Category: Uncategorized

Good news: based on the county guidelines, outdoor activity like cycling may resume (with precautions for masks and social distancing).

Ride On!

“On January 25, 2021, the California Department of Public Health announced that the Bay Area Region is no longer subject to the State’s Regional Stay At Home Order. However, Santa Clara County continues to experience an alarming rate of COVID-19 transmission, and hospital and ICU capacities remain extremely limited in the county and region. The danger COVID-19 poses to our community has not subsided, and the County Health Officer urges businesses, entities, and residents to continue exercising the utmost caution even as certain restrictions are lifted by the State.”   What this means for the club:   Recreational sports may resume, subject to the new Mandatory Directive for Youth and Adult Athletic Activities. Highlights from the above reference: – Practice Physical Distancing and Hand Hygiene at Gatherings – Wear a Face Covering to Keep COVID-19 from Spreading – everyone must wear a face covering at all times during a gathering (limited exceptions for eating/drinking, speaking/presenting with social distancing) – Stay Informed

Unfortunately, once again we must temporarily and indefinitely cancel all official club rides. This is in response to the County of Santa Clara recommendations. I have included a summary of the restrictions below.

Last Revised: December 4, 2020— IMPORTANT NOTICE —   Under the State’s December 3, 2020 Regional Stay at Home Order and the County Health Officer’s December 4, 2020 Mandatory Directive Implementing State’s Stay At Home Order, all gatherings with members of other households, whether indoors or outdoors, are temporarily prohibited, except outdoor religious worship services, political events, and cultural ceremonies of up to 100 people. Taken from https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/mandatory-directives-gatherings.aspx

We have contacted our legal team to determine whether or not we can declare ourselves a religious organization as we are considering changing our club name to Sunnyvale Cupertino Church of Cycling or the Lemon Head Church of the Rolling Wheel (LHCoRW).   🙂

Exercise is important and we encourage you to continue to ride individually.

Stay safe everyone!

Social distancing is the new norm during this pandemic. Many guidelines ask us to maintain a 6 foot spacing and local guidelines allow us to leave our shelters for exercise. But how close is too close while exercising?

A Dutch study uses this thing called science to predict exposure rates as a function of distance while walking, running, and cycling. I encourage you to read the entire article which references a study by the KU Leuven (Belgium) and TU Eindhoven (Netherlands). (1)(2)(3).

Summary:

• When you go for a walk, run or bike ride you should be more careful.
• When someone during a walk/run/bike ride breathes, sneezes or coughs, those particles stay behind in the air. The person behind you in the slip-stream goes through this cloud of droplets.
• It is important to note that you need to avoid each other’s slipstream
• Recommended distance for walking: 13-16 ft (4-5.5 yards)
• Recommended distance for running / slow cycling = 33 ft / 11 yards
• Recommended distance for hard cycling = 66 ft / 22 yards

Judge for yourself what “hard cycling” actually means, but 22 yards is roughly the length of a short course swimming pool.

Thanks, Bob for finding this one!

References cited in article:

(1): https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/belgisch-onderzoek-fietsen-joggen-of-wandelen-doe-je-best-niet-achter-elkaar-in-tijden-van-corona~b60aece6/

(2): https://www.hln.be/wetenschap-planeet/wetenschap/belgisch-onderzoek-fietsen-joggen-of-wandelen-doe-je-best-niet-achter-elkaar-in-tijden-van-corona~a60aece6/

(3): http://www.urbanphysics.net/Social%20Distancing%20v20_White_Paper.pdf