eja_ bottecchia

california, and the Southwest for that matter, will probably never experience a shortage of farm workers. Even in the mids of this crisis, fields are still being managed.

gsteinb

Cypress

Just another month to get miles in the legs.

furiousferret

I wouldn't hold your breath on that. The bigger issue isn't them allowing events to happen, but attendance. This isn't just cycling. Many have said they won't attend sporting events, movies, restaurants, etc until there's a vaccine.
Most events have to hit certain numbers to break even.

It sucks man, I was supposed to be a Cat 3 this year, this was supposed to be the year I sank or swim in real masters races. I think all our plans are on hold.

Cypress

Maaan. I’m going to have to back out of this thread.

It seems like a lot of you are suggesting that we all just give up hope and stop riding or planning on racing this year. I’m not that way. I have hope. I’m still working 40 hours a week, I ignore the sensationalized media outlets (all of them) that are screaming/yearning for the End of Days, and I ride my bike to put a smile on my face. Having the structure of a workout plan seems to be the only sense of control that I have outside of work, so I’m not giving that up. I don’t know how you guys can have the outlooks that I’m seeing in this thread and not want to neck yourselves on a daily basis.

I’m reading between the lines on what’s getting reported. I see Oregon’s number continue to climb by the hundreds every day, while the number of people testing positive can be counted one ONE HAND, literally. The numbers don’t add up (by a LOT), and politicians are admitting that they are allowing spurious data to boost COVID numbers. We are being lied to in such an obvious way, and anyone that has shown the proof has been shut down by the powers that be.

I have several nurse/doctor friends in different states that are being laid off because there aren’t any elective procedures happening and fewer people are running around getting hurt. The ER’s are the only people working because people with seasonal allergies think they have the virus.

I’m not open to other viewpoints on this, so if you want to quote me or argue, I won’t reply or entertain.

All I can do is play along until Big Brother tells me to give up something I’m unwilling to live without. Lord help me (and them) if that day ever comes.

gsteinb

Your lens is way too narrow. NYC and the northeast to a lesser extent is melting down. Until that's under control, and other areas aren't peaking nothing is going to happen. The only other way around that is shutting those places down and forcing the people to stay put. That's not apt to happen.

You're not racing when a few thousand people a day are dying.

The grass is green in your backyard? Cool for you. Don't boast about it, because it's not like that here.

bobwysiwyg

I've seen some interviews recently with doctors "in the fight" and they were in agreement that the current tests produce approximately 30% false negatives! If true, they are practically useless considering what's at stake.

hubcyclist

Indeed, I can attest in the Boston area things are bad. My wife works in education in a school in one of the tougher hit cities directly outside of Boston (which also happens to be majority Latino population) and she gets notified of every diagnosis involving her students' families (as well as hospitalizations among them). It's the most densely populated town in the state and folks are working class, so they don't get the luxury I do of working at home full time. My parents live about an hour south of me and told me that a married couple they knew passed away within a day of each other because they caught the virus from a visiting home worker. I am generally not a sky is falling type of person, but stuff is real at the moment.

wktmeow

Well thank you for that, at least.

I love bike racing and all, but if not doing so will keep even 1 person from dying needlessly, cancel my **** for the whole decade fam.

Cypress

I don’t think you understand what I wrote.

I have hope. You aren’t going to take that away from me, nor should you even try.

procrit

I’m going to advocate that we all just stay home indefinitely and not see anyone ever again. That would limit not just covid19 transmission, but all communicable diseases, and save tons of lives! Freedom and liberty is overrated. /sarcasm

gsteinb

I think this could serve as a solid summary of what you wrote. The rest of us are saying that in the context of what's going on bicycling isn't that important to us.

gsteinb

it's kind of old news, and I think exactly what I wrote.

new tests are coming, but until there's extensive testing or a vaccine not much is going to happen is our society.

Doge

You may be aware of the two suicides in 3 days at the USAFA. There was recently a vigil for them and someone took these photos. About 900 are out there - including some pretty good cyclists.
They graduate Sat, and first 80 in the Space Force - really elite group (not my kid).

Psimet2001 

Like I posted a while back - my wife's hospital stopped tested except for people being actively admitted and/or staff who have known exposure. Scores of patients have been "seen" and told they may have it and to be sent home to weather it out.

That in and of itself means we are grossly under-reporting the number of actual cases. Ergo - there isn't a single number associate with this that I think is even remotely correct save the deaths. It's very real. Sorry. Looking better here though so there is hope.

I have no expectation that we will race at all until Late July or August ...if at all. We have some emails going around behind the scenes that would be seriously depressing to anyone who still expects to race at all this year. Sorry.

Psimet2001 

I gotta be honest - we officially cancelled our crit when the last announcement was made public. I was actually kind of happy. I am seeing that in a lot of promoters. With numbers being what they have been for so long and only a handful of us actively still putting everything on... we are worn out. This is a well needed break for many of us. Let's hope that translates into renewed enthusiasm when we are allowed to get back to it.

topflightpro

My wife and I yesterday were discussing racing this year. We've heard rumors that a lot of the road season isn't going to be canceled, just pushed back. So, road season would be in October, Cross in January to March. Things like that.

But I'm not sure that's even possible, at least at the big level. I've been targeting Masters Track Nationals at T-Town this year, and realistically, that event could be pushed back into the fall and moved to LA, where it's indoors. But who will do that? USAC has furloughed about half its staff. Several people I know left and went to work for other organizations before that. I'm not sure they currently have the resources or capability to reschedule so many events. And even if they could, do they still have the manpower to put those events on? Can they recruit enough officials capable of rearranging their schedules for new dates? Most of the officials I know work full time jobs and officiate on the side.

The farther we get into this, the less optimistic I feel about any racing this year. I kind of agree with Psimet, that I wish they would just go ahead and call it. I know it's not what anyone wants, but it would at least offer a concrete decision, as opposed to sitting here waiting to find out.

Psimet2001 

Almost all of our local races have just outright cancelled. The large series like ToAD and the Intelligentsia Cup are trying to figure out what they are going to do. Gravel events seem to be rescheduling for August, Sept and October - cross season. Early cross races are already talking of cancelling because of that. The cross national championships won't be moved I don't believe. it's scheduled for December here in Chicago. If anything there won't be much to any of a season as lead up to it but it will still most likely happen.

kensuf

I think when this is all over there will be a renewed enthusiasm towards life in general. But beyond the pandemic, we're going to have a lot of people that will need to dig out of a huge economic hole left from being unemployed for god knows how long, so it's going to be awhile before we're out of this.

furiousferret

I have to quit Facebook. Some of the conspiracy theorists on there are nuts and going down their rabbit hole of links it amazes me how many people think this whole thing is fake or a conspiracy. Also, are forced vaccinations really all that bad right now?

Thanks for confirming what I thought (well, backed by polling data) and not making me out to be the bad guy...Right now you're probably thinking, 'what's he talking about?'

gsteinb

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Psimet2001 

Looks like cross may be coming into question now as well. At least early season cross.

furiousferret

I think I triggered my buddy Cypress with my earlier comment

gsteinb

Meh. I don't even think there's going to be pro racing, or pro sports, so a bunch of wannabes chasing each other around in spandex is going to be a pretty low societal priority. I mean, think about it, it's basically the most despised sport going. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. I'm not holding a vigil over though. Granted I got my license in '90 so the sport doesn't owe me anything at this point.

gsteinb

So canceling all of road and then the first part of cross season too?