What's Peoples Opinion On 'local' Riding

[Rik]

So we're nearly a week into lockdown, and I am still none the wiser as to what is considered local. There seems to be a massive grey area around how far we are allowed to go cycling.

How far are people riding?

[BrokenKonaRider]

I think 'local' matters in two ways:

a) It's all about minimising risk and the potential for using valuable health resources through an accident, or transmitting covid if the injured party is a carrier. Keeping local presumably avoids traffic accidents.

b) It also reduces spread, if community transmission is possible through a bike ride

Local to me means a 15km loop from home after breakfast, on wide (quiet!) roads on the uphill, and easy mtb priority single track downhills.

[Claude]

It's the classic "how long's a piece of string?" thing, everyone has their own idea of it.
Anyway, the last couple of days I've been doing loops around the suburb, say no more than about 4km from home at any time. Pretty easy done for me anyway as the 'burb is a bit more standalone on the edge of the rest of the city.

[Rik]

Yeah Loops are the way to go I think. So in the spirit of keeping it local I did laps of the property. Pretty dizzying doing a subdivided 1/4 acre

[swtchbckr]

If you have to drive somewhere to ride, you're beyond local. But then, I could ride the 8 or 9 kms from home to the port hills - would that still be local? So far I havent (mostly because I'm suffering from some weird pain thing related to my back but manifesting in my excruciating hammies, flexors and quads when i move wrong), but even if I could, I think that would be considered beyond 'local'.
I've done a lot of loops around blocks progressively further and further from home, but all within about a 5 km radius. No singletrack to be found tho - just fricking flat suburbia. I've made it my point to ride as many alleyways as possible. Cutting blocks in half and trying to piece the alleys all together.

[Dougal]

I like how we're all riding conservatively to minimise risk. While listening to the widespread drone of chainsaws and fire-wood bench saws.

[Velocipedestrian]

I have plenty of tracks local to me, but most are dual use, dual direction.
When you meet someone on a bench cut with a steep up on one side and a steep down the other, how do you give 2m berth?

[swtchbckr]

I have plenty of tracks local to me, but most are dual use, dual direction.
When you meet someone on a bench cut with a steep up on one side and a steep down the other, how do you give 2m berth?

hold your breath and hope?

[Rik]

I like how we're all riding conservatively to minimise risk. While listening to the widespread drone of chainsaws and fire-wood bench saws.

And that's the counter-intuitive thing about adrenaline junkies. Rather than being a brainless no-fear, got-a-deathwish bunch of morons (huge generalisation of all MTBers), we're actually pretty damn good at assessing risk. Now we may choose to ignore the risks, but we are aware of them.

[Velocipedestrian]

And that's the counter-intuitive thing about adrenaline junkies. Rather than being a brainless no-fear, got-a-deathwish bunch of morons (huge generalisation of all MTBers), we're actually pretty damn good at assessing risk. Now we may choose to ignore the risks, but we are aware of them.

Speak for yourself, my last hospital visit was induced on the footpath.

[DogsBollocks]

I'm lucky, Bottle Lake is literally over the fence so laps a plenty in there. Amazing how many cars are parked outside the locked gates to the carpark with empty bike racks on the back. Even saw 1 dude unloading an electric FFS. Probably the same mongs that wrap dog shit in a plastic bag and hang it in a tree. What's with that ?

[ojnab]

If you cant walk there, or walk back, its not local.

The intention of the rules are pretty damn clear , dont look for loopholes.
Its obvious we shouldnt be riding bike parks or riding offroad in the bush etc.

Unless you are the Minister of Health, then the rules dont apply :-(

[shmoodiver]

New police commissioner put it well... "as far as you would drive for essential services"

[swtchbckr]

....dude unloading an electric FFS. Probably the same mongs that wrap dog shit in a plastic bag and hang it in a tree. What's with that ?

Fucking lazy is what's with that. "I'll leave this here and grab it on the way back " and then completely forget about it.

And don't get me started on those mongs driving to the Pond to ride their electrics. Grrr

[Claude]

My rides in the last week or so have been up and down almost every road in the area so having seen various lockdown challenges people have taken on I decided to bike around the block today - 100 times.
Took 3h49m to do it, total distance 128km.
Had ideal conditions for the first hour and I put probably too much into it, come back to bite in the last 30-40 laps with the breeze having come up, so that part become a grovel to hang on. Hadn't done anything over 2 hrs since Feb too, so that added to the hurt.

Anyone else done any epics?