Cycling UK Forum

gxaustin wrote:If they are worried by ambulances being required at accidents on the roads then maybe they should ban cars!

They should. But the Mayor of London has now suspended all charges - ULEZ and Congestion Charge - for everyone

Marcus Aurelius wrote:It’s coming. Probably within a week. The Government have deliberately left cycling out of their list of ‘approved physical activities’ because of the risk of getting flattened by cretins in vehicles, and detracting from the stretched NHS.

No that's not it. They're just incompetent and left cycling out. Plenty of pedestrians get flattened by the cretins

I have a friend who lives in Spain and he explained to me what is happening there.

I you are an essential worker going to work, or you are going to the shops or pharmacy, you can walk, run, cycle, motorbike, or drive to your destination. All other forms of outside activity are banned - including going to the beach on your own for a swim in the sea. If you have a dog you can go out to walk it. Apart from that you are not allowed to leave your home on foot, by bicycle or car.

Cycling UK have now advised against riding with anyone - even if you keep your distance - unless they live in the same household as you and are not unwell. They define a group as "two or more people". So officially I cannot organise a ride with a couple of friends even if we maintain a distance.

I can go shopping - a relatively high risk activity - for my neighbour (something I did today) but as a ride co-ordinator for my club I cannot help people to organise "buddy rides" with each other. As an asthma sufferer aged 58 the only high risk activity I do is to go shopping. I am well aware of the dangers of catching the virus. But I am also well aware of the benefits of cycling, meeting friends and keeping a distance.

Q: Can I ride with my friend if we don’t live in the same household?
A: No, you should not ride with a friend if you don’t live in the same household as either of you may be infected, although may not be showing symptoms. It would be wise (although frustrating) to stay at home and use a turbo trainer or exercise bike if you have one, instead of going out, even if you feel well.

Q: Is it OK to go for a ride with my kids?
KH: Yes, if you are all well and not self-isolating because of symptoms of a cough or fever then you are not a risk to others.

It's therefore safe to go for a ride with the usual hygiene precautions outlined above. https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/coronavirus-qa-it-safe-cycle

Cycling UK should be doing something like this.

British Cycling Chief Executive, Julie Harrington, has today written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock to encourage the Government to add cycling to its recommended activities during the current coronavirus outbreak.

The current Government advice on social distancing states that you can “walk outdoors if you stay more than 2 metres from others”, but does not yet reference cycling. https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campaigning/article/20200319-campaigning-news-British-Cycling-asks-Health-Minister-to-recommend-cycling-as-part-of-Government-advice-0

And the International Mountain Biking Association has said:

Getting out on the trails is tremendously valuable. Trails bring us together, but to keep each other safe, we must keep our distance. How can our community navigate this challenge? For now, let’s ride in very small groups, keep our distance, and enjoy our trails close to home to minimize the risks associated with car travel. https://singletrackworld.com/2020/03/imba-statement-on-mountain-biking-and-covid-19/

It's right to cancel large group rides and cafe stops but we can still get out and ride together as a small group keeping our distance. Let's not just give in to this. There is a workable solution. And I'll be doing just that with a few friends. It's a lot less risky than going to the supermarket.

Psamathe wrote:So maybe CUK will investigate further and may be able to relax things if so advised.

No, that's very unlikely. As a country we have moved from a "mitigation" to a "suppression" strategy.

Two fundamental strategies are possible: (a) mitigation, which focuses on slowing but not necessarily stopping epidemic spread – reducing peak healthcare demand while protecting those most at risk of severe disease from infection, and (b) suppression, which aims to reverse epidemic growth, reducing case numbers to low levels and maintaining that situation indefinitely.

And

The major challenge of suppression is that this type of intensive intervention package – or something equivalently effective at reducing transmission – will need to be maintained until a vaccine becomes available (potentially 18 months or more) – given that we predict that transmission will quickly rebound if interventions are relaxed.

But

intermittent social distancing – triggered by trends in disease surveillance – may allow interventions to be relaxed temporarily in relative short time windows, but measures will need to be reintroduced if or when case numbers rebound.

In other words there likely to be mandatory measures brought in - as in Italy and Spain - to control the spread but these may be reduced after a while but then re-introduced.

there is no easy policy decision to be made. Suppression, while successful to date in China and South
Korea, carries with it enormous social and economic costs which may themselves have significant
impact on health and well-being in the short and longer-term. Mitigation will never be able to
completely protect those at risk from severe disease or death and the resulting mortality may
therefore still be high.

The above is from the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-infectious-disease-analysis/news--wuhan-coronavirus/

This was reported in this news article and elsewhere https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-research-f/factbox-the-projection-that-changed-britains-coronavirus-policy-idUSKBN21415L

gxaustin wrote:
Does anyone know if there is an insurance problem for Ride leaders from putting on rides?

I'm not a lawyer. Member and affiliate clubs and their ride leaders are insured against claims by individual members on the ride if there is an incident. The secretary of your member club would have to ask CUK about this. But as they are already advising clubs not organise group rides I would have thought they are unlikely to say "yes, it's OK".

gxaustin wrote:This is CUK detailed advice. It doesn't seem to preclude group rides - does it? Or cafe stops?

Graham Austin

The statement from CTC/Cycling UK is advice to member and affiliate groups. Groups rides are not being banned. This is following government/NHS guidelines which advise people to keep a "social distance" -- just like people are being advised not to use public transport and go to pubs and restaurants. Mass events cannot go ahead because medical staff cannot attend them because they are needed in hospitals.

The situation is not like Italy or Spain where there is a lockdown. But this could change.

Member clubs are advised to cancel all group activities. My CTC had a brief discussion about this and we decided to cancel all our planned group rides until further notice. We are in central London and we usually meet at station and get the train out of the city and ride in the home counties. That is obviously not a good idea.

But some of us are likely to organise rides privately where maybe four of us meet and ride for a few hours and stop for a picnic somewhere. We will keep apart from one another and take other precautions. Riding solo but together. We won't be having a cafe stop and we won't be train assisted. But we are looking to find a workable solution to continue cycling. There's no ride leader but individuals are still covered by our CTC third party insurance. It's not that different from four friends going for a walk in the countryside.

This is some of the best advice I have read.

How to Ride Safely Amid Coronavirus Concerns https://www.bicycling.com/news/a31469228/cycling-during-coronavirus/

mjr wrote:https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/coronavirus-advice-cycling-uk-groups-and-volunteers

CUK advice, updated today. I think KLWNBUG will also follow it, rather than the sports bodies.

Glad you mentioned this. Sensible advice. But did you get the volunteer newsletter? I ask because it also contained an FAQ with this advice for CUK groups.

[Cycling UK is] Encouraging groups to provide antibacterial gels and wipes during the activity and will be covering expenses for this.

Source: https://aaf1a18515da0e792f78-c27fdabe952dfc357fe25ebf5c8897ee.ssl.cf5.rackcdn.com/1689/FAQs+Covid-19+Resource+for+Groups+and+Volunteers.pdf?v=1584117686000

I think this is an unreasonable request of groups and ride leaders. While I recognise that CUK will cover the cost this puts a burden on the club and ride leaders for group rides. It is also unnecessary. Individuals should be taking responsibility for their own personal hygiene and respecting others. Ride leaders should not be expected to be vendors of soap and gel.

mercalia wrote:

LinusR wrote:Incidentally, I went into Blacks - the outdoor and camping shop - yesterday. Shop assistant asks me: "Are you looking for something in particular?" Yes, I say. Do you have any bivvy bags? "What?" came the reply. Yes, you know. To sleep in with your sleeping bag. "Um..., err..." It's sort of like a little tent, says me trying to be helpful to the camping department staff member. "Ah, a tent. We don't have tents in the winter stock. We'll have them in the spring. Come back then."

I don't think I'll ask again...

you were lucky he knew what a tent was.

How times have changed. I remember buying a Karrimor lightweight fleece in Blacks back in the late 1990s and I got chatting to the guy serving me and he was a real enthusiast for the outdoors. He eagerly invited me into the back of the shop to show me his touring bike which he used to commute to work on and we chatted for ages about cycle touring and camping.

mattheus wrote:If you take just a little care, mats generally survive most surfaces. (you're sleeping on it, not sledging off PenYFan, right?)

Know my pitching skills, I may well be sledging off the side of the mountain...

Incidentally, I went into Blacks - the outdoor and camping shop - yesterday. Shop assistant asks me: "Are you looking for something in particular?" Yes, I say. Do you have any bivvy bags? "What?" came the reply. Yes, you know. To sleep in with your sleeping bag. "Um..., err..." It's sort of like a little tent, says me trying to be helpful to the camping department staff member. "Ah, a tent. We don't have tents in the winter stock. We'll have them in the spring. Come back then."

I don't think I'll ask again...

nsew wrote:A large early model Neo Air Venture. Tough but non too warm, 1.8 tog value I believe. 275g Gossamer groundsheet here for £11

https://www.campingworld.co.uk/en/Jack- ... nerID=1591

Looks a good, comfy mat. Better than my 20-year-old Thermarest. That groundsheet would be useful.

nsew wrote:Bivvy and tarp is a fantastic way to travel with very few (but manageable) downsides. It’s incredibly easy to camp stealthily in places where you would never consider a tent. I’m 6ft plus and slim. For a five month trip to Barcelona through the Massive Central and Pyrenees and back I used the Hunka XL, a minus 5 bag, Snugpak Basha tarp and a Jack Wolfskin Gossamer groundsheet (150d). The overkill groundsheet is a necessity for this type of travel. The tarp (64” x 98”) would of ideally of been a foot longer and a foot wider. The Hunka XL would not take a large mattress inside but would definitely take a regular mummy shaped mattress. No need to carry poles as cutting and shaping a suitable branch or two was a doddle. 2nd photo was my spot in Barcelona for 3 weeks.

Thanks for this info. Good to know. Love the photo of the set up among the red and white road blocks! I did a three month trip across France and Spain twenty years ago. Often just slept in the sleeping bag on top of the mat as the weather was so good. But then spent seven days of rain riding back through France. Tent didn't leak, but it was wet packing it up and unfolding it again every day for a week.

nsew wrote:More pics.

What mattress is that?