so I'm definitely giving it some thought. I miss the group rides for the variety. If I attend 1-2 group rides a week, it will be more fun, and I'll get in better shape.

Iride01 

Too much other stuff to speculate about. The right group in the right circumstances not an issue. I did an organized ride with about 500 participants last September or October. Masks required till after the ride began, at rest stops and after the ride. I and others kept our mask on till we got where we could thin out after the start.

I wouldn't be afraid of a group ride today either if they have safe practices. Particularly when off the bike before the ride and after. During the ride, just don't shoot off snot rockets. Otherwise, I feel that when at almost any speed you'd do on a bicycle, the breath of another gets dispersed quickly.

We've had two Grand Tours last year in the middle of COVID. And many other pro cycling tours and events since. I don't know of any pro cyclists getting COVID while on the bike. It's always been what they did before and after. Usually a lapse in judgement and not following sensible guidelines.

I did just get vaccinated though. So maybe I'm feeling a little less vulnerable.

shelbyfv

I got my 2nd shot this week so I plan to resume riding with my group in two more weeks. I'll probably still try to keep some distance, maybe not go for beer and pizza after. I think it's uncertain if the fully vaccinated can still infect others. I'll use caution until everyone has the opportunity to be vaccinated. I think that's enough, I'm not concerned about those who choose to avoid the vaccine.

caloso

I will say that I feel a lot more optimistic now that my parents, in-laws, and wife have all gotten their 2 shots. Still, if I've waited a year, I can wait another couple weeks or months.

Carbonfiberboy 

This weekend I'm restarting my 25 y.o. group ride series, which was suspended last February. It'll be 40 miles in the rain (sucks, but it's March), for vaccinated riders only. I have "Vaccinated" buttons to give to the riders if anyone shows up. My wife and I will be on the tandem. We'll be 2 weeks past our second shot.

We've been working out all winter to just be able to do 40 miles. Blech. Hopefully this will continue to blossom into a normal season. The big event rides here have been cancelled but we've been training as though they haven't.

msu2001la

I may be more conservative than others on this topic, but I'd say "when most/everyone else is vaccinated" I'll return to group rides, and even then I'll probably be very conscious of the number of people and only participate if it's relatively small.

Tommy_L

I've done a few group rides over COVID but I think outdoor activities where you're on the move are very low risk. Its the static component of meeting up with people that could pose a risk I guess. I'll be riding in groups regularly after a jab.

MoAlpha

Been riding all year with anyone who'll have me. If the risk outside and in the open were not very low, we would certainly know by now.

tomato coupe

Carbon fiber, of course.

colnago62

Classes are about to start again at the velodrome. Everyone will be wearing masks even while riding. It could be an over abundance of caution, though.

datlas 

I stopped all my group rides a year ago. Did only solo for a few months. Once it became clear outdoor spread was less likely I relaxed and started small group rides with a close circle of a few friends. I think it’s maybe still too soon to do big group rides but like most complicated issues in life there is no perfect answer.

MoAlpha

“Anyone who’ll have me” is still a smaller set than @datlas’s “circle of a few friends.”

guachi

I'm vaccinated (military and was in first 5%) but we have to maintain 6 feet separation if exercising. Not sure that can actually be done in a group ride but being vaccinated I'm sure that I'm not going to catch or transmit COVID on a group ride. If I weren't being ordered to I'd likely go on a group ride.

woodcraft

I'm not that worried about the risk from group rides, but my club has suspended them, & now out of the habit.

I did do one a couple of weeks ago, & it was fine, except for my not-great fitness level.

I heard a qualified expert say recently that you could be in a car with someone who had COVID and be pretty safe if you just cracked all the windows.

If that is true, then being in open air on bikes with presumably non-sick folks has got to be much more safe.

downhillmaster

Does one have to show proof of vaccination to get a button?
And if so, what then is the purpose of the button?
Good stuff.

canklecat

After I'm vaccinated... maybe.

I've taken the pandemic very seriously all along because I worked in health care and several friends are doctors, nurses, EMTs and med techs. There's no doubt about how serious this is.

Toward the end of 2020 I began to relax a bit and I'd join *one* casual group ride a month for most months from July 2020-Jan 2021. I usually wore a mask because it was a relaxed pace and I was often at the back of the group as sweep and traffic guard. I haven't done any fast roadie group rides since late 2019 when I first heard news of the pandemic. And probably won't again anyway.

But I quit doing even one casual group ride a month after January when a friend who's about 10 years younger (I'm 63) developed COVID and is suffering the "long haul" after effects. Despite being in his early 50s, he's one of the strongest local riders and owns many local KOMs. When we rode together he always had to ride a very relaxed pace -- for him -- otherwise I'd be dropped within a few miles. But now he can barely turn the cranks. I noticed recently he hadn't posted on Strava for a month -- he usually rides or does Zwift every day -- and messaged him. He's struggling.

If a guy that strong can suffer those ominous lingering after effects, I'm not taking any chances.

There's one small group of close friends I'll ride with. We're all pretty much on board with reasonable precautions.

But others I know, especially in faster road groups, still contain vehement pandemic denialists who refuse to acknowledge it's real and won't get the vaccine. And that's despite the deaths of some of their parents and grandparents from COVID. At least one is even a health care professional -- I will never understand those people denying the reality of the coronavirus. I will never ride with those folks again. I won't fuss at them on social media. I still give 'em kudos on Strava. They're okay people. I wish them well. But I won't ride in their plague rat spittle clouds again.

TBH, I probably won't miss the fast roadie groups. I've changed my goals to solo time trials anyway, and resumed running a few months ago which is already a mostly solo thing. It'll be awhile before I do even a "fun" 5k group run, though.

rivers

We're currently only allowed to ride in pairs in England (different rules for the rest of the UK), with group rides returning at the end of March. From then, if you're just a group of friends going out for a ride, it's limited to a group of 6. If it's a sanctioned club ride, apparently groups of up to 15 will be allowed. How anyone will be able to tell the difference between a sanctioned club ride and a group of friends just out for a ride is beyond me. My club will be resuming rides, but will be having smaller groups going out, and not the max of 15 riders. I will be joining the occasional club ride, but will form a group with my friends whom I've been riding with throughout the past year. I'm not worried about riding outside with my friends. It's a low risk environment. I am more at risk going to work every day, seeing as I work in a university and spend a lot of face to face time with groups of students.