[Closed] Scottish Government: don’t go mountain biking ..

Erm, but mountain biking is my exercise.

Where in the rules does it say 60 minutes? ****

Leitch is a very measured character so this certainly looks like a further clamp down.

Where in the rules does it say 60 minutes? ****

probably coming to a website near you soon.

I'm inclined to agree with him.

I think he's picturing mountain biking as being a drive to a trail centre/actual mountain.
What you're doing swavis is going for a bike ride.

I shall continue with my bimbling gravel rides

I think the 30-60 minutes was mentioned in passing by michael Gove originally

I'm guilty of keeping up mountain biking. From my home. For my son's it does still involve a couple of the easier jumps.
Perhaps time to calm down on that side for my two midi_Enduro'ists.

I'm struggling, having had stick for 'middle of nowhere' ride pic, which I took down. The important detail is that I was within a couple of miles of my house, and reason for forest roads and farm track was how chuffing busy everywhere that is a road or marked path is. One person's 'mountain biking' was our gravel & road bike potter around an empty forest to avoid contact with anyone. Hmmm.

Is countryside cycling on my countryside bicycle ok?

I think he’s picturing mountain biking as being a drive to a trail centre/actual mountain.

Yes I think that's what a lot of people are thinking when they imagine 'mountain biking'.

I think the perception of mountainbiking isn't going out and about on fire roads, it's the gnar, the rough stuff and the risk factor.

I think he’s picturing mountain biking as being a drive to a trail centre/actual mountain.
What you’re doing swavis is going for a bike ride.

I agree, I think he has the image of DH or Enduro. I can assure him that my form of mtb is very different from that 😆

Possibly a reaction to the fear of loads of people turning up at tweed valley this weekend?

I know some of you are itching for a further clamp down, but a blanket ban on MTBing would be crackers.

The problem here is perception.

My forest bimble on a bike *is* someone else's "mountain biking". And someone will use that to try and limit us.

Cue two very upset riders in my house.

I'm still more fearful for the new joggers and riders I see - many a heart attack waiting, and so many bikes with poor brakes or lack of control....

phew, he's not talking about me "I'm a glorified gravel rider!"

MTBing or riding a mountain bike?

I do one but not the other

I know some of you are itching for a further clamp down, but a blanket ban on MTBing would be crackers.

yeah pointing out that taking the piss would have consequences is "itching for a further clamp down"

It could be they have data back from the people counters at the trail centres showing more use than they expected.

On a day job thing I'm going to be interested to see what the ones I have running of footpaths show over the course of the outbreak.

Well I'll be carrying on as normal until they stop runners and walkers too.

Again? Another one? Another nother mother one?
We've done this, pages and pages and pages

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Well I’ll be carrying on as normal until they stop runners and walkers too

They’ve already told mountain walkers and runners to stop

I think the 30-60 minutes was mentioned in passing by michael Gove originally

Yes, he said "I would have thought that for most people, a walk of up to an hour, or a run of 30 minutes or a cycle ride of between that, depending on their level of fitness is appropriate."

So "for most people". Obviously those of us on STW will need far more than and hour a day to maintain our current huge fitness levels.

Also note, these were "Gove" guidelines not "Gov" guidelines. I'm here all week.

It sounds like he meant to say “don’t go biking up mountains”. I shall continue riding my mountain bike to work on the days I can’t work from home (it’s very hard to take your CNC machine home with you), and sometimes go via the woodland singletrack.

And yet he defended Catherine Calderwood’s actions.... logic clearly isn’t his strongpoint.

The public perception of mountain biking is going somewhere remote, potentially getting lost, injured and all the rest.

Obviously heading out in the car to go to a busy riding spot and throw yourself off huge jumps isn't on. But riding around stuff well within your capability is what a lot of us need, physically and mentally, to be healthy.

To put it another way, I've not gone over 90 minutes, I would not go over 2h, but I'm being very careful to pick quiet times, ride within limits, and not go places that might require mountain rescue if it all went wrong.

The "MTB" trails are far less busy than the "paths" I might "cycle" but not "Mountain bike" on. Whilst 90 mins max is a huge cut in my normal volume of activity, a lot of people must be doing a lot more outdoors at the moment than they used to (even if only going out for half an hour a day), and from that point of view I feel most people here are adjusting more to the requirements of this - even if we do still go out for longer than the arbitrary limit that's not even written in the official guidance.

If MTB was actually banned tomorrow, I'd be much more likely to overdo it running and pick up an injury - based on previous riding limiting injuries. For that reason, I'm going to stick with it, not take the piss, not do any of the mega loops I'd really like to do, even though they're from my front door, but I am going to head out to places once or twice a week that get me away from it all, give me some head space, and yeah, put a smile on my face.

Maybe I'm being the same as folk a couple of weeks ago trying to justify riding away for a day, maybe I'm being selfish, but I genuinely think I'll lose it mentally if I do anything else.

They’ve already told mountain walkers and runners to stop

My avoidance of mega loops includes, but is not limited to, anything that would take me up a munro.

They’ve already told mountain walkers and runners to stop

I'll just carry on biking then.

He said that you should be taking exercise, not recreation, not doing your hobby. He then gave mountain biking as an example. I assume that walkers and runners are similarly not to do their hobbies. Maybe we should all take up trampolining?

I have just checked the guidance on the scottish government website

YOu are allowed out for daily exercise, walk, run or cycle. You shuld minimise the time spent doing this.

IE - usual rules apply. don't take the urine

I am sure in the context of the above statement mountainbiking is being seen in the light of trail centre type riding and its aimed at people driving to the tweed valley. No mention of an hour limit.

I think the real aspect in all this is doing some low-risk sensible exercise that you do directly from your house.

For some of us, that possibly means turbo trainer on the patio or garage. based on location maybe you can walk to the park or along the canal or seafront. and for the very fortunate it still means access to trails nearby possible as almost normal.

But for now, just take it easy if you can still get out to cool places, ride like your not wearing your helmet whilst still wearing one...

I think in general for all of us, being able to still approximate our biking passions makes this a tiny fraction easier. its just that now, we have to be super careful.

He said that you should be taking exercise, not recreation, not doing your hobby. He then gave mountain biking as an example. I assume that walkers and runners are similarly not to do their hobbies. Maybe we should all take up trampolining?

Surely the distinction is fairly clear cut?

Exercise: If you follow it with a protein shake and a nutritionally ballanced meal you are doing exercise.

Hobby: If you follow it with a pint of beer and some pork scratchings you are doing a hobby.

If you have to ask or feel the need to justify it on here, its a hobby. If its exercise its just dull. Id even argue that if you describe it as a bimble then its probably not exercise.

yeah pointing out that taking the piss would have consequences is “itching for a further clamp down”

I think certain people should wind it in a bit and are compensating for their feeling of losing controll and freedom by trying to impose their control on others freedoms.

I think certain people should wind it in a bit and are compensating for their feeling of losing controll and freedom by trying to impose their control on others freedoms.

ah bless, you think I care. 🙂

also for those suggest he's talking about enduro style trail center riding and not 4hr epic gravel bimbles in the hills, he specifically phrased the mountain biking with the time limit. But hey what do i know, go to it.

Can I just emphasise that exercise is exercise, not recreation and not your hobby

Poor choice of language, as cycling (on any sort of bike) could be all three simultaneously.

There seems to have been alot of talk on the radio today about this apparent 60 min limit on exercise and it was confirmed there that nowhere on any formal literature this has been mandated or recommended, but is often talked about.

I think there is alot of spite and jealousy going on. If you live in central London or any other large densely populated town or city then I can see the merit of having a restriction on the time allowed for exercise away from the home because if everyone took 3hrs a day then it would get pretty busy and hard for social distancing to occur. But out in the sticks where alot of us live we can easily go out for a long walk or bike ride without seeing anyone else and it is easy to observe more than adequate social distancing...and ultimately its all about social distnancing with regards to the spread of the virus. So I can see why those living in the city feeling like they're living under greater restrictions might look upon those in less densely populated parts of the country going on their bike rides pretty much as normal and start kick up a fuss demanding the hammer falls on us all equally. Unfortunately I think they're going to get their way and greater restrictions on us all are probably iminent.

There is a secondary consideration in that you should take more measures regarding than normal to not end up in A&E due to an accident and this is bound to affect riskier sports like MTB'ing more. So maybe sending that 20ft gap jump might not be the best idea at this point in time, but your usual XC trails shouldn't be a problem so long as it doesn't get too busy that it threatens social distancing.

I guess we're all Gravel Bikers now

There seems to have been alot of talk on the radio today about this apparent 60 min limit on exercise and it was confirmed there that nowhere on any formal literature this has been mandated or recommended, but is often talked about.

the things is, it's now out there from someone who I guess the people that make the rules ask advice. What is his response to "Well then Jason do you think we should tighten the rules ?"

Id even argue that if you describe it as a bimble then its probably not exercise.

My other half has actually been prescribed exercise by her GP and according to a chat with the GP walking on the local paths does not meet what is required as she cannot get the aerobic requirements due to the crowded nature of the paths. The bimble I mentioned still is aerobic exercise - its just very much wheels on the ground gravel type riding
In order to get the aerobic exercise we either need to travel away from home or ride the bike for a couple of hours plus. or walk thru the city up to arthurs seat or corstorphine hill
Exercise is not just about physical health - its about mental health as well

Maybe we should all take up trampolining?

https://www.shawcowart.com/7-terrifying-statistics-trampoline-safety/

For God's sake, man, think of the children!

I guess we’re all Gravel Bikers now

I'm more a Byway pedaller thank you, two of our bikes are hybrid and one CX...

What is his response to “Well then Jason do you think we should tighten the rules ?”

As anyone in H&S and risk management knows, the lazy and easy way of proving you're great at your job is to generate more rules, more paperwork and be ahead of the trend...

regardless, we're on notice.

I twisted my ankle walking slowly on the flat with Mrs Zip.God knows how but I'm going back to cycling once I'm better.

It's safer.

Get out, stretch you legs, get your heart and lungs working, briefly clear your mind of all the crap going on… but keep it to a minimum. Short rides close to home. It isn’t hard.