Welsh Cycling wanted to write to all our clubs to provide an update about our response to the Welsh Government around the updated guidance regarding cycling as an exercise. Last night we published a summary of the response we sent to the First Minister for Wales, here.
As valued members we want to assure you that the letter we sent to the First Minister contained more detail about the concerns and suggested solutions as part of our responsibility to represent your interests. Our view is that we want cycling to be enjoyed by all during these difficult times but in a safe and responsible way, and that cycling is a great way to protect the NHS by helping people to stay active.
How can we cycle locally and responsibly?
Government’s definition of cycling locally is: Cycling should be local, as a rule of thumb limited to travelling no further than a reasonable walking distance from home. Exercising by cycling significant distances from home is not considered to be a reasonable excuse for leaving home.
We, realise that the portrayal of cycling in the media over the weekend and the past few days has been unhelpful and in some cases inaccurate. Wales Online have reported that cycling 10 miles from your home is in line with Government advice. I can clarify that this is not in any regulations or guidance.
Our recommendation to you is to follow the British Cycling advice already published which we believe to be consistent with the Welsh government guidance:
“Now, more than ever, we must ride our bikes responsibly - that means only going out once a day, on our own, or with people we live with, and keeping two metres apart from anyone we meet, stopping and waiting for people to pass when necessary.
“Please only ride on routes you know well, that are close to home and that are well within your ability level; this is a time for calm recreation, not for challenging yourself.
“If you’re riding off-road, choose wider trails wherever possible. If you’re on a narrow path, make sure to leave enough space between yourself and anyone you might meet.”
With regards to cycling close to home, the Welsh government advice offers this as guidance: “as a rule of thumb… travelling no further than a reasonable walking distance from home”. Whilst we appreciate our clubs may be looking for something more definitive on distance from home, we feel that by setting a distance would be restrictive and could cause more problems. We would rather you, as clubs of Welsh Cycling to have the flexibility of making sensible and responsible choices of riding locally and safely within the government guidelines
We appreciate this may not be perfect at the moment – but we wanted to try to provide as much clarity as possible and will further update when we get a reply to the letter.
In the meantime, we will be working with the media and British Cycling to promote local and responsible messaging, resources and advice, as the last thing we want is people to be put off riding their bike, and we certainly don’t want a hostile attitude towards cyclists.
So we would ask you, within your clubs to think about adapted local rides that are in line with guidance and would avoid overcrowding popular routes, so that your members can enjoy their bike rides. Also, make sure members are self-sufficient in being able to return home for instance by checking your bike and having inner tubes, puncture repair kit and a working pump.
British Cycling have launched a new webpage called Let’s Ride Local which is a resource which can be used to help find some local routes if needed. Over the course of the coming weeks we will be working hard to provide more resources which will help people continue to ride responsibly during these times.
We are also working with our colleagues at British Cycling to make sure the change of guidance in Wales is known to English clubs close to our borders – we will work with them to provide clear communication to those clubs who in other circumstances may normally venture into Wales for their rides.
Within your clubs we would ask you to be ambassadors for local and responsible cycling, show the wider public that cycling is a great way to exercise and be continue to be courteous to other users. By working together we can help to protect cycling being recognised as providing tremendous physical and mental benefits.
We will provide a further update once we hear from the First Minister for Wales, but in the interim period please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news.
