Guidelines for Cyclists During the Pandemic

These guidelines were put forth by USA Cycling in consultation with their Chief Medical Officer as well as the USOC Chief Medical Officer. You can read the posting here . NOTE: This is guidance for YOU, as a cyclist, in your community and surrounding region, as all official PPTC rides are still canceled until further notice.

1. Do NOT ride while symptomatic. Know the signs and symptoms. If you feel even slightly under the weather, even if you think it’s allergies, do not put yourself or your cycling community at risk.

2. Ride ONLY with people of KNOWN health status. This may limit your group to yourself and anyone in your current household. Anyone outside of your household that has been in contact with other people is considered a person of unknown health status.

3. You have a responsibility to not CONTRACT the virus, and to not SPREAD the virus. Operate under the assumption that you are an asymptomatic carrier that can make others sick either directly or by passing it to another potential carrier. Ride FAR from other riders, with at LEAST 20 feet of spacing in between, and ride with a mask or face buff to limit your respiratory signature.

4. Practice your responsibility OFF THE BIKE. Gathering places such as ride starts and rest stops mean higher risk of spreading the virus. Wear a mask at all times off the bike, bring hand sanitizer, wash your hands at rest stops, and even bring a spare mask or buff to switch to when the first one gets too wet.

These guidelines have been put in place to not only stop the spread of COVID-19, but also to stop the spread of maligned stigma against cyclists seen as acting irresponsibly in the community.

Cancellation of all PPTC Events Until Further Notice

Fellow Pedalers, 

It hasn’t been long since the last communication regarding the region’s COVID-19 outbreak, but a lot has changed in such a short amount of time. The nation and our region are under a state of emergency, with all CDC and WHO guidelines restricting social activity, proximity to others, and asking us to hunker down to help “flatten the curve” of transmission. 

In light of these recent updates, Potomac Pedalers is canceling all group rides effective immediately, at least through the end of this month and until further notice.

What does this mean for us cyclists? 

ALL RIDES LED BY PPTC MEMBERS FROM NOW UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE ARE NOT PPTC SANCTIONED RIDES. This means while you will have access to the club’s Ride with GPS account and member directory to find a route and a buddy, if anything happens to your riders, the liability is on your shoulders. 

Keep active but not in active groups. Ride in abundant sunshine when available, but alone or in VERY small numbers.

If you go out on the roads, I advise you to adopt Ironman’s rule of six bike lengths distance between you and the next rider. There won’t be a road marshal available to hand you a yellow card you and give you a drafting penalty, but the consequences could be far worse for the health of you and other riders close by. 

Keep maintaining the hygiene practices outlined in the previous email if riding.

Be on the lookout for some group meetups in Zwift for those who want to stay home, but still get in a ride and chat with other like-minded friends.

I truly understand the frustration and anxiety about the uncertainty of the situation regarding COVID-19. All of Maryland where I live shut down today, and my own personal cycling events have been canceled from now until July, and all done so out of an abundance of caution. But I cannot, under good conscience, risk the health not just of 1700 of my closest cycling friends, but of our surrounding community.

We will be constantly monitoring and reassessing the situation, and will provide updates as they are available.

Be safe, ride healthily.
 

Anne