Tag: coronavirus

A Mini-Guide to the Tour de France 2020.
The 2020 Tour de France is under way!

Even the start of this year’s race is an almost unexpected triumph.

Questions have been hanging over the 2020 Tour ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the early abandonment of the regular professional cycling season, and the official postponement of the Tour de France in April. For a long time it wasn’t certain le Tour would be staged at all in 2020, and the race was still in doubt right up to the start.

Speculation and debate intensified as the region saw an alarming increase in new COVID cases in the last few days. Is it irresponsible and impractical to allow the race to proceed, or is it a reasonably well-controlled risk given the extraordinary precautions taken by the organizers?

Riders and politicians alike admit it could easily go either way – with luck, battling all the way to Paris, or without it, packing in after only a couple of days.

Neither outcome would be surprising, and that points to a most significant effect of the pandemic on the 2020 Tour de France: an enormous amount of uncertainty. Add Coronavirus outbreaks to the list of surprises that can unexpectedly change the fortunes of the race. Previous Tours already suffered cows on the road, terrorist attacks, mud slides, striking farmers, strong-arming gendarmes, interfering fans, and lots more.

How the 2020 Tour de France adapted to cope with Coronavirus

New rules and accommodations for the pandemic will change the experience for riders and fans alike. More people are expected to watch the race on television this year, with fewer along the route, so the stages include less time trialing and more locations for dramatic televised finishes.

The key tactics to deal with COVID are keeping the entire race in as tight a bubble as possible, and frequent fail-safe testing.

All hotels and transports along the way will be restricted to race personnel only.

If any 2 riders on a team are strongly symptomatic or a positive test result is confirmed, then the entire team is eliminated.

Routes that are normally lined with cheering fans will have restricted access, in villages, sprint zones and even mountains. No selfies and mingling before and after stages. Mandatory masks all round, though local authorities along the route are expected to have those requirements in place already.

It’s really not clear what will happen if the race must be abandoned before reaching Paris, or if there aren’t enough competitors left for the race to be viable. Would the leaders be officially declared as winners, no matter how far the race actually ran? The rules don’t seem to specify what happens in cases which have rarely if ever cropped up before, but are a distinct possibility now.

The 2020 Tour de France Route – heading into the hills early, with very little let up before Paris

This year’s Tour began yesterday, Saturday August 29th, in Nice, the resort city on the Cote’d Azur, where cafes in the shade of palm trees overlook broad beaches and sparkling Mediterranean waters. Nice is just a few miles from the Italian border to the east, and the towering Alps to the north.

The Grand Départ showcased the sprinters along the beachfront after a hilly circuit near the city. An early breakaway made things interesting through the hills, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. Rain made the course tricky and the stage was filled with crashes, including some race favorites, with some riders sustaining injuries. The peloton cooperated to moderate speed later in the race, and finish times were taken at the 3km to go marker rather than risk more serious crashes in the inevitable mass sprint.

The finish itself was well worth the wait, with Alexander Kristoff turning in an impressive burst of speed to claim the win over Peter Sagan. Kristoff is the second Norwegian ever to wear the Yellow Jersey; Sagan claimed the Green Jersey.

Today the race heads into the mountains of Provence. The region is famed for its picturesque flower meadows and fresh cuisine, less so for its leg-bending ascents.

Those climbs offer the kind of punishment usually served out only after at least a week of racing. This means big strategic time gaps can open up very early in the race. Attacking and defending those gaps will be key to deciding the podium contenders over the remaining stages.

There are only a couple of stages in the Pyrenees, fewer than usual, followed by varied stages in the maritimes and lush valleys in the west, through lowland country up to central France, then back into the high Alps before a couple of days in equally challenging terrain toward the northeast. If all goes to plan, the Tour will finally wrap up in Paris with the usual display of racing against the backdrop of the capital’s iconic monuments – made for TV.

The route promises an exciting mix of mass sprint finishes, days made for puncheurs who can climb multiple smaller hills then smash out a strong sprint, and showcases for pure climbers who can leave rivals behind on grueling ascents.

This may be one of the toughest Tour de France routes yet, according to riders who have reconnoitered it. From the spectator’s perspective, this is a Tour where the possibilities for advantages to be won and lost emerge early, and do not let up until the peloton arrives in Paris. It could be anyone’s race, and will be a nail biter to watch.

Favorites to win the 2020 Tour de France and riders to watch

Setting aside the potential of COVID flare ups to throw everything to the wind, this years’ race features several riders with the strength and experience to prevail, at least on paper. It will be fascinating to see who can use the unusual staging of the route to their advantage.

The racing is expected to be faster and even more intense than usual, because of the very limited race calendar. In a typical year the teams would already have been battling it out for several months of stage races, one day classics, and the earlier grand tour, the Giro d’Italia. This year, legs are far fresher.

This also makes it harder to gauge who has timed their build up well, and who is hitting peak form for the Tour.

Two riders missing from the lineup this year are Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome. Neither showed enough form in the Critérium du Dauphiné (a stage race often used as final prep for Tour de France contenders) to be chosen for their TDF squad. They will focus instead on the Giro and Vuelta d’Espana respectively, giving them more time to regain full fitness. It seems odd to have neither of them in the Tour, since between them they have won 5 of the last 7 Tours.
- That leaves last year’s winner, the young Columbian Egan Bernal, as a natural favorite.
- Look out also for Primoz Roglich and team mate Tom Dumoulin – Dumoulin has great strength with superior time trial abilities, and was a serious contender last year. Roglich is tough, experienced and dominated the pro circuit late last year, though his withdrawal after a crash in the Dauphiné leaves a question mark. The same goes for Bernal actually: he withdrew earlier in the Dauphiné with back problems which apparently are still troubling him.
- Pinot Thibeault – a perennial Tour de France presence who has been dogged by bad luck. Last year he looked ready to seize the race in the Alps when a thigh injury took him out. He certainly has the climbing ability and guts to reach the podium. He was banged up in the Stage 1 crashes, so it remains to be seen if he will be able to shine this year.
- Julian Alaphilippe – held the yellow jersey for a long stretch last year, and showed he has what it takes. He’s downplaying his hopes this year. Don’t be fooled!
- Adam Yates – still has youth on his side, finished 4th in 2016, has several stage wins to his credit, and could well have the strength and experience to prevail at last.
- Richie Porte has supported Chris Froome in several previous Tours, and showed the ability and tenacity that could place him on the podium in his own right. His support will not match the big teams, but if the breaks go his way, he could be a contender.
- Don’t count out Roman Bardet either. He’s a popular French rider whose best days in previous Tours show that he could rightfully claim a top G.C. placing.
- Do count on Peter Sagan to take the Green Jersey in the points classification once again. No one else in the lineup has matched his ability to win sprints on both the flats and the hills in many past Tours, though there are a couple of riders who might get close this year – keep an eye on Wout van Aert and Sam Bennett. As of midway through stage 2, Sagan is fighting hard to pick up points behind yesterday’s stage winner, Kristoff.
All that said, it will be especially hard to predict who will finish on the podium this year, even as the race unfolds – not only because of the contests of strength and determination, and potential disasters of crashes and mechanicals, but because of the more random risk of infection.

It would be truly painful to see a leader eliminated from the Tour because of the virus reaching his team mates, after all the effort and skill it takes to get to the front of the race.

We will have to look on whatever happens philosophically, as just one more of the uncertainties hanging over our lives during the pandemic. It’s one more addition to the daily dramas, battles and pitfalls that make pro stage races like the Tour de France so compelling to watch.

La Course 2020 – The Women’s Tour de France Event – Gives an Early Highlight

The women’s race was staged as a one day event over some of the same route used for the men’s stage 1. Originally conceived to run in Paris at the end of the Tour, La Course was moved to Nice as another concession to the pandemic.

The route was a great setting for a competitive race. An early breakaway was reeled in by the peloton, but another attack on the main climb let a small group of the strongest riders get away. The race came down to a close sprint on the beachfront finish, where Britain’s Lizzie Deignan edged out Marianne Vos, a previous La Course champion, with a perfectly timed bike throw. Deignan is based in nearby Monaco, and felt she almost had a home advantage. It doesn’t hurt that she is having a great season, and after this and a big win just 5 days before she is now the UCI’s top ranked woman cyclist.

As a footnote to this year’s Tour: word is that a Women’s Tour de France is planned for 2022, to run after the men’s Tour is finished, and featuring multiple stages. Stay tuned…
August 30, 2020
SELF CARE FOR CYCLISTS DURING COVID-19.
The last few weeks in lock-down mode have been filled with troubling news, inconvenience, or much worse.

Our hearts go out to those families affected by the loss of loved ones, or the distress of sudden hardship. Our hearts go out to those who work on the front lines in this pandemic – the people who care for us, feed us, and keep our society running.

In spite of everything, we feel there’s a lot to be grateful for. We cyclists have the additional gift of a favorite activity that lets us enjoy newly empty roads as we restore our balance.

Even so, we are dealing with extraordinary times with a lot of uncertainty. It’s a time for extra TLC, for those around you and especially for yourself. Here are some resources and tips we have gathered as we have worked on getting ourselves and our families through the Coronavirus crisis in good health.

Practical ways to take care of yourself

It’s important to maintain physical and mental health to help cope with stressful circumstances. Cycling certainly helps with that, along with other physical activities that get the heart racing and endorphins flowing. In fact, an innovative program was started recently in the UK, where doctors are actually prescribing cycling as a cost-effective, medication free treatment for some patients.

That said, it’s possible for too much of a good thing to take a toll. If you are cycling a lot more all of a sudden, outdoors or stationary, it’s a good time to pay more attention to rest and recovery.

Foam rolling – your new favorite post-ride activity.

Foam rolling is a key technique for physical therapists, and the secret behind the performance edge of many athletes who push their limits.

For the rest of us, foam rolling can loosen up the muscles and tissues that tense and tighten after strenuous workouts. Breaking up tight spots and clearing lactic acid from sore muscles can fix those creaky limbs and get you ready for the next ride much sooner.

Foam rollers are available in different grades of hardness, from soft to seriously ouch. The color indicates the grade – white is a good starting place. Try a cheap one to begin with, and upgrade if you find your technique or sore spots demand it.

This article on prevention.com gives a nice overview and some basic foam rolling exercises to start with.

Wearing a face mask while cycling

Here in Vermont we are now required to wear face coverings whenever we are in public places. This follows CDC recommendations, and some other areas are setting it as a mandate too. That raises questions for those who are outside getting some strenuous exercise. Should I wear a mask while cycling or running? Should I wear a mask the whole time like some authorities are saying, or just when I’m around people? Does wearing a mask actually help at all?

The last question is easiest to answer – masks definitely do reduce transmission of micro-droplets in the breath. Since it’s pretty certain that around 25% of people who contract COVID-19 don’t show symptoms, and almost everyone who gets it is asymptomatic for the first few days but can still infect others, wearing masks will slow the spread.

One thing to keep in mind is that wearing a mask is not really about protecting yourself from infection, but about making sure you don’t pass it to others if you already have the virus and don’t know it. It’s a gesture of consideration for the people around you.

Some guidelines suggest wearing face coverings at all times outside. This might seem pointless when the real danger is from being close enough to others where droplets could be exchanged – within the 6 foot radius and in enclosed spaces. Common sense might suggest wearing the mask only when close to others and not for the rest of your ride or other time outside. However, I think the guidance to wear a face mask at all times out of the house is given for a couple of reasons:

First, it removes any ambiguity about when to take the mask on or off. When your mask is on all the time there’s no need to decide if it should go on or come off to suit the circumstances. It removes the risk of getting it wrong.

Second, once worn, the mask should be considered to be a contaminated surface, and taking it on and off repeatedly means more possibility of moving microbes to your face, and undoing any benefit the mask gives you and those around you.

With those thoughts in mind, it makes sense for each of us to balance the benefits of wearing masks in proximity with others with the need to breathe while riding. On the down side, masks can get waterlogged from hard breathing, and a soggy mask is ineffective. People who wear glasses have an especially hard time with their masks fogging up.

Some cyclists find wearing a buff that can be pulled up quickly when needed is a good compromise. The material in most buffs is less than optimum for virus-trapping protection, but is certainly better than nothing.

Keeping a mask handy on a ride where you will only encounter others occasionally is probably fine. If you ride bike paths or trails where there are lots of others, or you won’t have time to anticipate and adjust, you might want to keep your mask on.

If you wear one, keep a keen awareness of where you touch the mask, and avoid touching your face with potentially contaminated fingers. If possible, touch only the tapes or elastic and not the mask itself.

The CDC has plenty of information about face masks, and the New York Times has some very helpful articles, like this one on how to make a face mask with easy to find materials.

Beyond the physical – taking care of your state of mind

This article in Bicycling magazine offers some good ideas about self-care for cyclists, particularly around easing off from racing and training to take some respite from the daily grind. The shut down may bring disappointments and inconveniences, but also presents opportunities to strip away the unnecessary and refocus on what’s really important in your life’s journey.

If you’re lucky you may actually be riding more now, and getting the benefits for both physical and mental health that cycling brings. On the other hand, many of us are juggling the competing demands of work, kids, and running a household with fewer resources. It may be possible to work in some sanity-time on a stationary bike, or with a core workout here and there, but in these times it might well not be enough to really overcome the underlying sense of uncertainty that many of us are feeling now.

Those feelings are distressing of course, so it can be tempting to avoid feeling them at all. That rarely helps in the long run.

Feel what you feel.

It’s important to allow yourself to feel what you feel – fully, but then to separate yourself from the feeling and let go of it. You are the feeler, not the feeling itself. The feeling will pass. First experience it, then consciously let go of it.

If that seems easy to say, hard to do, mindfulness exercises can help you get toward it.

Mindfulness is very helpful for achieving calmness, dealing with uncomfortable feelings, and regaining a sense of solidity in the present. It brings you back to what is, rather than what may be. My wife Kathy works with groups to encourage self-care, and has tons of great resources. She passed this one along: a link to an introductory mindfulness course she recommends.

“Anxiety is basically holding space for too many What Ifs. Come back to What Is.”
– Rachel Meisels

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Another key to self calming is truly simple – breathe.

Remembering to breathe fully is tough when the pressure is on, but paying attention to how you inhale and exhale has great benefits.

First, it is truly calming. Navy Seals use these same techniques to maintain clear, calm thinking in the middle of a firefight.

Second, the techniques for filling your lungs transfer to cycling. Better breathing can make a real difference, especially on those long hard climbs where getting extra oxygen to your muscles really counts.

We tender hearted cyclists can learn a lesson from this battle tested Navy Seal’s video, shared with me by a friend. If you prefer a different guide, try searching on box breathing technique, or yoga breathing.

Key points to take away:
- Breathing with attention lets you fill your lungs more completely, and exchange more air.
- Deep breathing supplies more oxygen to the body, and takes the body out of stress mode, right down to the cellular level.
- Breathing through the nose rather than the mouth makes more oxygen available in that breath, and activates parts of the nervous system that reduce stress response.
- Five minutes of deep breathing with attention can make a real difference to your state of mind for much of your day.
I hope these self-care nuggets help you cope in these strange times. Working together, we’ll get through it, and eventually we’ll be stronger for it. There’s a lot to look forward to, especially the time when we can celebrate our collective resilience and endurance in person, with races and group rides, cook outs and dinner parties, without Zwift and Zoom.

In the meantime, take care, and be kind to yourself.
April 18, 2020
CYCLING IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS.

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We’re all glued to the news, and naturally, we take special notice of stories from the world of cycling. Cancelations, restrictions, postponements are happening all over, but thankfully there are some brighter moments too. All in all, it’s still a good time be grateful for the healthful freedom cycling brings us, however we manage to enjoy it…

How to keep cycling during the Coronavirus crisis

With social distancing becoming the norm across the country, the likelihood of shelter-in-place requirements becoming more widespread, and self-isolation as a way to protect our families and communities, we’re asking what’s safe and best to do?

At least for now, our answer is to keep riding outside whenever it is safe to do so, and doesn’t conflict with the recommendations of your local health or other authorities. There’s hardly a better way to keep fit and lower your stress level than to ride a bike in the fresh spring air.

If you can ride outside – enjoy!

If it isn’t practical – or even allowed – to ride outdoors, here are tips from the terry team to help you get set up for indoor cycling, and to stay motivated.
Read more…
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There are some more immediately practical benefits of cycling too, as commuters in some U.S. cities would surely agree.

Bike share and commuter riding goes through the roof as commuters avoid subways

It was encouraging to see bike ridership double in many cities, as people avoided subways and car pools, taking to the bike lanes to keep a safe distance from others and avoid recirculated air. Many people dusted off long-neglected bikes, and bike-share racks were rapidly cleaned out. Perhaps they will rediscover the joy of cycling along with the benefits of bike commuting, and keep riding once the threats perceived in public transportation have subsided.

Cyclists facing fines in some regions

Much less encouraging, in some parts of the world cycling outdoors is no longer an option. In Spain for example, the situation has been evolving over the last week or so. At first, people were told they could bike to work or to go shopping, but could not ride for sport. In practice, some local police were far more strict, threatening fines for anyone riding a bike.

In France and Italy it’s still officially allowed to exercise outdoors alone, cycling included, though it may only be a matter of time before this changes.

It’s very hard to imagine a cycling nation like the Netherlands without bikes in the streets. For now, bike shops have essential business status, and are staying open while bars, cannabis cafés and sex shops are closed.

Here in the U.S. it’s even harder to picture restrictions on cycling like those in Spain. Even so, since California placed a shelter-in-place order on about 9 million people, and the same tactic to stem the tide of COVID-19 infections is being considered in other places, it now seems possible.

As in other sports, the Cycling season is on hold or canceled

The season opening French stage race, Paris-Nice, was wrapped up a day earlier than planned, and that may well mark the early end of the French professional racing calendar for 2020. In Italy, the Giro d’Italia was postponed until Fall, although no changes have been made to the Tour de France… for now.

One of the strong reasons accepted by the many professional cyclists who live and train in Spain is that any crash (an ever-present danger for those who ride at their limits so long and so often) would take medical attention and resources away from those battling for their lives with COVID-19 infection.

Since Italy and Spain were the earliest and worst affected countries in Europe, the restrictions have grown tighter as authorities try to slow transmission of the virus. Most people are now being told to stay at home except for pharmacy and emergency trips – cycling for any reason is not really an option any more.

Celebrate the freedom of cycling, even in a world of restrictions

As cyclists we know riding a bike is a healthy and energizing activity, a low-impact form of exercise that clears the mind and strengthens the body. Cyclists enjoy better health than many others, generally, and surely strong hearts and lungs can only be helpful in fending off the effects of the virus if we do contract it.

We don’t know what the weeks and months ahead hold for us, but as cyclists we do have a sport/hobby that unites us in healthful activity, mental refreshment, community and companionship. We’re here to help you on your journey, so please stay in touch, keep riding as much as possible, and encourage others to do the same.

Here’s to tailwinds to come.

Read our top tips for making a fun indoor cycling set up, and staying motivated to ride indoors during the Coronavirus pandemic.

March 22, 2020
FAVORITE QUOTES FROM THE WEEK.

“The pause button has been pushed.”

I’m a girl scout at heart…

If you tell me something is about to happen, I prepare.  In Vermont, this scenario usually comes in the form of an impending snow storm. I am the person who checks the pantry to be sure we have a day or two’s stock of everyone’s favorite goodies and basic staples.

For the past two weeks I have behaved in a similar manner, with one exception… I knew we would need more than a day or two inventory to get through, and since I live with my mother, the fewer trips out into public the better.

As of last Friday, all was good at home, my office grew to more of an at home command center and I was ready for all that might unfold.  The new Terry catalog was arriving in homes and lots of spring rides were in the planning stages, so I had no shortage of projects to keep me busy.

Today, I have a new hurdle…. how do I navigate the quiet waiting?  With a snow storm, I go to the window to see how many exciting inches have fallen, and dress for a romp in the snow with my dog.

This is not exciting, and we’ve all been in need of support.  So I looked to my wonderful customers and here are some of their thoughts of inspiration and direction:

“Dress for the weather and enjoy the lighter traffic!! ” Nancy in Indiana

“We can still ride, right?!” Buffi in New Hampshire

“My bike is powered by positive thinking.” Terri in Pennsylvania

“The weather is too nice to ignore.” Melissa in Florida

“This is an opportunity to focus on ourselves and our well-being, because for this one moment the pause button has been pushed. Don’t squander this opportunity to focus on yourself and do some of those back burner things. Declutter your life by only adding back to your routine those things that really inspire you.” Anne-Christine in California

“The last few weeks I’ve been eating my way through the stress and I am grateful for the relaxed fit options as I get back on track!” Lisa in Vermont

“Thrilled to see an Indigo short.” Marti in Colorado

“Rode from Paris to Prague last year and hope to bike in Spain later this year…in the meantime I’m still riding outside even though it’s still chilly here.” Felice in Oregon

“I bought a spin bike 3 months ago and am very grateful for not only the exercise but the mental health boost.” Sharon in greater Chicago area

“I forced myself to ride today, because I knew I’d feel better…and I did.” Kelly in Pennsylvania

And a few that came after our CEO, Liz, sent out a note about what we are doing in the midst of all this:

“Thank you for this message. I appreciate each effort made for all of us. Here in MN, snow still around, howeevr biking will be possible eventually. Always to improve outlook, and literally practice balance. Virtual hugs,” Lin in Minnesota

“Good on you, Liz and your team! It’s because of your conscientiousness, I’ll continue to be a loyal customer and refer you to all my bicycle riding friends.” Long-time customer, Anita

“Thank you for communicating this. I am so glad to see that as a small business you are able to prioritize employee health and safety along with continuing operations and customer service. I was already a loyal customer, and this is just another reason to remain so!” Another long-time customer, Kathy

From all of us at Terry – THANK YOU for hanging in there with us and giving us these words of encouragement. You keep us rolling.

Lisa Wilkes has built the customer service department for Terry and gets more personal fan mail than all the rest of us combined. She’s also in charge of our Ambassador program, runs events and supports women’s cycling in a wide variety of ways. As a former cycling coach, this all comes naturally to her and as a result, we lean on her for advice and morale boosting – now more than ever.

March 19, 2020