Cycling in Britain and Ireland During Covid-19 Lockdown
Covid-19 has impacted cycling in several ways, but there are still opportunities to cycle during the lockdown. At the time of writing, both Ireland and Britain are not enforcing lockdown measures to the extent as they are in France. As such, consider the following times when you can cycle legally in both countries.
- Exercise – Currently, you are permitted an hour’s exercise a day. Where you can use this for cycling. Remember to maintain social distancing to avoid contracting the coronavirus.
Important! At the time of writing, if you’re in Eire, you cannot cycle more than 2kms from your house. This obviously impacts training heavily. If you are tempted to cycle more than 2 kms away from your home, bear in mind that there have been reports about Irish police using Strava to track and fine cyclists. As such, if you can’t change your route to stay within the 2kms, you may find it difficult to cycle train. - Essential Shopping – Consider cycling to the shops to get your essential shopping. It may not be proper road cycling, but at least you are on two wheels.
- Travelling to Essential Work – If you’re not working from home, try cycling for your commute. This can be quite an effective way to train especially as roads tend to be quieter due to the outbreak. Still, you need to take a safety-first approach to both traffic and social distancing.
- Providing Care - If you are providing care for somebody vulnerable, this is deemed essential travel. Why not use this opportunity to travel by bike?
- Indoor Cycling – Cycling on turbo trainers and indeed doing cycling related activities is also an option, and you can do this at any time you have a spare moment.
Although lockdown is in force in Britain and Ireland there are still opportunities to cycle train.
Keep up to Date on Developments
It is important that you keep up to date on developments. Today, there is no need for a permit to travel type system in place. Tomorrow there could be. Given the fines in mainland Europe, that is likely to be reproduced in both countries should you need paperwork to travel from A to B.
Safety First
It is important to observe both social distancing and traffic laws. The more we adhere to the safety measures in our daily lives, the sooner we can beat this virus and get back to normality.
Bear in mind that the roads are quiet, not closed. Apply the same level of vigilance as you would normally.
Keep your Spirits
Most of all, keep your spirits high and cycle when you can. We shall get through this and ride in glorious pelotons once more.
More Information
Source: Stickybottle
Submitted: 30/3/2020
