Indoors or Outdoors, Group Rides, and Other Coronavirus Questions

There are a lot of things changing right now. As the world grapples with a pandemic, cycling isn’t on the forefront of people’s minds. However, dedicated athletes would be the first to tell you that riding or running is one of the few activities that give a sense of normalcy. 

You can forgive the country’s leading health experts for not including more information on recreational activities over the past few weeks, but that doesn’t mean runners and cyclists don’t have questions. We looked at a few we had ourselves in an effort to clear up things like riding outside and joining group rides. 

First, caution is the word of the day. If you have any symptoms, or if you’ve been in contact with any person who may have COVID-19, it’s important you self-quarantine and contact your healthcare professional by phone. Even if you feel well enough to exercise, any level of symptoms that match those of the virus should be treated as though you have the virus. By leaving the house for any reason, you may be contributing to its spread. 

Even if you’re experiencing no symptoms, some athletes have actually advocated for exercising indoors anyway. Their thought is that being out of doors and possibly having an emergency may put added strain on already stressed emergency response systems. That’s one part of the reason behind the lockdowns in Italy and Spain, where only essential travel by any means is permitted. 

Most experts in the United States, however, have maintained that outdoor exercise is fine. Some organizations, like the League of Michigan Bicyclists, have advocated for solo-only riding, with no group rides of any size. Other groups, like the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, have adopted the advice of limiting groups to ten people or less. That would be no more than ten riders on a group ride. 

The current crisis has led to the cancelation of countless races and events around the globe, with USA Cycling banning all sanctioned events into April. The Barry-Roubaix, Mud, Sweat, and Beers, and a dozen other races have already announced postponement dates for later in the season. Running clubs have canceled weekly group events, canceled or postponed races, or adopted a ‘virtual race’ platform to offer some level of competition without putting people on the start line. 

As athletes, we understand just how valuable and important health and wellness are. That’s why we should be among the leaders in embracing measures like social distancing, self-quarantine, and avoiding situations with ten people or more in a space. 
For more, you can trust information from the CDC.