Riding every day thx to Covid-19

[Red Tornado]

I work at an essential business, so my schedule has really not departed from the norm, with respect to both working hours and free time. However, a sizable chunk of club members I usually ride with are laid off/furloughed/etc. Some of them seem to be riding almost every day of the week now. Typically in small'ish groups and guessing/hoping their social distancing as well. From what I'm picking up via social media, looks like they're mixing in hard and easy days. Happy for them, and I must admit, more than a little jealous, too.

I'm starting to think when the dust settles on COVID-19 and regular club rides resume, there is going to be a very noticeable difference in form/fitness between those who are not working and those who are. Our B group used to split into B1/B2 after the first 1/3 of the route. The majority of the "daily" riders are B2's with a handful of B1's. So I'm thinking the B2 group may possibly go away altogether, B2's bump to B1's and a several of B1's bump to A. Basically reducing it to just a B group versus B1/B2. Frankly, some of our B1 riders are already "A/A-" and cherry-picking the B group, so they should upgrade - but I digress, this was covered in a thread last year.

Be interesting to see if it works out this way or if I'm way off base. Anyone else seeing anything like this?

[pasadena]

There will be more fit people, more burned out people, more LSD riders... but training isn't racing and no one is racing this year... there will be more riders closer to their full physical potential than before, so that's a good thing.

It's great that cycling is allowing people to take advantage of the time, and at the very least, is great for keeping mental health.

Maybe there are more KOM competitions now? Don't follow that kind of thing but maybe.

To answer your question, there may be some differences initially in group rides, but they will even out as you go more into a season of riding.

[AngryScientist]

once the weather gets a little nicer here, i plan to ride a lot more.

i'm still working, but no business related travel, and no commuting to the city a few days a week really increases me available time.

i typically favor running during the weekdays, because it's a better fitness bang per unit time, but on nice evenings i plan to get out there more, for sure!

if you look at the other thread about the bike shop business, it seems shops are very busy, which must mean more people are riding more miles.

i'm cheerfully optimistic that when we pop out of this a lot of people will realize how much time is wasted commuting, un-necessary travel, etc and cut that stuff out, leaving more time for leisure activities.

texas especially is a state that is super spread out. we have offices in dallas, houston, plano - and i know for sure many of the folks who work in those offices have longish car commutes, which are wholly a waste of time. it's important to be in the office sometimes, but day-to-day, if we can cut out a lot of that senseless windshield time - good!

[Idris Icabod]

I'm in an essential area, although on reduced schedule and my company will fold in July, so the motivation to work isn't high. I ride mountain bikes everyday over lunch for about 2 hours with one other buddy (no road rides as we can't distance) as my shift doesn't start until 2 PM. I'm absolutely killing it right now, I've lost about 10 lbs (I'm 153 lbs right now and 6'1"). When the distancing is over I'm going to torture some of my old riding friends!

[mdeth1313]

I've been riding more. As a teacher, I make my own videos and post notes and then take questions by email or meetings with students. The videos and materials I can handle in the evenings and on rainy days I can bang out whole bunch of stuff. Meetings can be done whenever a student requests, but I haven't gotten as many as I thought - most things get cleared up through email.

I'm fortunate to be able to head north from my house and head into horse/farm country. I'll only ride by myself and I'll only go as far as I can with the water/food I take with me.

I've noticed more people riding in groups who are clearly not related and I doubt they're living together.

[prototoast]

It would be interesting to see some aggregate data from places like Garmin and Strava that might be able to analyze what the broader trends look like. In practice, it will likely depend a lot on people's individual locations, particularly between places like Italy where people are trapped indoors and places like the United States where people can ride outside for exercise.

Overall, from what I've seen where I've live in California, it seems like there is a lot more casual riding, both on the road and in particular mountain biking. So at least the frequency of writing I would guess has gone up. On the other hand, races are canceled, fast group rides are not happening, and because we don't know when this will all be over, even the racers have often shifted into more fitness maintenance since they don't know when they should be targeting their peak. Also, for a lot of the riders I know who tend to do high mileage, that has been made more challenging as many places where people would stop to refuel or take bathroom breaks are no longer open. So I would again hypothesize that while overall riding frequency is up, controlling for that intensity is probably down and overall More serious riders probably don't have the same top end fitness that they otherwise would have.

As for your question of what happens when group brides start up when this is all over, I suspect it won't be too different than it was before. every group ride I've ever been on has a huge variation in fitness level. maybe some of the fast people will now be slow, maybe some of the slow people will now be fast, but I would be shocked if it introduced a fundamental change in the riding dynamic other than perhaps people being a little rusty at group bike handling.

[NHAero]

I was already increasing mileage after a shift to a 3 day work week mid-year in 2019, but now WFH it's up another notch because I can work whenever, and put in the hours when it's raining and ride when it's nice! Will have 1,800 miles in by the end of the month, and that's really a lot for me, used to run 2-3,000 miles annually. I don't ride hard, so doubt I'm getting faster, but when I ride road I'm the A group, 'cuz I ride solo.

[Tickdoc]

It has been a wonderful Quarantine, riding wise. I rode more in March than any march prior. Had a back issue for a few days there but still riding mid day every other day combined with the awesome spring we've been having has been so damn much fun.

I am curious how it will be when we do get to ride again as a group...will we ride as a group? I had been distancing myself from large group rides for a year or two now anyways and found myself favoring smaller groups. I don't see myself going back to the 100 rider saturday group ride again. I quite enjoy a riding buddy or two or three. Solo is fine as well and I didn't realize how much I missed riding solo until quarantine came about.

My main riding buddy is super social and this whole thing is killing him. I don't really miss anyone.

[benb]

AFAICT "casuals" are riding vastly more than normal here. "Serious riders" are not seen very much, maybe just cause you're not seeing the group rides that make it seem like there are more serious riders than there really are. Maybe cause I'm not driving my car where I would see them.

The MUT looks like a sunny warm sunday every day right now.

And our weather has *sucked*. We've had a very very cold & wet April, lots of days that are 15-20 degrees cooler than normal.

The type of weather that casual riders will never go out in. 45 degrees, cloudy, windy, threat of rain, etc..

I have really been trying to concentrate more on weight training. I'm kind of dying to get out riding on my own.. a lot of my rides lately have been with my child.

Honestly the weather has made everything much much harder here. We just put out porch furniture out this past weekend, very late. No fun to sit outside when it's 40 degrees, even if we are just sitting in our back yard it feels better than being stuck in the house.

It was so windy last night one of the chairs got blown off the deck.

[Tickdoc]

It would be interesting to see some aggregate data from places like Garmin and Strava that might be able to analyze what the broader trends look like. In practice, it will likely depend a lot on people's individual locations, particularly between places like Italy where people are trapped indoors and places like the United States where people can ride outside for exercise.



I'm also curious if you see a drop in avg speed since most aren't riding as a group.

[redir]

I spent a reasonable amount of time training over the winter to get ready for my local spring classics and when USAC decided to cancel all the races well, today was the first time I've been on the bike in a month and that was just to commute 10 miles to work.

[Black Dog]

I've been riding more. As a teacher, I make my own videos and post notes and then take questions by email or meetings with students. The videos and materials I can handle in the evenings and on rainy days I can bang out whole bunch of stuff. Meetings can be done whenever a student requests, but I haven't gotten as many as I thought - most things get cleared up through email.

I'm fortunate to be able to head north from my house and head into horse/farm country. I'll only ride by myself and I'll only go as far as I can with the water/food I take with me.

I've noticed more people riding in groups who are clearly not related and I doubt they're living together.

Seeing this around here too! Oh well, what's a few more months of lockdown...:mad:

We are not fighting a virus, we are fighting stupidity and selfishness...two forces that are almost unstoppable.

[dbnm]

I've been riding a lot more as well. I can get most of my work done at night or first thing in the morning.

The sad part is seeing all of the new riders and rollerbladers. I've seen more bike crashes in the last 3 weeks than ever before.

And even worse is the amount of people that I still see riding shoulder to shoulder.

[FlashUNC]

Lots of trainer time, but not heading outside.

[kevinvc]

I've done a couple of short rides for errands where I thought I could find routes that didn't bring me in contact with other people, but have decided that it's simply not possible. Even during regular work hours, there are so many casual riders, walkers and joggers that I simply cannot maintain safe distancing. I've heard from a couple of friends that they haven't been able to find any longer rides starting in town that don't have multiple other riders on the same roads.

I can't ride my trainer in the house since it's too loud and bothers others. I might start dragging it out to the front porch, which looks pretentious but would be the only option. I also wouldn't be able to try out Zwift so it would just be staring at the houses across the street and listening to music. I'm also thinking about driving somewhere quieter to ride, but I really hate doing that. I ordered a cheap rowing machine that should be here in a few weeks and give me something to do other than push ups and planks.

I've got to do something. I did very little riding over the winter and have gained weight and am really out of condition. Riding was pretty much my only personal time and way to work out stress.

[benb]

I've got to do something. I did very little riding over the winter and have gained weight and am really out of condition. Riding was pretty much my only personal time and way to work out stress.

It's not the same as riding but I managed to go on a 2 hour hike yesterday morning and only saw 4 people. Most of them I never got anywhere near them either. It was overcast and threatening rain which helped, but it was comfortable and fairly beautiful. (I was prepared for the rain anyway.)

I've been digging hard figuring out where all the more obscure/less popular natural areas are in town.

I managed to be more hurt than usual this spring which is part of my cross training more than usual. Both of my injuries would fall under the whole "too much biking, not enough cross training" category.

[NHAero]

Our experiences are very similar. Saturday I did 70 miles, all around MV, and saw a bunch of other riders, including a group of young men stopped at the Cliffs who clearly were not distancing at all. But most days I'm the only rider because it's been cold and windy. The MUPs are just non-starters for me, due to distancing, the speed differential, general cluelessness about any kind of etiquette or even common sense.

On my once/week MTB ride yesterday with my friend, we picked a unlikely place to go. We passed one group of walkers that was four older couples, not very distant, and when we got back to the parking lot half the cars had NY plates. We're behind your area in cases, but are striving to catch up I guess.

AFAICT "casuals" are riding vastly more than normal here. "Serious riders" are not seen very much, maybe just cause you're not seeing the group rides that make it seem like there are more serious riders than there really are. Maybe cause I'm not driving my car where I would see them.

The MUT looks like a sunny warm sunday every day right now.

And our weather has *sucked*. We've had a very very cold & wet April, lots of days that are 15-20 degrees cooler than normal.

The type of weather that casual riders will never go out in. 45 degrees, cloudy, windy, threat of rain, etc..

I have really been trying to concentrate more on weight training. I'm kind of dying to get out riding on my own.. a lot of my rides lately have been with my child.

Honestly the weather has made everything much much harder here. We just put out porch furniture out this past weekend, very late. No fun to sit outside when it's 40 degrees, even if we are just sitting in our back yard it feels better than being stuck in the house.

It was so windy last night one of the chairs got blown off the deck.

[Jere]

Hi
Have not ridden with anyone for 3 months not a big change in my world.
Still working 50 plus hours around the clock on call.
Decided to build my base started cranking out 20 hour 300 plus miles for months
There are no Cars on the road here kinda weird kinda fun just gone with it.
Can not travel to see Grand baby’s so work , sleep , ride Repeat.
People around here are bragging on Strava about riding together , apparently
They do not know anybody on the front lines.
Grumpy Old Man

[benb]

Our experiences are very similar. Saturday I did 70 miles, all around MV, and saw a bunch of other riders, including a group of young men stopped at the Cliffs who clearly were not distancing at all. But most days I'm the only rider because it's been cold and windy. The MUPs are just non-starters for me, due to distancing, the speed differential, general cluelessness about any kind of etiquette or even common sense.

On my once/week MTB ride yesterday with my friend, we picked a unlikely place to go. We passed one group of walkers that was four older couples, not very distant, and when we got back to the parking lot half the cars had NY plates. We're behind your area in cases, but are striving to catch up I guess.

MV = Martha's Vineyard?

Just guessing since you mentioned the cliffs too?

That's going to be an interesting place.. almost no reported cases, but it's a vacation destination.

I haven't looked but if you are talking about Martha's Vineyard I'm assuming the ferries are heavily restricted right now? (And same with Nantucket?)

This is actually a decent time to live on an Island. Some of the Hawaiian Islands looked like they were faring well.. New Zealand has closed itself up and has apparently done well.

[Cantdog]

God I wish I could ride. 14 days into a 28 day stretch on being on 7 days a week and call during the week—it sucks.

[PaMtbRider]

I'm definitely getting more time on the bike. I do all my riding solo, unless it's the weekend and my essential wife can ride with me. I try to make all my rides loops from our house that I can complete without stopping anywhere for food or water.

[NHAero]

Yes, the Vineyard.
Unfortunately, ferries not restricted at all, and we're loaded up with summer folks, many of whom still expect their houses cleaned and lawns tended to so not awesome distancing going on. Friend who does private chef work in the summer has been getting requests for catering dinner parties. $ don't equal sense...

Nantucket, being one town instead of six, is doing a better job than MV. They've been driving around shutting job sites down. Here the3 construction bans end today, but while they were on, no real enforcement, and in my riding definitely see work going on. Our biggest risk, besides all the people who came and still are coming from Boston and NYC, are the daily work commuters on the ferries.

Time will tell.

MV = Martha's Vineyard?

Just guessing since you mentioned the cliffs too?

That's going to be an interesting place.. almost no reported cases, but it's a vacation destination.

I haven't looked but if you are talking about Martha's Vineyard I'm assuming the ferries are heavily restricted right now? (And same with Nantucket?)

This is actually a decent time to live on an Island. Some of the Hawaiian Islands looked like they were faring well.. New Zealand has closed itself up and has apparently done well.

[ciclista_tifoso]

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God I wish I could ride. 14 days into a 28 day stretch on being on 7 days a week and call during the week—it sucks.


I've managed to squeeze an average of a couple days a week on the bike, but I'm in a similar circumstance as you. Calls and 'virtual' meetings interrupting downtime. I've been going on more walks/jogs, though (while keeping distance, of course).


Edit: we are all very fortunate to have such 'problems', certainly, relative to others.

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[Cgeisler]

Austin , TX is no exception. My LBS and others ran out of 26r tubes, parts etc weeks ago -- hundreds of folks dusting off old bikes. thats good for everyone, in my opinion. I have an essential vocation, per the guv'na here, and have accordingly commuted more the past 6 weeks than any 6 weeks ever. It's been really nice -- zero traffic on the commute and back. The trails here, however, are littered now with walkers/dog people, etc at all times of day, so MTBing is a crowded affair.

[Seramount]

consistently riding 7 days/week...not much else to do.

avoiding popular bike paths whenever possible as the 'casual' riders are out in force doing sketchy things at the worst possible times...

hilly routes eliminate most of the riff-raff...

[Red Tornado]

It has been a wonderful Quarantine, riding wise. I rode more in March than any march prior. Had a back issue for a few days there but still riding mid day every other day combined with the awesome spring we've been having has been so damn much fun.

I am curious how it will be when we do get to ride again as a group...will we ride as a group? I had been distancing myself from large group rides for a year or two now anyways and found myself favoring smaller groups. I don't see myself going back to the 100 rider saturday group ride again. I quite enjoy a riding buddy or two or three. Solo is fine as well and I didn't realize how much I missed riding solo until quarantine came about.

My main riding buddy is super social and this whole thing is killing him. I don't really miss anyone.

All of my COVID-19 riding has been solo. Riding both road and dirt. I was afraid I would not like doing so many solo rides, especially on the road, but been pleasantly surprised how stress-free it is. Don't have to worry about getting there on time, is one of the squirrely guys close to me in the pack, why does everyone keep accelerating like mad out of corners just to slow down a couple hundred yards later, are the cherry-pickers going to push the pace too high, etc. I go when/where/how long I want to. Solo on the road seems like good training since there's no one to draft off of - should help out when I do have riders to draft
I'm a social guy and will be ready for some group rides when things get back to normal, but may sacrifice a little group time for some additional solo rides. Peaceful, good time to think about things, very de-stressing.

[ciclista_tifoso]

^^^^^^^

Agree with your sentiment Re: solo rides, though i typically rode solo more often 'pre-pandemic' since my work hours aren't as structured, and therefore i couldn't make group rides as regularly. Riding solo is (or can be) a form of meditation.

Speaking only for myself, riding is an opportunity to de-connect from electronics. I put my phone on Airplane Mode and only check it during a rest stop, if i opt to have one. I don't use it to 'sync' with my bike computer, etc. Riding helps me tune out white noise and focus on the road and scenery around me (or focus on hitting certain self-imposed goals/'metrics').


[Edit to remove miscellaneous filler]

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