It’s hard to believe we’ve been living with COVID for nearly a year now. I remember last January, hearing the news out of China of a mysterious respiratory illness and watching Wuhan go into lockdown and worrying about a planned business trip to Shanghai for March. Needless to say that trip never happened.

As we all know, COVID spread rapidly and we quickly found ourselves across the world in various states of restrictions and lockdowns. Washington State pretty quickly adopted (what felt like to me) reasonable guidelines called “Stay Home, Stay Healthy”, which generally advised staying home as much as possible except for essential trips, such as doctor appointments and grocery trips. Levels of restrictions for dining outside of the home have ebbed and flowed, but in general, the guidance has stayed consistent – the more you can stay isolated from the others, the better.

The authorities did, however, make an important caveat in their guidance, which included instructions for being outside safely. By May, Washington State Campground were back open and it was common to see lots of folks on the trails with masks.

Personally, I’ve found a huge benefit to continuing to ride my bike during COVID. In fact, I’ve actually ridden more miles in the past year than I did in the preceding year – maybe it’s because I have more time with nothing else going on?  Read on for a few tips for how you can either keep riding through COVID, or start riding and hopefully get some of the benefits I’ve experienced.

1.       Keep it local and safe.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID patients. The last thing they need is a pile of broken bones from a bike crash. If you’re going to ride, keep it local and safe. Now is not the time to go for that epic downhill mountain bike ride or check out that remote road.

2.       Wear a mask.

As we all know by now, you can spread COVID-19 while asymptomatic. Wear a mask and protect your fellow riders. As a bonus, it’ll keep your face warm.

3.       Make it an adventure.

Ride to places you’ve never gone before (but keep it local!) Can you try grocery shopping by bike? What about looking for new neighborhood art by bicycle? You might be surprised by how far you can go on your bike with relatively little effort and see some things you’ve never seen before!

4.       Give back to the community!

Many food banks and community organizations are looking for volunteers to deliver essentials by bicycle. In Seattle, Cascade Bicycle Club helps organize the Pedaling Relief Project – all level of cyclists welcome!

5.       Track your rides 

I don’t typically advocate for this, but I think it can be really fun to see how far you’ve gone and what you’ve accomplished. I use Strava and try not to get caught up in speed or watts, but just like to see how far I’ve gone.

Good luck and I hope you find joy on two wheels!