Important Advice
Dear fellow riders,
I’m a physician and mountain biker / road-bike commuter in Marin. My wife is an ER doc at Marin General Hospital and was recently chief of staff. I’m reaching out to you to urge you all to ride safely and responsibly during this outbreak. Getting out on the bike is one of the only allowable activities we have right now under the shelter at home mandates (in California, ed), but there are more things to consider during this time than simply “staying 6 feet away” from others. These recommendations are for your safety, the safety of our community, and the safety of the health care workers on the front line right now.
Avoid group rides. New study by New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that COVID-19 virus can stay viable in air for 30 minutes. 6 feet is closed within seconds if you are in a pace line or group ride.
Therefore best to ride solo with family members who are already share living accommodations with you.
Avoid risk when riding to avoid injury. You do not want to go to the ER right now with potential COVID-19 patients there, believe me. And frankly, the ER staff don’t want to have you there given how strapped and under-resourced they are at the moment.
Remember that there are way more people with this virus than the numbers indicate as there is limited testing. Also, we are just at the beginning of this rise and there is likely up to a 2 week period where you can be asymptotic. So even if someone feels well, they can spread to someone else. If you get it, you will then likely infect your family and possible others who are vulnerable. If you are still skeptical about the outbreak overall, just turn on the TV or browse the internet.
Bottom line. For now ride solo or only with family members and don’t take risks.
Thank you,
David Kim, MD