Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail: IS IT SAFE TO RIDE BY BIKE?

Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels

For cyclists who ride on a regular basis, the thought of not riding is unthinkable. Doctors have been telling us for years that the health benefits of regular exercise like cycling helps boost endorphins which also help strengthen our immune system and mental and emotional health wellness.

There’s no reason for you to stop cycling as part of your physical routine but make sure you do so with extra precautions.

Keep a safe 6 ft. distance from others, use face coverings and plastic gloves for your protection and dispose of them when you finish riding or wash your bike gloves after your ride. Focus on maintaining your physical exercise habits and remember to do daily:

Start your morning with a healthy breakfast
Get at lease 7 hours of sleep
Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily
Strive for 60 minutes of exercise daily

REDLANDS CLASSIC

The REDLANDS CLASSIC has been the leading, premier professional cycling tradition in the Inland Empire since 1985. It’s more than a bike race, it’s a community event with over 1,500 professional and amateur athletes and over 20,000 spectators over three days in the Spring. The management Team has a tradition of engaging local schools, hotels and restaurants and a successful network of “Host Families” that provide accommodations for international race teams. They have canceled the 2020 Redlands Bicycle Classic and will return in April of 2021.

Photo by Pixabay

Our community leaders are acutely aware of the impact that this health situation has had on our residents and are committed to provide updated, factual information that will help us safely “Shelter in Place”. In the Inland Empire, we are fortunate to have multiple trails available but the “Jewel of the Inland Empire” is the Regional Pacific Electric Trail where we can safely walk, run or ride our bikes for physical exercise. Recently we’ve been up on the PE Trail where neighbors are walking 6 ft apart and are wearing home made face coverings for added protection. It’s reassuring to see the community get out and waive to each other while they are getting some fresh air and sunshine. Many who enjoy the PE Trail daily walk their dogs, our pets are social too, and the Trail has become a respite for the stresses we are all experiencing. Don’t forget to include a portable water bowl for your pets.

During this Covid-19 pandemic unfortunately, most restaurants are closed. But you can support those local restaurants that are staying open for take-out, so consider placing an order and pick it up at the end of your ride. It’s important to take water with you to stay hydrated and an energy bar when you ride and be sure to dispose of your trash responsibly.

Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels

Photo by Victoria Jones

Our public health experts encourage us to exercise but we should always remember to keep a safe distance from others. For those of us who want to keep our physical exercise a little closer to home, you can ride in place using a bike stand and still get your miles in. We are all in this together and these precautions we take today may help slow down the spread of this pandemic.

“Our public health experts cannot predict when we will be “Out of the Woods” so for the time being we should all SIP, SIP, SIP (Shelter in Place) for the whole Human Race.”

Several times a year a group of us look forward to jumping on the Metrolink Bike Train into Los Angeles to participate in the tradition of CicLAvia which are open streets, non-motorized bike events. We all are gladly making small sacrifices to Shelter in Place until this pandemic is over and the CicLAvia event calendar adjusts to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our communities are making adjustments daily for our safety and we all are making sacrifices that are necessary. We’re looking forward to the day we can gather together again with thousands of people and celebrate on our bikes. If we all do our part together now, we can look forward to fully resuming our lives when it’s safe again. Another local cycling event happens every Fall in Upland, California, the “Tour de Foothills.” We’re all hoping that this tradition will remain open so that we can all join together and rejoice on our bikes. So until then, Shelter in place for the whole Human Race.”