Safe Cycling

Riding for Pleasure or Therapy

By Dave Kraus

To ride or not to ride? Or ride alone? Or ride with friends? Or ride on roads? Or ride on bike trails? Or set up that trainer in your basement? Or just give up, crack a beer and get fat? The ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is serious business, but trying to decide whether to keep cycling and how during this difficult time is enough to frustrate any cyclist.

The safest option is obviously to stay home and don’t go out for cycling or anything else that’s “non-essential.” But one cyclist’s optional pleasure ride is another cyclist’s mandatory therapy for Type A meltdown. If they can’t ride, the results will not be pretty. Let’s assume that you have decided you must go out for a ride or your head is going to explode. What are the choices?

If You’re Riding Alone – Assuming you’ve decided to skip Zwift and actually go for a real ride, first do what you normally do when riding solo. Take your phone, carry ID, a spare, and let someone know where you will be going. Also practice extra care while riding. Take enough food and water to last through your ride. Take the easy route and avoid that 50 mph downhill you love. Don’t crash, become a statistic, and add to the health care system overload. Ease off and just enjoy the simple feeling of riding. Maintain your base fitness and be patient. This pandemic won’t last forever.

Also make sure you aren’t overtraining, since it can suppress your immune system response, and leave you more susceptible to illness. Plus, if you don’t feel good, or are experiencing fever, tiredness, and dry cough especially, forget the ride and contact your health care provider! Those are the preliminary symptoms of coronavirus.

Additionally, be mindful of where you go and what you touch. If that means nothing but your own bike and possessions, then you’re probably fine. But are you stopping at the convenience store to pick up a snack? How many other people have touched the door handle or the fixtures in the restroom? What about that crosswalk signal button? Bring and use hand sanitizer as any of these surfaces could have active coronavirus on them.

If You’re Riding with Friends – The lack of available testing, and the reality of a one to 14-day incubation period for Covid-19 means that anyone you ride with could have coronavirus and not even know it – so could you. The decision on whether to ride with a few close friends must be yours. Consider the consequences of your individual actions before making your decision.

If you do decide to ride with friends, be aware of the risk, and be even more mindful than on a solo ride: do not share bottles, energy bars, bandanas, carpool, etc. No spitting or “snot rockets.” Be alert whether any of your riding buddies are coughing or sneezing.

Also be aware that it’s theoretically possible to spread the virus through simply breathing or talking near someone else through your respiratory signature – the cloud of moisture and other particles you create around yourself every time you breathe. As you ride, whatever you exhale spreads out behind and around you like a comet’s tail including moisture, mucous, pollen, bacteria – and maybe coronavirus. The faster you go, the farther that tail extends behind or around you – or to the rider you are behind. Keep at least a ten-foot lateral distance and seek out backroads or other routes that let you keep that distance side by side. Don’t draft!

Roads or Trails? – Normally a bike trail would be a safer option for an easy, safe ride. But these are not normal times. Before you go, consider what kind of workout you want, where you can do it best, and your own safety. With stay at home orders in effect for the foreseeable future, many back roads have little vehicle traffic, and finding some country roads nearby that are normally lightly traveled may mean you have the road to yourself – and can hammer the pedals.

By contrast, if you have a local multiuse trail available, it’s going to be busier than usual with so many people using it for moderate exercise. Can you use it at off hours? Is the trail wide enough for you to practice proper social distancing? Every person you pass will have their own respiratory signature you must ride through, and literally anyone you see could be infected and not know it. Do you feel safe riding in those circumstances? Again, make the decision you feel is best for you and others – we’re all in this together.

If you are riding on local trails, keep in mind that with so many new users, you will likely encounter walkers or riders who are not familiar with the usual trail etiquette. Avoid excessive speed and call out “Behind you!” or similar as you overtake other trail users. No reaction? They may be wearing earphones, so slow down and stay safe as you pass them. Make sure to speak up and let them know your intentions for “passing left” or “passing right.” Don’t miss this chance to be a positive ambassador for all cyclists.

Bike Maintenance – Local bike shops have been designated “essential services” under shutdown orders in New York State, so many local stores remain open for service and sales. If you’re an experienced cyclist, that means you can still probably schedule your spring tune-up with your favorite local mechanic with a few changes to the usual process.

Tim Bonnier at Tomhannock Bicycles in Pittstown, said that his store is currently averaging three days in shop for repairs, and curbside drop-off and pickup is available. Safe distancing is being practiced, and all staff use gloves and disinfect bikes before and after test rides.

Farther north, Steve Fairchild at Grey Ghost Bicycles in Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls said his two stores are likewise keeping interaction to a minimum with disinfecting and curbside service. Service times are changing almost daily in both stores due to varying business.

In Lake Placid, Kenny Boettger at Placid Planet Bicycles in Lake Placid has been disinfecting “whatever is touchable” and is making service arrangements “pretty much however someone’s comfortable with it” including outside drop-off. He added they are able to get to most service requests by the next day.

All three dealers urged customers to call first to find out current repair times and make an appointment for bike drop off.

For riders who may be renewing their interest with bikes that have been stored in attics or garages for long periods, Tim stressed the importance of a safety check before trying to ride a bike that has been in storage for years. “First, check to make sure tires and tubes hold air,” he said. “But after you inflate them, look and check around the sidewall of the tire and the tread to see if there’s any splitting or cracking of the rubber.”

Lubing the chain is also mandatory, he added. “The rollers and links should move freely. If they don’t it’s never going to work right again, and it’s better to just replace it.”

Steve agreed, and added brakes to the list; “You gotta be able to stop and you gotta be able to roll.” Make sure the brake pads are installed correctly, are not worn or dried out, and will easily bring the bike to a stop.

Kenny also added that moisture can wreak havoc with a stored bike, especially one that’s been stored in an outside shed or just left outdoors. Steel can rust, aluminum can corrode, and if water gets inside the frame and freezes, it can burst the tube exactly like frozen plumbing. Be safe everyone.

Dave Kraus (dbkraus@earthlink.net) is a longtime area cyclist, photographer, and writer who is looking forward to riding with all his friends again someday. Visit his website at krausgrafik.com.