Connor Fearon to Sit Out 2020 Season Due to Australian Covid Travel Restrictions

 @yupstate: I'm virtually pissing on this comment and literally would if I did not fear the retribution of my owner for pissing on yet another screen and ruining another device.

 @yupstate: @yupstate: I find it odd how many ICU doctors, public health officials, and epidemiologist hide out on Pinkbike, where they try to convince us about the lies around Covid. It's fascinating. So much so that Sir David Attenborough will be studying them for an upcoming BBC series about the modern life of trolls.

 @yupstate: It's idiots like you that make it so the US can't travel to the rest of the world. Would have been nice to visit Canada this summer. I don't blame them for not letting us in due to the me mentality so many of the douches in the USA have about all this.

 @yupstate: I'm not gonna lie my tolerance for folks who try to hide behind the "im allowed to have my opinion" shtick is starting to get old after the last 4 years in this country.

There was no overraction, this country largely under reacted to this virus. Some states like WA had decent state level responses and good phased reopening plans in place, but for the most part you see states like FL, AZ, TX rush to reopening the moment this started to get politicized at the federal level and those three states absolutely surged in transmission and consequently brought hospital capacities to their knees.

I'm curious: What do you think was an overreaction? If you're prepared to say "well we don't act this way when the flu hits every year" you need to remember this is a novel virus, meaning it has a 100% infection rate when a human is exposed to it. We also have decades and mountains of data on the flu, have massive bio pharmaceutical research studies to help predict and mitigate the flu each year, and we've pretty much obliterated the total annual flu deathcount number in 5 months time with covid. We've had nearly 5 times as many people die from the covid in 5 months then we get with the flu in an entire year. It's easy to forget these numbers or not make sense of them, but there is a reason epidemiologists who quite literally dedicate their lifes work to understanding how these things can bring a population to its knees tried and tried again to give warning. It would seem most Americans aren't grasping the severity or the volume of numbers behind it. The flu also doesn't have even remotely comparable short term / long term effects damage like turning your lungs into swiss cheese, embolisms and blood clots. Sometimes a flu patient will degrade into having pneumonia and in rare circumstances experience sepsis, but the weird side effects we see from the flu dont even hold a candle to what covid has shown to do to patients.

Quite frankly, if America did any WORSE at how they reacted to covid, there would be even more meaningless deaths that this country would have to answer for. I'm kind of tired of people downplaying covid in this country. Every weekend people are partying on their boats or at bars again. We could've been over and done with this if America just sucked it up and actually agreed at the federal level to just stay inside for a few weeks and actually bring this shit down to manageable levels, but no, after 1 or 2 weeks we had american karens losing their shit because they can't live with their mediocrity inside their homes.

America f*cking sucked at its response, saying America overreacted is a joke because we had the absolute worst response of any developed country in the nation. We didn't overreact at all, we under reacted at our response and over reacted at having to wear a mask. And now we look at other countries who are reaping the benefits of actually locking down like adults, and it stings.

 @yupstate: if you've got the credentials to back up you're opinion, then yes. If not, then your opinion doesn't have much to stand on.

Just think about new engineers taughting how much lighter and cheaper than they can do things, especially if no safety factor is used. Then the building collapses and no one thinks about how much they saved on structural components.

 @yupstate:
Do you realise that COVID genuinely does go away if people stay at home? It’s kind of the point!

 @yupstate: What I've seen - and I tend to trust and believe science and epidemiology experts quite a bit more than those with no training in these fields - is that there was some overreaction, but much more under-reaction and even more flagrant lack of preparation. The measures that are being recommended by experts and mandated by some government entities in the US are to protect people, prevent overwhelming and harming health professionals, and (this is important) to keep as much of the economy running as possible. It's not an either/or scenario - safety keeps us operating. Our government's lack of preparation and continued lack of testing, tracing, and PPE availability in this pandemic only contributes to the pandemic's spread and it's economic effect.

 @yupstate: To give a reasonable reply to you. People who lost their job, but not a loved one, will see the response as a major overreaction. People who lost a loved one will see the response as a major under reaction. On a broader scale, I believe history will show that the politicizing of the response will be the main factor that has lead to making the impact even greater in terms of both lives lost AND jobs lost as compared to a non-politicized response where the entire country either ignored the virus OR took it seriously.

 Meant touting. Not sure how swipe keyboard was ok with taughting...

 @IamTheDogEzra: a dog that is intelligent enough to type sentences but still happy to piss on stuff is my kinda dog.

 @watchtower: it is just bark2text but the pissing is 100% authentic.

 @rjrx: when you don't have the intellect to even attempt to hang in a discussion and gotta call someone a blowhard. go read a book and feel free to ligma balls.

 @yupstate: Ah yes, the old "entire planet and all of civilization fakes a global pandemic in order to sway the votes in an upcoming election" trick. You're probably right; makes total sense.

If the above narrative is to be believed, it’s almost as if the rest of the world has come to the conclusion that the re-election of Trump and the continuation of his administration is not in the best interest of human civilization and/or the planet as a whole.

While critical thinking and the appreciation of/for the sciences in general have seen a decline in the US of late, this seemingly new and intensified propensity for Americans to buy into the plethora of conspiracy theories (that abound on social media and the World Wide Web in general) is quite disconcerting.

 @anchoricex: I guess all the furloughed nurses and hospital administrators here in NY at the hospitals that are LITERALLY losing $1-2 million per day because they have almost no patients should go find work in FL, AZ and TX? Winter is coming so it will be nice and warm in those states...should be a nice change of pace. The US should have quarantined the most vulnerable and the caretakers thereof, educated people on social distancing from each other and especially from the most vulnerable and not used fear and lockdown. I'm sorry if me having my own opinion is a shtick that annoys you, but until they disable my account I'll keep replying. It would appear I'm not saying anything that approximately 25% of people don't agree with anyway.

 @yupstate: I bet vaat majority of educated and intellectually honest folks would disagree with what you are saying....if it matters.

Always get a laugh at folks who have a simple solution, its complex, people have Phds in this $%&@ and still dont know what to do.

 @yupstate: @yupstate: I work in an ICU (as a nurse, yes I am a professional on the topic of COVID) and I wholeheartedly AGREE with all of your statements! Seems we are the "minority" but common sense must prevail. There is a small select population of patients who are dying of COVID, almost all of whom have serious comorbidities. Guess what? 97.7% are surviving and either never going to the hospital or being discharged home. That doesn't diminish the tragedy that COVID is, however, people must recognize that alcohol abuse, depression, suicide, domestic violence, poverty, etc is skyrocketing like never before! All people want to talk about is the deaths from COVID, not the millions of lives who are dramatically affected negatively on the daily. Let's be realistic, is social distancing a good idea? 100 percent! Is being cautious and wearing a mask wise? 100 percent! However, there is a cost to shutting things down and making people stay at home all the time. Only a matter of time before people will start seeing the ripple effect of this virus.

 @AirBud: 2.3% mortality is nothing to scoff at

 @AirBud:

@yupstate:

What exactly are you two suggesting? We go back to normal so that hospitals can fill up again with normal sick/injured people so that there isn't a shortage of patients thereby keeping hospital staff on board?

You realize large hospital management is making these moves because of the economic fallout from the March swan event that wiped out company valuations and wealth across the board. I don't expect ICU nurses to understand the economics of why people are furloughed. You're mad at the wrong people. Hospital ownership has been using this as an opportunity to decrease staffing, something they usually aren't able to do easily with unions protecting staff. This has been a money making opportunity for the organizations that run clinics. There's no shortage of ER doctors who are on the same page when it comes to taking covid19 precautions, who come out to beg the public to stay at home and quit f*cking around. There's a dichotomy between what the physicians are telling people and what ICU nurses who are walking around saying "this is bullshit im cleaning doorknobs and im going to get furloughed" but at the end of the day, people upset about how this is going down are mad at the wrong f*cking entities. There is greed concentrated at the top of the private industries that run these hospitals and clinics and they are absolutely being opportunistic at using the pandemic in order to scale back staffing right now.

And between 2-4% mortality rate is f*cking high I hope you know that as an ICU nurse. And thank f*ck for the lockdowns that prevented more of the vulnerable population from getting exposed. Less then 2% of the American population has been exposed to covid19, you don't want to apply a 2-4% mortality rate to the entirety of the population. You'd be looking at millions dead even if that scales down to a 1% mortality rate and only 70% of US population infected. There is no question this is magnitudes more serious then a normal virus due to the entire population not having any prior T-Cell memory to produce antibodies, thats kind of why this is a pandemic. And sure, maybe in your anecdotal experience at the facility you work at the shitty side affects covid19 produces in seemingly patternless parts of the population are rare, but that's you're anecdotal experience. I know nurses at Swedish who've had to repeatedly be exposed to this shit, PPE be damned, who have both ended up sick and they changed their tune REAL quick about the lockdowns, and now no longer wish this on anyone and want the world in masks, want people at home, and want governments to implement real strategies without the bullshit bickering that can actually save lives here. Nothing is okay about a loved one being thrown on a ventilator because they flat out can't breathe, and I've already had to live out the fear of my grandparents getting tossed on ventilators and kept under for weeks. One of those grandparents is no longer with us. It's not okay, it's not normal. And yeah, my grandma sure has changed her tune real quick about covid after she pulled through, and it's a damn shame that's what it takes for people to hop off the bullshit they digest on Facebook.

The rest of the world is on board, scientists, doctors, epidemiologists, universities, bio research companies who are crunching data in real time, they're all on board with pressing for closure because it's the ONLY way to get the virus transmission down to manageable levels. You just have to suck it up and stay at home for at LEAST a month, but this country couldn't do that. Does the economic fallout suck in how it affects jobs? Yes, f*ck yes. Getting furloughed? Blows. Companies restructuring in order to keep their business models alive and thereby permanently laying off untold amounts of employees in the states? Blows, blows ass. Believe me, I work at Boeing and I've watched the pandemic gut punch Boeing after they already were struggling after killing hundreds of people in plane crashes. I've said permanent goodbyes to people I worked with for 7-8 years, close friends and many like family. It f*cking sucks, but hospitals being full means no additional capacity to intubate patients. You know what follows that? Deaths, people who have families and loved ones left behind that otherwise wouldn't have to die if the country could just take this seriously for literally one month out of their lives so that we can all go back to normal and have a real chance at economic recovery.

 @yupstate: yeah... it’ll somehow get dragged out longer. Too many people listening to the fake news and chose to live in fear.

‘As a Man Thinketh’ everyone in the world should read this book. Recollect themselves and formulate their own thoughts and opinions. It’d be much more respectable than what is happening/happened.

 @AirBud: I was just going to say the same thing.
Thank you for your service and thank you for your words. How you’ve gotten downvoted is far beyond me.

 @shizzon: anyone else ever wondered if Trump is earning big for the creation of fake news on Twitter whilst pointing his little chubby finger at all the legit news outlets?

A leader can do a huge amount to swing public opinion and lead their people with strength and maturity in a measured response to times like these... Not Trumpy-boy. His son's recent speech about the perfect world Americans can have if they re-elect his father, couldn't be further from the truth and anyone with half a brain can see how bad a leader Trump has been.

 @anchoricex: I don't know where you're getting your notions from at all, but they are WAY off (I'll be supplementing in some info you may not be aware of as I go).
"2-4% mortality rate is f*cking high": Covid has a mortality rate of 0.26% in the US (According to the CDC). That is 8 - 15 times less than what you say it is. And as you accurately point out, it is also a lot higher than the average of other western countries. That figure includes many cases of individuals who passed away 'with' the virus, as opposed to 'from' the virus. That distinction matters a great deal. Remember, most deaths of people with the virus already had serious underlying conditions, and research has shown that the virus, on average, has reduced the lifespan of those who died by an average of just 3 weeks. Those that died, by and large, were already in the advanced stages of their illness and would have died within the next month had the not contracted Covid. Also, doctors were given discretion to ascribe 'probable deaths' due to Covid that do not require medical confirmation the deceased actually died from the virus. Add to this the undependable nature of the testing (PCR, Anti-body etc.) and the actual number of deaths directly caused by the virus is very likely much lower than the stated numbers, while the number of people with immunity, or those who experienced no symptoms is substantially higher.
" this is a novel virus, meaning it has a 100% infection rate when a human is exposed to it. ". Except it doesn't. Some people are innately immune as they lack the mechanism/ pathway that allows the virus to infect them, while others will have sufficient immunity from previous exposure to other coronaviruses; Conservative estimates put the percentage of the population that fall into either of these two categories at 55 - 80%. Then, there's the proportion of cases that are asymptomatic, or with low to mild symptoms. Those will make up 90 - 95% of those actually infected with the virus. Cases that require hospitalizations are (thankfully) much rarer than they were when this all began, likely due to a combination of better resource management, understanding of the virus life-cycle and treatment, and potentially a decline in the potency of the virus.
"We go back to normal so that hospitals can fill up again with normal sick/injured people": First of all, health services exist to support the people not the other way around, and especially not when they are needed he most. Maybe if the government didn't incentivize hospitals by way of financial hand-outs to treat patients with the virus, offering hem $13K for every patient treated, the hospitals would have triaged better and been more capable of dealing with the 'overwhelming numbers' of cases presenting. Also, as anyone who has ever known someone that was on a ventilator will have been told- ventilators irritate the lining of the airways, causing a high risk of infection and pneumonia. Offering hospitals with patients already presenting with a serious respiratory infection $30K if those patients subsequently require ventilators seems like a perverse incentive if ever there was one.
"they're all on board with pressing for closure because it's the ONLY way to get the virus transmission down to manageable levels. " Are you sure about that? Can you recall any other time in the history of Western Civilization that governments suppressed their citizen's innate human rights so drastically, and quarantined otherwise healthy people? Even in January it was known that the virus had a negligible effect on children, healthy adults would recover and that the elderly and those with underlying conditions were most at risk. Would it not make more sense to protect those who needed it, and let the rest of us get on with keeping the world running. Take a look at Sweden or Holland, they certainly didn't go in for a total lockdown, and their numbers have remained consistent with countries that implemented more drastic, and dare I say panicked lockdowns.
"The rest of the world is on board, scientists, doctors, epidemiologists, universities, bio research companies who are crunching data in real time" Gotta strike while the iron is hot if you want to capitalize on/ profit from the fear-mongering and hype I guess?
"Does the economic fallout suck in how it affects jobs? " It affects so much more than that. Suicides have skyrocketed, families are facing economic ruin. People's hospital consultations and treatments have been delayed- many of those affected may have passed the window of opportunity to control their disease and are now facing a terminal diagnosis, potentially more deaths than were actually caused by the virus. In enacting these measures we've made one thing certain; the world in 6 months time will be a far worse place than it is now for a staggering (and terrifying) number of people.
A couple of other related points:
Initial modelling: The epidemiological model from Imperial College London used to predict the initial spread of the virus was found to be a complete piece of cr6p, with a myriad of coding defects, nonsensical assumptions and it produced wildly erratic results.
PCR testing; Woefully inaccurate (2% false-positive rate- the number of confirmed cases each day is within the margin of error!) and unable to distinguish between active and inactive RNA. It's no wonder so many confirmed cases are "asymptomatic" and why follow-up testing returns negative in many cases.
To call the spread of the virus a 'Pandemic' is definitely a stretch. While the WHO have an agreed definition of what constitutes a pandemic, the bar isn't all that high. Serious, world-altering pandemics, such as the Spanish Flu have typically been preceded by challenging events and environmental factors that lead to populations with severely reduced immune response. Thankfully, we haven't encountered those circumstances prior to Covid.
TL R Covid sucks, it's been handled appallingly at the political level and the measures implemented have done far more harm than good.

 @landscapeben: I don't like Trump in the slightest, I don't pay attention to the things he says (I honestly can't stand the sound of his voice!), but I do listen to Democrats; And I can tell you the world the DNC are steering towards is not one any sane person would want to live in. All their talk of egalitarianism and equity is nothing but a fairy tale. Anyone who buys into it doesn't inhabit reality.

 @SmashySmashy:

Yup

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fhGV1LxeKQ&bpctr=1598441661

 @IamTheDogEzra: i thought what is this guy on? Then i read your name so you really are a dog... at least you won't get da rona woof woof

 ..

 @Clarkeh: I happened to see your comment before it was edited. The big picture isn't what's happening now, it's the turmoil there will be in 6 - 12 months when the effects of the lockdowns really begin to take hold. We can't keep implementing rolling/ regional lockdowns as seem to be de rigour right now- we should accept facts. The vaccine won't very be effective (the flu vaccine is only 35 - 50% effective each year), so in all likelihood we're going to be living with the virus for some time. If we focus our efforts on that assumption we'll be far better off in the long run.

 @anchoricex: You don't have a clue of what you're talking about do you. America can't just lock everyone in their homes like North Korea and that's a good thing.

 @yupstate: This is so true. Hell 6 year old cans of Lysol mention Covid.

 @owlie: I'm thinking that this is largely because other forms/types of coronavirus have been identified and known to infect humans since the 1960's.

This is a perfect example of my comment above regarding critical thinking in the US. A brief search on applicable websites has gifted me with the knowledge that there are currently seven (7) coronaviruses known to infect people (:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html)

1: 229E (alpha coronavirus)
2: NL63 (alpha coronavirus)
3: OC43 (beta coronavirus)
4: HKU1 (beta coronavirus)
5: MERS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS)
7:: SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS)
8: SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19)

The last one on this list is the type that is currently making life difficult for us all, note the use of the word "Novel" in the description.

Definition Time!

Novel:

1: Of a new and unusual kind, different from anything seen or known before
2: Not Previously detected or reported
(www.dictionary.com/browse/novel?s=t)

The current pandemic is due to a new-to-science a coronavirus. Yes, previous forms of coronavirus have existed and run their course through humanity with various levels of spread/damage.

It is also worth noting that the scientific/medical community has not been able to create a successful vaccine for any of the previously known forms of coronavirus. Whether this is due to the technical difficulties of the task at hand or limited/waning financial support I am not sure.

 @shizzon: Excellent clarification.
On your last paragraph, did you come across any info/ statistics on the alleged fatalities of subjects in previous trials for a vaccine against coronaviruses? I'm highly sceptical an effective vaccine can be developed in the next 12-18 months, and even more doubtful it will prove to be safe in the long run given our patchy history in this area.

 @SmashySmashy: Yeah I couldn't be bothered.

 @SmashySmashy: it's liking talking to the wall bro... crickets. Logical thinkers like yourself can't be tolerated here.

 COVID is not the Flu, so talking about how well the vaccine will work when comparing it to the flu is not a valid point

Mortality varies depending on the hospital load. No surprise. Overrun the hospital staff and more people will die (less amount of care, more room for errors, interventions may not be as fast).

Last I checked, the US dominant strain is the Italian strain, with higher virulence and less mortality.

Talking about how people are "logic thinkers" is dangerous. You can drink whatever kool-aid you want, and if you were wrong, oh well. But the people who are actually steering the ship cannot have that Laissez faire attitude, cause they are in change of keeping the populace safe, not reading QAnnon and talking about the deep state.

This is a novel virus. We have no idea what the long term effects will be. Think about that. That little respiratory cough that you had that you thought was a hoax may lead to life long morbidity.

Also, this is not just a URI type virus. Its an inflammatory syndrome. The host of potential complications is much larger than what the flu or some other respiratory virus can do.

This isn't political. Its a pandemic. It really doesn't care if you vote for Jill Stein, or write in Larry the Enticer 69 on all your ballots. It'll knock you down and kill someone you know just the same.

Just for f*cks sake. Respect it as a pandemic. Enjoy safe activities. Don't go to your private basement party pants off rave. Realize that you are not the center of the universe and that maybe your inability to not listen to public health could kill the family of someone you know when you infect them. This Sh!t will end, but resilience and long game strategies are the game for now. 1-2 years isn't much in the grand scheme of things. Losing someone you know because of an @$$hole who thought this was a hoax, that'll stick with you, trust me.

 @schlockinz: I fixed your points for you:
"Covid is not the flu", but chief medical officers across the world have indicated that a top-up vaccine (similar to the flu vaccine) will be required each year, so the comparison is justified. No flu vaccine in the last 5 years have been more than 50% effective (www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/past-seasons-estimates.html). And with our litany of failures (and deaths) when attempting to develop a vaccine for the common cold- another coronavirus- coming up with one for Covid in a severely reduced development time reeks of desperation and is a little like pulling a rabbit out of the hat... which might later go berserk and gouge out your eye. Hope is not an effective strategy.

"Mortality varies depending"... on the individual and their co-morbidities. Many people in their 80s, 90s and even their 2nd century on Earth survived the virus because they were relatively healthy. Sure the hospital load plays a part, but to present it as the deciding factor in whether an individual survives or not is a petty weak argument; There's no data that I know of that supports this either. Healthy individual are overwhelmingly more likely to recover from Covid though.

"Last I checked, the US dominant strain is the Italian strain, with higher virulence and less mortality."
Except Italy has the 3rd highest death rate among those infected, and the US is 65th. Both are higher than the median. So, you clearly don't know much of what you're talking about. Maybe try critically evaluating what you're told, instead of just regurgitating it.

Talking about how people are "logic thinkers" is dangerous."
Because we all know just how safe and non-violent irrational people are.

This is a novel vaccine to treat a novel virus. We have no idea what the long term effects will be. Think about that. That little injection that you had that you thought was a life-saving medical advancement may lead to life long morbidity.

"Also, this is not just a URI type virus. Its an inflammatory syndrome. The host of potential complications is much larger than what the flu or some other respiratory virus can do."
Where others may read "potential complications" an give in to fear, worry, panic and anger, those logical thinkers you derided earlier would be more likely verify the risks involved and follow a more cautious approach. Lockdowns are not a cautious approach, it's the nuclear option; They're an extremely desperate and blunt instrument that has wrought untold misery on millions of people across the world. The only reason they were considered is because the Chinese implemented them, and our politicians are just not that imaginative.

"This isn't political. Its a pandemic."
Don't be so naive. The politics surrounding every step of the response (reaction may be more apt?) to the spread of the virus has been vomit-inducing. I wonder if you cared it had 'become political' when large numbers of "protesters" were allowed (and actively encouraged) to break the lockdown and gather in memory of druggie George, or the Women's March, or rioted with BLM... but those that gathered to protest the tyrannical nature of the lockdown itself during the largest suppression of societal freedoms the world has ever known were vilified, and those that opposed them were heralded as social do-gooders.

"Realize that you are not the center of the universe and that maybe your inability to not listen to well-founded arguments is costing lives."
The ethics behind those that support the lockdowns appear to me to follow this line of thinking: "I'm afraid of what the virus will do to me if I catch it. I'm pretty healthy but others will suffer more if they get it, therefore they would support lockdown too. So I support the lockdowns, out of concern for the repercussions to them, and not me (I swear, I'm not a coward)." The intensity of their shrieking can then be graphed against their cowardice and an obvious linear relationship emerges. Does it occur to you that this "cure" may very well be worse than the disease? How many people's livelihoods will be lost, how will they feed their families? How many children will miss out on an education because their family are destitute- many of those individuals will require support and assistance for the remainder of their lives. How many will feel like there is only 1 way out of this? How many people will be unable to get the medical treatment they require and die as a result of their conditions? What life-saving medical breakthroughs that were tantalizingly close will be delayed or go unrealized altogether because the global economy is placed in an induced coma?

"Losing someone you know because of an @$$hole who thought this was a hoax, that'll stick with you, trust me."
I'm sorry you lost someone. I did too. But blaming it on a random person is pointless and weak, and bringing it up here to add weight to your silly, childish arguments in some vain attempt to convince yourself it does good is as misguided and lazy as those who believe the virus is a hoax. Covid doesn't kill healthy people for the most part. It's highly likely the person you lost would have passed away by now even if they hadn't caught the virus. So do us all a favor and don't put that on people you don't agree with.

 Exactly. )) have no idea how people don’t see that

 So rad to bust out the old bike and rip on that.

 @NorCalNomad: bro he didn't want to, you can't buy a bike here for love or money!! My LBS has a guy waiting until March '21 for a new bike!

Lol jks, I'm sure Connor can get one, and yeah it's sick racing old bikes!

 @NorCalNomad: 26” ain’t dead

 Brosnan is just glad Fearon didnt bring his Honzo.

 This is unreal.... Nobody manufacture 26er tyres anymore.

 @cikudh: I think they do.. Someone else will have to tell you who, because I havnt bought tires in a while

 @cikudh: Maxxis is still making it's most popular ones in 26"

 Plus the user pays quarantine if you manage to get to flight back!

 Yeah totally agree, plus on top of everything it’s near impossible to get travel insurance if you can get out of the country so it totally not worth the risks.

 @nickyz: Plus your more likely to catch it while in quarantine, from other international travelers.

 @shimanodx: are they quarantining people in dormitories?

 @PhillipJ: Hotel Quarantine. It is the main reason why Melbourne is locked down again due to the security guards transmitting it to other guests as well to the wider public as they were caught providing unprofessional "extra services" to the guests.

 Unless your Nicole and Keith

 @PhillipJ: No it's all the big hotels, 4 and 5 star mostly

 This.
At this point it's more like all the remaining races should just be named MTB festivals and not add to any particular overall championship/cup

 @Arierep: Agreed.

 Amen, it is late August. I think the 'season' ended 4 months ago.

 It’s bad, I love bike racing. COVId is super tarded.

 And just think about how history will remember the ‘20 season! With partially filled race teams and starting rosters, limited number of Aussies, Americans and I’m sure many many other racers missing out due to travel restrictions. We are always going to look at ‘20 with an asterisk next to the winners names. I mean, look at poor Alex Fayolle. Guy won a legit World Cup race, with a killer run and a full field and got lucky with the weather. People have been short selling and damning his win since the day it happened, so much so that the poor guy has essentially quit racing. Winning a World Cup/ews etc is a huge accomplishment, it would just really really really suck to get your first and only win and then have the pontificate masses undercut your effort because of the asterisk.

 and that new Process X he's posing with in the top photo...

 Crazy good looking bike for an ‘05 isn’t it?!! Looks way more modern. I have an ‘06 Trans Dirtbag and it still looks amazing- some designs don’t fade...

 @rocky-mtn-gman: oh yeah this bike looks gooood!!

 That would be unreal. They totally should do it. I bet most of the has beens still have period correct bikes.

 We have a retro class here at inside line in adelaide... but this was the first time one of them decided to race the same bike in elite!

 That would be prime

 Conner fearoff perhaps.

 Corner noFearon

 Where are my manners? Please, please, please make some more Honzo edits.

 Have a 2001 Stab Primo hanging up in the shop. It's so pretty.

 I assume it’s the same as NZ; they may have been outside of the country pre-lockdown (last week of March-ish), or chosen to leave (and found a flight...) afterward. The restriction is coming home - mandatory 2 weeks in an isolation facility, which in Oz is mostly self paid. Makes a short trip out of the country not practical, and given the low levels of the virus in Oz (except Vic), not particularly attractive.

 @kit-nz: I read an article today about Warney getting out. Apparently about 22000 people have left since March. I think it had to be arranged beforehand.

 Competing in top level sporting competition would be approved as a reason to leave Australia.

 Literally anyone can leave, any time, if they can a) find a flight, and b) pay for it. It's the coming home that's more tricky. At this stage it's a long and costly wait, for good reason. @nickyz In NZ you don't need a reason to leave - just go. All an approval would give you is a reduction in the cost of coming home.

 I got down voted so thought I’d better check, and sadly I spread fake news. You definitely need an exemption to leave Australia, my bad!

All good to leave NZ whenever you want, probably not many that keen tho...

 Because a single test doesn't work if you've been exposed in the previous day or so. If you catch it in the airport on departure you won't test positive on arrival. That's what the two weeks of quarantine are for.

 @PhillipJ: gotcha. Who really knows-which is the point right...unknowns altho young healthy not havn mich issues with it. US cdc has recently changed its testing recs.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/stunning-reversal-cdc-abruptly-position-tested/story?id=72621714