Lost confidence cycling due to the pandemic 3 May 2020 at 6:19PM edited 12 May 2020 at 12:02PM in Public transport & cycling 35 replies 1.7K views

dannie

Hi, not been out on the bike for "ages" so lost the therapeutic affects of this.  Plus the neighbourhoods, inescapable, long hours of excessive noise, heard in the garden and the house nearly everyday means none at home too.  Have an indoor bike but am now missing the outdoor one, so how are other cyclists managing?  Are you still getting out cycling?  If so, are you taking any (pandemic) safety measures? 

Thanks.,

shinytop

I'm still cycling, the only difference it's alone or with family and not much more than an hour at a time.  I wouldn't worry about CV when on a bike; you're not going to catch it whilst cycling.  With the lack of traffic, it must be one of the safest times ever to cycle. Go for a short spin and see how you feel.

olgadapolga

Still cycling but avoiding areas that I know are heavily populated. I usually ride out into the country as fewer people to avoid but that's easy for me as I live less than five minutes from open countryside. Not do easy when cycling with my seven year old as she needs to use the cycle paths; she's not ready for country roads just yet.

Another reason to avoid the more densely populated areas is that a lot of people seem to have acquired bikes since the lockdown started and not all of these new cyclists are competent nor  do they have  any  consideration for others.

Just watch out for speeding motorists, being as they seem to see an open road as an invitation to drive as fast as possible.

You need to weigh up the pros and cons of going for a cycle; personally, the benefits (health, mental health, fitness) outweigh the small risk that I will catch the virus. 

Norman_Castle

I'm cycling my usual routes which are 95% nature reserve and tow paths. No precautions but they're definitely busier with both cyclists and pedestrians. Out early today which was fine, last Sunday it was far to crowded to be enjoyable. Most people are very conscious of keeping a safe distance which is normally easy with a minor course or speed adjustment.

Lots of new cyclists out, groups of men going a bit fast and families, one of which stopped on a busy but narrow five foot wide canal bridge for a rest! 

As above, try it but avoid busy times or areas.

Johnmcl7

I think cycling is a great activity in the lockdown since you do it safely keeping away from people and I find I need it all the more for my mental health.  I have had to significantly change my cycling habits as normally in my days off I'd get out for a mountain bike group ride which of course I can't do now and I've stopped doing long endurance rides as well since I can't use cafes or shops along the way as I normally would and could end up needing help a long way from home.

Instead I've been focusing on doing more regular short rides instead heading out into the country and not stopping, at worst if I need help I'm not too far from the house plus easy to stay safe since I barely see anyone and certainly don't need to interact with people.  I've signed up to complete a virtual Land's End to John O'groat journey to motivate me to keep getting out which automatically takes data from the likes of Strava (also supports manual entry) then works out how far along the route you've made it.  You can see where you are on a map along with everyone else currently doing the challenge and it sends you virtual postcards as you pass various landmarks.  I was feeling a bit bushed after my Thursday and Friday rides so decided to take a day off on Saturday but then it seemed to still and I thought I could get another 20 miles on my total so hopped on the bike and greeted by an unusually smooth Loch:

bouicca21

Took up cycling again late last year.  Was doing a longish ride once a week, since COVID arrived I’ve been out nearly every morning.  Here in London, the traffic is so much lighter that I am now cycling along roads that would have terrified me before.  It’s been a major confidence booster, plus I find it structures my day, it’s good for general fitness and definitely helps me cope with isolation.  The worst thing is trying to plan good routes.  I wish google maps, map my run etc would tell me where there are nasty steep slopes!

Johnmcl7

bouicca21 said:

Took up cycling again late last year.  Was doing a longish ride once a week, since COVID arrived I’ve been out nearly every morning.  Here in London, the traffic is so much lighter that I am now cycling along roads that would have terrified me before.  It’s been a major confidence booster, plus I find it structures my day, it’s good for general fitness and definitely helps me cope with isolation.  The worst thing is trying to plan good routes.  I wish google maps, map my run etc would tell me where there are nasty steep slopes!

That's a good point about the quieter roads which I'm taking advantage of going on better more direct roads rather than weaving through more intricate back roads to avoid traffic.

Strava has an option when planning a route to opt for sections which have less elevation (the Min elevation slider at the top middle) if you click at the bottom right beside elevation it can show you an elevation profile as you make the route.  You can then export the route and import it into a system of your choice.  I don't know how well the option works though because there's no avoiding a lot of climbing where I live.

vitaweat

I try to ride every day around a local lake.

olgadapolga

Johnmcl7 said:

bouicca21 said:

Took up cycling again late last year.  Was doing a longish ride once a week, since COVID arrived I’ve been out nearly every morning.  Here in London, the traffic is so much lighter that I am now cycling along roads that would have terrified me before.  It’s been a major confidence booster, plus I find it structures my day, it’s good for general fitness and definitely helps me cope with isolation.  The worst thing is trying to plan good routes.  I wish google maps, map my run etc would tell me where there are nasty steep slopes!

That's a good point about the quieter roads which I'm taking advantage of going on better more direct roads rather than weaving through more intricate back roads to avoid traffic.

Strava has an option when planning a route to opt for sections which have less elevation (the Min elevation slider at the top middle) if you click at the bottom right beside elevation it can show you an elevation profile as you make the route.  You can then export the route and import it into a system of your choice.  I don't know how well the option works though because there's no avoiding a lot of climbing where I live.

Google Maps also shows the elevation of a route (well, on a laptop it does, not sure about the mobile version).

[Deleted User]

Quite roads as has been mentioned also means idiots about using them as race tracks or just generally speeding. I've seen on multiple occasions 2 cars racing each other align deserted roads and on a bike you just wouldn't stand a chance. When riding a bike it's having that trust that others around you are acting sensibly which unfortunately doesn't seem to be the case. 

dannie

Just to say thanks very much for all the replies.  I haven't had chance to look through them properly yet.  (Trying to  recover from yesterday's eight hours of more or less constant noise heard in every room and the garden, plus up at 1.30 am.  Been like this daily for over a month.  Hope to catch up tomorrow).