Cycling's Response to COVID-19

British Cycling - 'Riding a bike is a great way to aid your physical and mental health. Provided you follow the advice on social distancing and good hygiene, it is important to remain active when you can.

Now, more than ever, we must ride our bikes responsibly - that means only going out once a day, on our own, or with people we live with, and keeping two metres apart from anyone we meet, stopping and waiting for people to pass when necessary.

Please only ride on routes you know well, that are close to home and that are well within your ability level; this is a time for calm recreation, not for challenging yourself.

If you’re riding off-road, choose wider trails wherever possible. If you’re on a narrow path, make sure to leave enough space between yourself and anyone you might meet.

While you should only use your bike to exercise once a day, you can also use it to shop for basic necessities, provide care or help somebody vulnerable, and travel to/from essential work.'

British Cycling - 'British Cycling would like to emphasise that our individual liberty to get out on our own and ride our bikes is dependent on continued common-sense behaviour from all of us, and strict adherence to Government guidelines.

We are concerned that, should some people continue to organise and ride their bikes in groups, then the Government will feel that it has no choice but to prohibit outdoor cycling for everyone.

The social value of the bicycle has never been so clear, with key workers relying on it for transport to and from work, and many vulnerable people receiving essential deliveries and medicines via cargo bike. On top of that, millions of us are currently using our bikes to maintain our physical and meantal health.

If the cycling community continues to behave responsibly then we all hope to keep the roads and trails open for use, so that we can all benefit from them in the coming weeks and months.'

British Cycling - 'As above, our recommendation to clubs is that no organised activity (including rides, training, coaching, events) should take place during this period, in line with government advice on social gatherings and non-essential travel.'

British Cycling - 'While the guidance on riding outside (either on your own or with someone from the same household, keeping two metres apart from others at all times, and only once a day) is clear, there are also options for those looking to keep active in their own home.

British Cycling and Zwift have launched an eight-week virtual ride series, which will allow people to ride against others on the popular online training platform. Full details are available here.

Meanwhile, our HSBC UK Ready Set Ride programme contains free, fun resources which allow parents to teach their children the basics of riding a bike. Full details are available here.

Sport England is encouraging people to share their own home workouts using the hashtag #StayInWorkOut.'

British Cycling - 'Organisers are encouraged to request alternative dates for their suspended events if they wish to. However, the calendar is already extremely busy and even under normal circumstances, allocating dates can be extremely challenging. We will try our best to accommodate all requests where possible, by working closely with regions to support calendar coordination, and our online event calendar will be updated as and when events are confirmed.'

British Cycling - 'The sport and the cycling industry are an ecosystem of small businesses and self-employed people who, along with many thousands of volunteers, allow the sport to exist.

Many people and businesses from across our sport will be extremely worried about the immediate and longer-term impact on their lives and livelihoods. British Cycling, Welsh Cycling and Scottish Cycling are in constant communication with UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Wales and Sport Scotland to understand what immediate and long-term support will be available for the sport sector over the coming weeks and months. The sport sector's advocacy organisation, the Sport and Recreation Alliance, is keeping all NGBs updated with guidance.

We are encouraging every person and business owner to turn to your employer (if you have one), your bank and the free HMRC helplines (in England and Wales: 0300 456 3565 In Scotland: 0300 303 0660) to understand what the immediate steps are that you can take to ensure you and your families have enough money to live. There are excellent online resources such as Money Saving Expert which are providing up-to-date advice from financial experts.

Specifically regarding financial pressures for the operators of cycling facilities, we have set up this short survey to better understand the pressures that facilities are experiencing so that we can ask for the support we need from Government.'

British Cycling - 'Thousands of people from across the country are also looking to use their bike to help their communities. If you want to help then read this article and consider becoming an NHS Volunteer Responder.

On Wednesday 15 April we announced that we had donated £100,000 to Brompton's Wheels for Heroes crowdfunder, which is aiming to provide 1,000 new loan bikes for NHS staff. The donation came from the Places to Ride fund, which was set up by Government to secure a legacy from the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire. You can donate to the crowdfunder here.'

Cycling UK - 'Two or more people, unless they are living in the same household. Recreational cycling amounts to “unnecessary social contact”, which risks spreading infection. The longer the time you spend together, the greater the risk.'

Cycling UK - 'Yes. During the coronavirus outbreak, key workers are encouraged to cycle to work and avoid public transport if you can. The roads should be quieter. Stay at least 2 metres away from other people, including cyclists, at all times. You should carry tissues to use when cycling, disposing of them safely in a bin as soon as possible. Upon arriving, you must wash your hands. It’s also advisable to wash your cycling gloves, too. Remember to avoid touching your face if your hands are not clean. For more information, see our commuting advice for key workers. Cycling UK is also offering three months' free membership, including free third-party liability insurance, for health and social care workers.'

Cycling UK - 'The Prime Minister’s announcement did not include a fixed time limit.

In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the regulations provide that taking exercise, either on your own or with members of your household, is a reasonable excuse for leaving your home.

The guidance from Governments in England and Northern Ireland initially suggested that this should only be once per day, but that is not a legal requirement. The guidance in England has however now been changed to recognise that people with certain physical or mental health conditions may need to go out more often.

In Scotland, the guidance does not mention exercise being limited to once per day, but it does say that people should be minimising their time outside their home when undertaking permitted activities such as daily exercise.

In Wales the regulations are different, and there is a legal restriction limiting exercise outside your home to once per day.

Working out how long we can exercise for is also something of a balancing act, and we all need to strike that balance depending on the context. We should ask ourselves what is reasonable, based on where we live, where we’re seeking to exercise, how many people are likely to be there, and what time of day we are venturing outside.

On the one hand, we are all being encouraged to go out once a day for some exercise, for the good of our physical and mental health and well-being. On the other, we are being urged to avoid unnecessary proximity to or contact with other people. We all need to use good judgement in how to get exercise in ways that minimise unnecessary travel, crowds and possible pressures on the emergency services. Think about what's reasonable.

Cycling UK advice is to go out for long enough to keep yourself in good shape physically and emotionally but avoid doing more than this. Use common sense when planning your route. If you have a mechanical mishap that you can’t fix yourself and you’re miles from home, you may struggle to get back without asking someone else to undertake an additional journey that could have been avoided if you’d planned a circular route close to home.

People cycling from their homes in Northern Ireland also need to be aware that the regulations in Ireland are more restrictive, and daily exercise is restricted to within two kilometres of people’s homes. Accordingly, cycling across the border into Ireland for daily exercise is likely to breach those regulations, unless you remain within 2km of your home.

To make it easier to maintain social distancing of at least two metres from other people, try to avoid areas you know are likely to be busy, and narrow paths with limited passing places. Ride within your limits to reduce the risk of requiring rescue or medical assistance. Now is not the time to tackle remote, technical trails, go for a PR on that descent or try a new jump line!'

Cycling UK - 'Yes. Buying essential shopping is one of the "reasonable excuses" to leave your home under the current emergency legislation, and there is no reason not to make the journey by bike as long as you observe social distancing rules. Indeed, doing so is a healthy – and fun – option that also reduces unnecessary vehicle traffic and pressure on public transport.'

Cycling UK - 'Yes, as long as you are feeling well and neither of you are showing any symptoms. Follow the guidelines for social distancing.You should carry tissues to use when cycling, disposing of them safely in a bin as soon as possible.Upon returning home, you must wash your hands. It’s also advisable to wash your cycling gloves, too.Remember to avoid touching your face if your hands are not clean.'

Cycling UK - 'Boris Johnson’s announcement on travel restrictions was not specific about this, and there have been some conflicting messages from the Government. Several police forces around the country initially clamped down on what they deemed to be unnecessary travel, telling people that their exercise should start from home. The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has also said that people should take their daily exercise "as near home as possible".

In addition, land-owning and land-managing organisations, including the Forestry Commission, National Trust, the National Parks and many local authorities, have closed their car parks and are urging people not to travel to visit them.

The strict legal position is that there is no requirement that your permitted exercise must start from your front door; however, please remember that taking exercise alone or with other members of your household is one of the defined “reasonable excuses” for leaving your home. Accordingly, anyone thinking of jumping in a car to travel somewhere to take exercise might need to justify that this was reasonable in the circumstances.

For England and Wales, the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing have issued a guidance document sharing advice from the Crown Prosecution Service on what is and is not likely to be considered reasonable. It states that "driving to countryside and walking (where far more time is spent walking than driving)" is likely to be reasonable, and clarifies that "it is lawful to drive for exercise", so it could be argued that driving a short distance to the countryside to cycle would also be reasonable.

For Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, that guidance does not apply. Police Scotland guidance refers to the Scottish Government’s advice to stay local, use open spaces near to your home where possible and avoid unnecessary travel. The Police Service of Northern Ireland guidance encourages people not to drive to local beauty spots for their daily exercise, and asks people to use their common sense and only leave their house if absolutely necessary.

At this time, we all need to resist the temptation to drive to ‘honeypot’ locations – particularly over long distances – in order to get our daily dose of physical activity. Unfortunately, these are the places where we’re most likely to encounter crowds, and possibly place pressure on the emergency services too.

Instead, we should take the opportunity to seek out quiet and uncrowded places to cycle close to home, preferably places we can cycle to from our own doorstep (our guide to planning local rides will help you do just that). That won’t be possible for everyone, particularly for those in inner-city areas or on fast and busy main roads, or even those in towns surrounded with a bypass that lacks a safe crossing point into the countryside, and potentially for people with – or caring for others with – a disability. That’s where the question of what’s reasonable becomes important. In these cases, do the best you can, and comply with instructions from local police or other authorities.'

Cycling UK - 'The advice from governments across the UK, Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland and similar bodies is clear, and reflects the advice given by National Parks, National Trust and other large land owners and land managers.

People should not be getting into their cars to travel to the nation’s forests, woods and other outdoor spaces. Cycling UK's advice is therefore that it would be irresponsible to ignore that advice and travel unnecessarily to reach those destinations. (See also our response to the question Does my ride have to start from home?)

Of course, for those who live in or very close to such woods and forests, they may be a natural destination for their recommended and permitted daily exercise, which they can cycle or walk to and around from their front door.

Anyone doing so should observe recommended social distancing and hygiene advice and also take even more care than normal to make sure they don’t put further pressure on the emergency services, and respect any trail closures that have been implemented during this time.

It’s not a time for stunts or extreme downhill riding. However for those riders who might otherwise be driving to a trail centre, now is the perfect opportunity to open up an Ordnance Survey map and begin to explore the byway and bridleway network from your front door, taking the time to enjoy a different sort of riding.'

Cycling UK - 'If you chose to ride along a narrow towpath that’s popular with walkers, at busy times of the day, it’s likely that you will find it difficult to pass those on foot while leaving the recommended two metres of space. You’ll end up either riding at walking pace behind people or breaching the social distancing guidelines.

Cycling UK’s advice is therefore to think about the paths you plan to ride on, avoid the narrowest sections when they are likely to have large numbers of walkers using them, and think about the time of day you pick for your ride. Leave plenty of space when overtaking walkers or slower-moving cyclists, and allow time before pulling in again, so that you’re not leaving them in your slipstream. See our guide to social distancing for more advice on how to keep yourself and others safe when you ride.'

Cycling UK - 'For those still needing to get to work, cycling is a healthy option (depending on the distance and your level of fitness) which avoids public transport, helping to reduce overcrowding for those who are more dependent on public transport services. 

The latest government advice on social distancing for those continuing to work specifically recommends cycling as a suitable option for travelling to work while maintaining social distancing.'

Cycling UK - 'No, you should not ride with a friend if you don’t live in the same household, as either of you may be infected, without showing symptoms.'