IMBA & 4 Trail Associations Share Best Practices for Riding During Covid-19 Outbreak
If you're somewhere where you're allowed to ride, follow these best practices. This is an evolving situation so make sure to follow the most up to date recommendations from your local government.
International Mountain Bike Association
 | To our friends and partners in mountain biking, Getting out on the trails is tremendously valuable. Trails bring us together, but to keep each other safe, we must keep our distance. How can our community navigate this challenge? First and foremost, refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for best practices, as well as guidelines from your state and local governments. Then, as appropriate, cautiously take advantage of trails and outdoor spaces unless you are feeling ill. We will all benefit from fresh air. Should mountain bikers host group rides or trail work days? Cancel, postpone or reschedule upcoming events including races, trail work, and group rides until there are new government directives. For now, let’s ride in very small groups, keep our distance, and enjoy our trails close to home to minimize the risks associated with car travel. How can trail users pass responsibly with social distance? Stay alert, slow down, and communicate with each other from a distance about how to proceed. With gyms and rec centers closing, there may be new users on the trails. It’s a great time for community education on responsible riding and for being patient, exemplary stewards. We will provide updated guidance on these topics as appropriate. IMBA Local partners can expect more information in your weekly resource newsletters. IMBA is primarily a remote organization. Our team is not traveling and are self-isolating in our homes, including our four-person crew in the Colorado office. To date, the field operations of IMBA Trail Solutions have not been significantly affected. But we are strictly adhering to CDC guidelines, are monitoring this working environment constantly, and are ready to make adjustments for safety and public health at any time. IMBA’s work to create, enhance and protect great places to ride can mostly continue for now. We sympathize with everyone already feeling a significant impact in this crisis. We are preparing for the impacts we expect as best we can, and your continued support will help. Many thanks for your diligence and discipline in this challenging time. Thank you for your support for mountain biking, trails, and IMBA. Stay healthy and stay in communication with one another. We’re all in this together. |
Vermont Mountain Bike Association
| The Association hopes you and your family are doing well. Like you, The VMBA office has been learning how to keep our community safe and figure out how to plan for the remainder of 2020 and beyond. It’s critical that we all find the time and space to remain responsibly social, physically energized and clear headed; especially as we work from home with families. The silver lining is that the outdoors offer all of the above. The office and chapters are aware that folks want to get outside and it looks like an early spring. With that in mind – please check trail conditions before going out. It’s also a great opportunity to get your gravel bike out (or finally flip that old road steed into one). As things play out and more information becomes available, we will update this blog. For now we have the following updates: Events: Last week, the office asked chapters to postpone events at least until April 30th. It looks as though this date will be pushed out indefinitely until recommendations form the CDC and VT State leadership changes. Membership: Like every year, your membership is a critical part of the office’s ability to provide the services that every chapter utilizes. Please consider renewing this year when the time is right for you. Staff: The VMBA office staff will not be attending events of any kind and will be working remotely. If you need to reach any VMBA staff member, please email or submit an inquiry on our Contact page. Trail Days: Being outside in small groups and keeping responsible social distance may be a great way to capture some level of normalcy this year. The office has been in touch with chapters about techniques to consider while hosting trail days. Pressure on trails: The ability to easily keep recommended social distancing on trails is likely to increase use significantly this year. This bump in riders out on trails is a great opportunity to smile, say hello and encourage them to join VMBA in support of the groups that make their time in the woods so enjoyable. Shop Local: The Association would like to encourage everyone to support our local small businesses that will be hit particularly hard this year. These folks have generously given to local trail groups for years. Let’s rally for each other and go out of our way to shop local even more. Check out shop’s social media channels on the different ways that they are continuing to provide service to their customers while still following CDC recommendations. The safety of every Vermonter is the Association’s highest priority. VMBA will remain committed to messaging from the Center of Disease Control and State Officials Be well." |
Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association
| To our biking and trail user community: We know many of you are grappling with how to proceed given the quickly evolving COVID-19 situation. We also know that the trails are a wonderful place to get out with your family and pets, to breathe some fresh air, and take a moment to be grateful for all you have. ***PLEASE make smart and conservative choices when you’re out on the trails! Our local health services and staff simply do not have the capacity to deal with biking injuries at this time, and have specifically requested that we spread the word.*** Also, if you’re out on the trails please be respectful of others and keep your distance, for your own health and that of the community – many people are self-isolating and just hoping to get out for a bit of movement. EVENTS Our events are currently scheduled to start at the end of April. However, we are monitoring this situation carefully and will postpone/cancel events without hesitation for as long as it is deemed necessary. A huge thank you to our sponsors who are doing their best to continue supporting the community during this time. TRAIL CREW Our Trail Crew, who are already experts in social distancing and hanging out alone in the woods, will continue to do their great work and keep the trails in tip-top shape for you all. |
Salt Lake Valley Trails Society
| 1. Give each other space. We recommend a MINIMUM 2 bike lengths between trail users. We know that you will do better than that, you will do your best and still have fun. Air fives, posts and comments are great ways to appreciate the radness. 2. Keep it to yourself. Don’t share bicycles, helmets, gloves, water bottles, snacks, whisky flasks, post-ride beers, vaping devices or smokes with your friends. If you need to loan a pump, tube or tool to someone, have them keep it until they can properly sanitize it. 3. Take it down a notch. Hospitals, ambulances and first responders are under tremendous stress. Work on something fun and simple, like manuals, instead of eyeing up that big gap you’ve wanted to hit. 4. Ride to ride. Putting your bike in/on your car to ride your bike has always been less than ideal. Riding to trails keeps you fit, outdoors, away from gas/charging stations and auto accidents. 5. Go before you go. Lots of trailheads and trail areas don’t have restrooms and nobody wants to clean those that do. Before you ride, take a minute to relieve yourself. 6. It’s snot cool. It’s never nice, but now blowing your mouth, lungs or nose out in the vicinity of others is dangerous to them and will diminish your opportunities to ride with others. Carry wipes or get a long, long, long way away from people and trail with your face aimed at and close to the ground. 7. Ride the couch. If you are sick, in any way consistent with Covid-19 symptoms, please stay home and get well so that we see you on the trail again, soon. 8. Make believe. Pretend that you are already sick and those other trail users are your best friends. It might be true. 9. Have a stash. Keep some sanitizing wipes, a spray bottle of isopropyl and/or disinfecting spray handy, even in your pack. Your trail using friends will appreciate that you are wise and caring. 10. Look out for others. Parents! You need to talk to your children and encourage over-adherence to these and other protocols. We are all in this together, so education, encouragement and calling out others are good tactics. Practice your heckling skills for use during cyclocross season or against those younger and more talented than you. |
North Shore Mountain Bike Association
| Given current events home and abroad with COVID-19, the forest can be a great place to practice social distancing and escape from the world for a bit. As the situation is changing daily, we are asking the community to please exercise extra caution when you are in the forest as our emergency services and hospitals need to preserve capacity to deal with the current pandemic. Let's be part of the solution by keeping our distance, not gathering in large groups, and keeping recreation-related injuries minimized. So keep it slow, keep your distance and make the safest choices when you are riding, hiking and running. On our end, we have postponed our Season Opener to later in the year and are suspending all upcoming trail days and events for a minimum of two weeks. We’ll be constantly monitoring the situation and will provide updates regarding future events, trail days and Fivers. We will still be out making sure the trails are the best they can be for the community. |
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youtu.be/aY8-N8-pn1I
So many people are still walking around spitting and snot rockets.
Stay home if you can't grasp the concept.
Hope some sort of solution to this problem gets sorted out as soon as possible!
im thinking both...lol
www.pinkbike.com/photo/18413480