And yet half the population – women – manage not to do it.

And yet half the population – women – manage not to do it.

Snot rockets and spitting? It’s pretty common when riding hard amongst those I ride with, ladies, gentlemen and those still to make up their mind.

I can ride from the house to Innerleithen and Glenstress but the tweed valley trails are now closed to bikes. Walkers are fine.

I know these are exigent times – but I really wish Forest and Land Scotland had taken ten minutes to get a pedant like me to check their drafting.

https://forestryandland.gov.scot/covid-19

Parking and facilities shut – clear.

Walking trails open – also clear.

Mountain bike trails shut – kinda clear-ish.

Does this mean you can ride your bike on the walking trails? Can you ride on a forest road or 4X4 track that crosses FLS land?

(not that I am considering doing either of those things – but as people seem to want to find the loopholes)

This was an interesting read and you may want to avoid trying to catch and pass the cyclist ahead for the foreseeable.

Unlikely to be an issue for me.

And yet half the population – women – manage not to do it.

And do you have to refrain from wanting to punch them in the face if/when they do?

No, it’s just blokes spitting in a passive aggressive territory marking way.

Despite posts yesterday highlighting issues of people still visiting the #PeakDistrict despite government guidance, the message is still not getting through. @DerPolDroneUnit have been out at beauty spots across the county, and this footage was captured at #CurbarEdge last night. pic.twitter.com/soxWvMl0ls

— Derbyshire Police (@DerbysPolice) March 26, 2020

Does seem that ‘getting essential exercise’ is difficult for some people to separate from ‘have a nice time whilst getting some exercise’

@hels

You many have seen the recent announcement from Forestry and Land Scotland, regarding the immediate closure of all FLS mountain bike trails in Scotland.

We asked for clarification around this and this is the response from FLS.

‘Whilst forests remain open for local folk to visit without travelling, we’re now unable to maintain our standard trail checks and maintenance. Mountain biking is of course higher risk than walking and forest cycling so we’ve taken the decision to close all of our mountain bike trails – for public safety and also to limit pressure on the emergency services and NHS.

We’d ask mountain bikers to help us by respecting the closure of our trail centres and hope we all stay fit and well.’

We would implore that the MTB community respect this and follow Government guidelines regarding access to the outdoors at this difficult time.

If we all abide by these rules, stay home, and follow the other measures in place – the quicker we can get through this together.

Thank you.

Scottish Cycling British Cycling

None of my exercise is essential, I won’t die if I don’t exercise for a few months – in fact I will jus be like the majority of people! Still riding as much as before though.

It does seem that some people are oblivious to the mental health benefits of getting some exercise.

Having not been able to exercise much at all the last 18 months, I’m more than aware of it’s mental health benefits, thanks.

None of my exercise is essential, I won’t die if I don’t exercise for a few months

None of mine is essential , but for the safety of everyone around me its best i get at least a few rides in every week. Being a logistics manager is stressful at the best of times let alone when your contracts inc NHS supply chain companies and chemical companies.

I guess we’ll start finding out soon what really is essential

I think that drone footage pretty much suns it up TBH.

I think that drone footage pretty much suns it up TBH.

Bit of a mixed message, though. All the cars looked well spread out, all the people looked very isolated. No big groups. In fact generally good social isolation practice. Nothing there contradicted the main message in the government bulletin: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others except for maybe the “you should be minimising time spent outside of the home”. The the headline at end claiming that the message is clear: “you should only travel if it is essential” doesn’t seem to be a message that appears anywhere in government guidance docs I have seen. Happy to be corrected, but as I haven’t seen it and I have read a few and been watching a lot of news it is hardly a clear message.

Don’t get me wrong, I think driving miles to a honeypot spot is a pretty daft thing to do at the moment, I’m just saying that the video posted is a bit contradictory and not quite on message.

“you should only travel if it is essential” doesn’t seem to be a message that appears anywhere in government guidance docs I have seen.

It’s all over everything.

It *is* the message.

The message isn’t “don’t get close to people” it hasn’t been for days.

The message is “stay at home”

It’s literally the *only * instruction under “what you need to do”

From https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

You must stay at home apart from essential travel or you may be fined

I don’t know which part of “stay at home” you think doesn’t convey don’t go out in your car for a jolly.

[sorry nick, that reads very much as a dig at you, it’s not, I just find it exasperating people are trying to frame this as “it doesn’t say…” if people don’t want to follow the advice so be it, but I really wish they’d stop trying to make it sound like it you stood on your head and sang Yankee doodle they are so they feel better about it]

it’s bonkers, the bbc live web feed posted that drone twitter link but made no reference to the fact that on tuesday their own home affairs correspondent said it was perfectly acceptable to drive somewhere to exercise on the main 1 oclock news program. The government advice page needs updating.

Nice to see the Derby police couldn’t resist having a dig at ‘lycra-clad’ cyclists

Essential travel and local exercise does not include driving to locations and going for walks. It does not include lycra-clad leisure cycling on the now quieter roads. It isn't just about preventing the spread of the virus but also reducing the burden on essential services. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/9mDCO8it3j

— Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit (@DerbyshireRPU) March 26, 2020

Seems odd when cycling has been explicitly mentioned as sometihng OK to do – should I be doing it naked?

Agree, the mixed messaging is beginning to be actively dangerous now. Derbyshire Police posted some fairly passive aggressive stuff on Twitter about “Lycra-clad” cyclists and the drone footage of walkers.

It’s almost prompting people to start taking the law into their own hands. Who decides what is local, appropriate to the circumstances, safe/risky, and what happens when Person A decides to “teach Person B a lesson” for being on a bike or similar?

Which is more risky? Taking your big dog for a walk in the hills with no-one else around but that involves a few miles of driving or taking your dog to the local field with half the population of the town also there?

As shown on this thread, there’s a lot of people trying to overcomplicate things, some trying to find loopholes, some quoting their own specific status/needs, some extrapolations (well if X can do it them so can I…)

Derbyshire Police on Radio4 right now about driving to the Peaks, or the park, or woods or whatever…

Which is more risky?

One might infect your immediate neighbours. One might spread the virus to a whole new area.

Which bit of STOP THE SPREAD do people not get? Do not travel for leisure. Do not look for loop holes. Stay local. Stay at home.

But they’re wrong, that’s exactly what exercise is to a lycra clad cyclist. Someone flexing their own opinion there?

As long as you don’t drive to get there I don’t see a problem.

Seems odd when cycling has been explicitly mentioned

Someone mentioned this up there, donning your lycra and heading out the door might only involve a 10minute ride much as I could ride all day in jeans and t shirt but it gives the impression of carrying on as normal and going for a ride as opposed to essential exercise. It’s the same reason walking with poles and 50l pack would be frowned upon really even though going out for a walk is fine.

I the idea is to get out for essential exercise, I *think* what’s important in that phrase is essential rather than exercise. That’s very much my opinion mind, but if guess from the above, the assumption is if its worth getting dressed for, it’s not really essential.

that’s exactly what exercise is to a lycra clad cyclist.

It’s also exactly what leisure is too.

*exercise* they could get by running, or dancing that Joe wick PE thing people keep mentioning or any number of other things. (I’m not suggesting they should do any of these but there’s no reason they can’t, it’s they just want to cycle)

Hmm… self employed who may have already seen their income come to a halt can apply in June for help from the HRMC… so assuming it’ll take “some time” for HRMC to process the applications… that could be, what, six months without income for some? Bloody hell.

@kelvin – no shit, but Derbyshire police arent saying – its Ok if you are cycling out of the door. They are saying ‘cycling is bad’ which directly contradicts BoJo. Its the mixed messages and passive agressive nature of their actions. Plus sending officer to fly drones doens not seem like essential work either.

I went for a bike ride today – I cycled at a lesuirely pace for 20 minutes – 10 minutes along an a-road, turn around and back – seemd the safest way to get a bit of exercise and vitamin D – I still wore full lycra because its comfortable.

Our local council here ahs been very clear though abotu what is allowed (i.e you can’t drive to excersize) and ahve taken steps to close all car-parks to re-iterate this. They have also expalinf that walking, running, cycling are the only permitted excersizes

Cycling will just be stopped if people are travelling to do it. Take the piss, and we’ll all get a blanket ban. We won’t thank you because you weren’t breaking any rules/laws at the time.

Seems odd when cycling has been explicitly mentioned as sometihng OK to do – should I be doing it naked?

YES! First up, print out a transcript of BoJo’s instructions where he said cycling is a legitimate form of exercise. Also, take proof of where you live, to show that you’re cycling from home. Put these… somewhere – store them in your crack I suppose.

…and make sure you cycle past police. They have been instructed to enforce what the government has decreed, not make up their own interpretation of whether lycra is or is not appropriate.

Surely it’d make more sense stopping people NOT in lycra as it’s more likely they’re off round their mates house for a massive virus spreading party.

I guess what Derbyshire police are getting at is that riding big miles to get to, then around, the peak for your exercise isn’t essential. You could do much shorter loops/laps much closer to home.

If riders are spotted in remote places, it’s assumed that they have either driven to get there, or been for a ride that’s outside of what’s essential in distance from home.

“Thirty to forty group!’ yapped a piercing female voice. ‘Thirty to forty group! Take your places, please. Thirties to forties!’

Winston sprang to attention in front of the telescreen, upon which the image of a youngish woman, scrawny but muscular, dressed in tunic and gym-shoes, had already appeared.

‘Arms bending and stretching!’ she rapped out. ‘Take your time by me. One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four! Come on, comrades, put a bit of life into it! One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four! …’ ”

Doesn’t sound like fun. But it is essential. I just hope they remember that the restrictions are to prevent a pandemic not simply for our (and the NHS’s) own good.

@kelvin “Cycling will just be stopped if people are travelling to do it.”

Thats the point isnt it, there was no suggestion in the tweet that they were travelling to go cycling, just that they shouldnt be cycling at all. Which is not gov’t policy.

@nicko74, I can probably tuck them in my surgical mask or latex gloves

Please! Don’t travel to ride, or walk. Don’t travel to do any kind of exercise. Non essential travel is forbidden. Don’t meet friends. Meeting anyone from outside your home is forbidden. Don’t go full enduro-gnar and ride at your usual pace. Injuring yourself right now is a dick move. STW staff have seen all this happening today, and from contacts we’re also hearing talk of further restrictions on movement if people can’t stay home/local. I don’t think the permission to go outside for exercise is meant as an excuse to keep having adventures, or training, or to have a family picnic at the top of the hill. It’s to keep us healthy and sane.

I’m rapidly losing my sanity over people arguing about this – so you’re a lucky person with the privilege to have access to acres of deserted space from your door and you think you won’t do any harm by playing out in it just as normal because technically you’re within the law? Lucky for you. How dare you put at risk the tiny bit of daily outdoor time for a family living in a flat with no outdoor space?

Yours, very grumpily, Hannah.

I think that drone footage pretty much suns it up TBH.

Bit of a mixed message, though. All the cars looked well spread out, all the people looked very isolated. No big groups. In fact generally good social isolation practice. Nothing there contradicted the main message in the government bulletin:

I agree and also going somewhere you can be away from others, rather than a walk in a busy city like say Sheffield seems sensible. My local park is closed so rather than walk the dog in a big open space where you can see and avoid people lots are walking along busy roadside paths. Luckily I know a few more out of the way routes for me and hound.

Sorry, not clear. I’m not allowed to don lycra to go for a ride in my local area – do i also have to go for a run in my jeans and slippers or is wearing appropriate clothing allowed for that?

I live in a rural location. I have taken to a 30 min run each day from my front door. Next week after the clocks go forward i may go for a 1 hour bike ride, also from my front door. I doubt I will see anyone and i will be fully in accordance with the both the letter and the intent of the Government guidance.

Agree, the mixed messaging is beginning to be actively dangerous now. Derbyshire Police posted some fairly passive aggressive stuff on Twitter about “Lycra-clad” cyclists and the drone footage of walkers.

It turned out, from a later tweet, that they were mostly exercised about having come across a club run across the Snake Pass and this seems to spilled over into the weird borderline abusive stuff about lycra.

just seen the whitty advert which is even more woolly than this….

1. Staying at home

You should only leave the house for very limited purposes:

shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household.
any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home.

These reasons are exceptions – even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

there is no mention of the definition of “leave the house” in each of the exceptions so do you assume the definition is the same for each reason ?

“I’m rapidly losing my sanity over people arguing about this – so you’re a lucky person with the privilege to have access to acres of deserted space from your door and you think you won’t do any harm by playing out in it just as normal because technically you’re within the law? Lucky for you. How dare you put at risk the tiny bit of daily outdoor time for a family living in a flat with no outdoor space?

Yours, very grumpily, Hannah.” – don’t know how to do the quote thing.

I think you need to rein it in. Working for STW doesn’t give you the right to preach to people this way, especially when you haven’t thought it through. Those of us who are “lucky” enough to live in rural areas have often had to make many sacrifices to do so. We don’t whine about the distance to supermarkets, lack of restaurants, social life etc that is found in urban areas. We also often continue to work jobs we hate to live where we are. It is not luck, it is by design and, often, sacrifice.

If I go out my front door I have the choice of riding on the road (traffic has barely reduced and an increasing number of drivers seen to think there is now no speed limit) or I can ride on safe gravel tracks. What’s wrong with that? I am riding alone and am totally isolated from other people. If Boris changes the rules I will comply but in the meantime I am being safe (more likely to have an accident doing DIY), I am staying away from other people and I am not driving anywhere.

We (those of us “lucky” enough to live in the outdoors) are not putting at risk you daily outdoor time – it is your neighbours who are getting in their cars and driving out to where we live.

Think it through. I am very grumpy too about this.