Pro team body orders members’ riders to stop training outdoors; Mason Cycles says wait 72 hours before unboxing; Boardman: Cycling "safest local transport option"; UK first zero emission street; Govt urged to back cycling during crisis + more on live blog

Weekly shop done for a family of four. pic.twitter.com/fggFUqbsBk

— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) March 18, 2020

Not if you have an electric cargo bike with ample storage solutions, as shown by Coventry's new Bicycle Mayor Adam Tranter. 

The online retail giant Wiggle will be staying online this year, telling road.cc that all their events are off for 2020. This includes three sportives that their in-house clothing brand dhb was partnering, plus August's Festival of Sport in the New Forest. 

A statement says: "We’re passionate about sport and it saddens us to have to do so, but due to the quickly changing situation we have to put the safety of our customers, staff and the wider community first.

"All current ticket holders have been contacted and will receive a full refund. We hope we will be able to bring these events back to our customers in 2021, but for now we need to watch the unfolding situation and follow what is safe and best for all."

Whether it's a good idea to be using bikeshare schemes right now we don't know, but even so Beryl have just launched their latest one in Norwich. 

A fleet of 225 bikes are available initially, with another 465 rolling out later in the year along with the launch of e-bikes. Bikes will be available to pick up and drop off at an initial 47 Beryl Bays increasing to over 70 being installed across the city. Some car parking spaces will be repurposed and the council are planning to build more cycling infrastructure in a general push to make the city greener.  

Councillor Martin Wilby said: “Norwich is already one of the country’s leading cycling cities. This scheme will allow us to build on that by offering people more flexibility and choice around sustainable transport options, which ultimately helps us to reduce congestion and emissions while staying active and healthy in our day-to-day lives.

“We’ve already seen a 40% uplift in cycling through the infrastructure we have delivered to date and will look to grow this further should we be successful in the next round of transforming cities funding.”

For more info head over to Beryl's website and see Norwich County Council's Transforming Cities application. 

Hahaha, I'd pull out my @muc_off bike pressure washer and soap that bad boy down. Not waiting 3 days for a new bike.

— ⚫ CyclingMikey aka Bike Gandalf 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) March 18, 2020

It seems not everyone would be prepared to wait, global pandemic happening or not!

This may have done the rounds before, but it's the first we've seen of it... Geveko Markings have come up with a solution for filling potholes that involves using 'chipfill' made out of thermoplastic, and then blowtorching it to make a seal. See more of their work here. 

A recent update from the Brighton-based brand Mason Cycles has given another intriguing insight into how the bike industry is coping with the coronavirus pandemic. 

With all of their frames made in small Italian factories, Mason claim their orders are still getting fulfilled with minimal disruption, saying: "We are committed to supporting our makers and friends in Italy for the future.

"We are remaining optimistic and are working on developing new tubesets and planning new Mason Cycles models for when we emerge on the other side of this challenging and worrying time."

Intriguingly, as an extra precaution Mason have recommended that bikes ordered from them that arrive boxed should be left unopened for 72 hours prior to unpacking; this is based on government advice that the virus can live on surfaces for up to 72 hours. 

With regards to their working environment, Mason have largely been able to continue as normal with extra attention paid to good hygiene, continuing: "We are very lucky in the fact that we are able to travel and ride to work independently and separately and we have the very good fortune to work from various traditional buildings on a farm. All Mason Cycles employees that can work from home are being instructed to do so and we are taking measures to house our bicycle building staff in separate buildings with their own toolsets and minimal sharing of tools."

Mason are still allowing test rides at their HQ for individual riders, but say they won't allow more than one test ride on the same bike within a 72 hour period. 

Chris Boardman also had plenty to say to a Twitter follower who questioned if he was able to cycle without risk of infection, claiming cycling could be the "safest local transport option."

The bike comes out of my garage, ride to destination (no contact with anyone or anything) I do my essentials and go home back to garage. The bike and I don’t touch anything. With circa 80% of all UK journeys less than 5m it could be safest local transport option. https://t.co/t3qY1imeco

— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) March 18, 2020

Open letter from public health & transport researchers calls on government to support safe walking & cycling (in terms of infection & injury risks) during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://t.co/aybJ8tYrF1

— Dr Rachel Aldred (@RachelAldred) March 17, 2020

Led by Doctor Rachel Aldred of Westminster University, 32 researchers and counting have put their name on an open letter to the government calling for physical activity such as walking an cycling to be allowed to continue. 

It says: "As public health and transport researchers we fully support individuals, communities, and governments taking rapid and effective action against the growing pandemic of Covid-19. We recognise the importance of social distancing, with particular need to protect the most vulnerable.

"During this, however, all of our existing social and health risks do not simply go away. As the Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has said we need to consider how decisions taken by the government to combat Covid-19 might harm health in other ways.

"At present, walking and cycling make a large contribution to population physical activity. A recent report for Public Health England says “Walking is one of the main contributors to total physical activity across all age groups, contributing between 26-42% of total physical activity, and has been demonstrated to be accessible to large proportions of society in terms of age and gender.” 

"In a rapidly escalating situation policy could be adopted that largely confines the general asymptomatic population to their homes, potentially for some time. Confinement, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation with little or no private green space, and particularly during times of anxiety has health risks.

"Physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, several cancers, dementia, and diabetes. These conditions affect millions of people; and some increase the risk of a serious outcome if one contracts Covid-19. Walking and cycling, particularly in greenspace, is good for mental as well as physical health. People should be encouraged to exercise at home, but for most of us it is unlikely that this will replace the walking and cycling we do outdoors.

"Social distancing will make many sports and gym based exercise impossible. However, walking and cycling can be compatible with social distancing, if people are responsible. Transmission risks will be very low if people stay 2-3 metres apart.

"For shopping, and for those who still need to commute, walking and cycling should be supported. We see wide variation across Europe in policies towards walking and cycling, with some countries explicitly encouraging cycling and others effectively banning it; and some closing green space to walkers.

"Thus we call on decision makers to protect the right to walk and cycle safely (from risk of infection and traffic injury) for those who are not symptomatic.

"This should involve ensuring parks and other greenspace are kept or made open (with management if needed to ensure safe behaviour), and emergency infrastructure to make cycling and walking safer for travel to work and shops. Government should publish evidence-based guidance for people walking and cycling on reducing risk, including ensuring social distancing."

The trainer and GPS brands have teamed up for a virtual ride of the final 57km of the famous spring classic, which will take place on Saturday 21st March. This will take in the route's most famous climbs (via a TV or computer screen with virtual gradients of course) the ‘Tre Capi’, the Cipressa and the Poggio – before 'arriving' at Via Roma in Sanremo. You can register here - all you'll need is a compatible Garmin Edge GPS computer and a smart trainer (any brand) to take part. 

Members of the Virtual Experience group will then receive automatic enrolment into a challenge where Garmin will give special recognition to those who ride the most between 22nd-29th March.