Cycling amid COVID-19: Guidelines - DRAFT

This document is a draft distributed for global review from 15 to 19 June 2020.
It is not ready for use. The text of this document will be reviewed, improved, formatted, and
designed and it is expected to be published 23rd of June. If you have comments and suggestion
use the review template provided at: https://www.adventuretravel.biz/COVID19guidelines/

We’re on a Team
The COVID-19 pandemic has entered a new phase, travel is restarting, and travelers and
companies want to operate minimizing COVID-19 contamination risk. ATTA Activity Guidelines for
Adventure Travel have been developed between ATTA, Cleveland Clinic and a cohort of operators.
These Guidelines provide additional, activity specific guidelines, to be used with the Safety
Management Framework of ATTA COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for Adventure Travel.
Also, they should be used in conjunction with local, regional, and national official recommendations
and should never be less restrictive than those.

Cycling
As any activity, cycling presents opportunities and challenges for minimizing COVID-19 risk of
transmission. Cycling has been considered a healthy alternative and recommended as
transportation by governments, it is done individually in well ventilated spaces and gear sharing is
easily avoided or managed. On the other hand, airborne 'droplet clouds' have extended zones and
distances between riders vary rapidly when on the road.

1. TRANSMISSION BARRIERS
Most guidelines recommend six feet or two-meter distancing between individuals for social
distancing. For cycling, this distance needs to be considered in two different circumstances: riding or
not. When riding, two meters is an absolute minimum, and research shows that this distance could
be much greater if cycling behind someone - as much as twenty meters apart in order to avoid
passing through “droplet clouds”.

a. Social distancing and face coverings:

i. When cycling, groups should be organized so riders are staggered and have
proper distance - from two meters when riding side by side, up to 20 meters if
cycling behind other riders.

1. When to use face coverings while riding is a hard decision for cycling,
because of the acting balance between breathing while exercising and
transmissions barriers.

2. The simplest and safer approach is: anytime active riders are closer
than 20 meters they should have face covers.

3. If it's impractical to practice distancing, face coverings should be used.

ii. The face coverings used should stay on the face during the ride and not get
blown away by wind - for example, well tied synthetic or cotton face masks,
neck gaiters or Buffs.
 CYCLING AMID COVID-19: GUIDELINES - DRAFT
iii. Prior or at the end of tours, when dealing with bicycles, gear, briefing or
instruction, a distance of more than 6 feet and open or well-ventilated spaces
should be used. If that is not possible, clients and guides should wear face
coverings.

iv. Small groups, FIT groups and household units should be favored.

v. Confirm that guests and staff do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and meet
your screening criteria to participate, e.g. asking about signs and symptoms
or checking temperature.

b. Instruction and briefing

i. Set really clear standards for COVID-19 health and safety measures in your
tour.

ii. Adapt your briefing to avoid the need to get close to clients, and to increase
clients independence on basic tasks when that is possible, for example bike
choice and sizing, helmet fitting, basic adjustments while on the road, etc.

c. Routes and Roads:

i. Minimize your exposure to other people and limited spaces by using

backroads, low traffic areas and times of low traffic.

ii. When stopping, for roadside attractions, snacks, etc, also consider the stop
area size and spacing to promote distancing.

iii. When loading and unloading cycles or gear, sanitary hands and face
coverings should be used. Also, favor a designated crew to load and unload
with cleaned hands, or each rider handling their bicycle and gear.

iv. Any person that is external to the cycling group needs to be considered. Often
people come to socialize and chat on rest or stops - remember they might not
know or be following the same health and safety standards that your group.

d. Road Assistance

i. Adapt your procedures and culture to be able to help clients while respecting
distancing. For example, coach riders to solve their problems, have a clean
repair kit that you can hand out, etc.

ii. If you need to get 'hands on', clean hands before touching their equipment,
pay attention to ensure face coverings are in place and avoid face proximity.

iii. Lower the possibility of breakdowns or falls by riding more conservatively.

iv. In case of first aid, some distancing methods need to be adapted or cannot be
used. Use PPE's (mask, gloves, etc) and think about altering evacuation
procedures to mitigate COVID-19 risks.

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 CYCLING AMID COVID-19: GUIDELINES - DRAFT

2. EQUIPMENT

Enhancing sanitation is a key part of mitigating COVID-19 risk. Each person should have their own
equipment set, equipment should be clearly identified to avoid mix ups and each person should
keep it separated from the equipment of other riders.

a. Each rider should have their individual gear. bicycle, helmet, gloves, hydration, etc
for the duration of the tour.

b. All equipment needs to be sanitized before another person uses it. That can be
achieved with proper resting time or approved cleaning methods.

a. Clean equipment needs to be handled and stored in a sanitary way to prevent

unintentional contamination (e.g. inside plastic bags or tagged as clean and handled
by people who've specifically washed hands before handling them).

b. Riders should bring their own bikes and equipment wherever possible.

c. Tools and repairs:

i. For road repairs, exercise all distancing and barrier measures, designate one
'mechanic' to avoid proximity while repairing and sharing handling tools.

ii. For maintenance at base, ensure tools and bicycles are sanitized before
being handled by staff.

d. Returns and Cleaning

i. Use only the proven and recommended methods for cleaning and disinfecting
COVID-19 (such as waiting enough time in between uses, soap and water or
bleach solutions), and follow the recommended times and methods.

ii. Equipment used that is returned for cleaning should be considered and
treated as contaminating material until it is sanitized. Personal cleaning gear
needs to exercise proper body isolation (e.g masks).

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 CYCLING AMID COVID-19: GUIDELINES - DRAFT

Annex 1 - Managing Symptoms

As your staff return to work and you start to receive tourists, they may still have concerns about
possible exposure to COVID-19 — and how to tell the difference between symptoms of the virus
and other common illnesses. It is important to educate your employees about the symptoms of
COVID-19. These resources will help you and your workers not only recognize what symptoms to
look for, but how to manage any situation where they have symptoms.

What Symptoms Should I Be Watching For?

Patients with confirmed infection with COVID-19 reported these respiratory symptoms (as of May
12, 2020):

● Cough
● Shortness of Breath or Difficulty of breathing
● Fever
● Chills
● Muscle Pain
● New loss of taste or smell
● Sore throat
● Other less common symptoms:
● Nause, vomiting, diarrhea

Symptoms can range in severity from very mild to severe. In about 80% of patients, COVID-19
causes only mild symptoms. For an up-to-date list of symptoms, please consult the CDC’s website.

How do I handle an employee who has

symptoms or becomes ill at work?
Follow these steps if one of your employees
begins having suspected COVID-19
symptoms or feels ill during the work day:
› Immediately separate the employee who is
ill from other workers, customers and visitors.
› Send the employee home and instruct them
to follow-up with a healthcare provider for
appropriate testing and treatment.
› Close off all areas that the ill employee was
using.
› Refer to the CDC guidance for cleaning and
disinfecting your building when someone is
sick.
What should I do if an employee has been
exposed to someone who has COVID-19?
Follow these procedures for employees who
have been exposed to someone but don’t
have symptoms:
› Screen all of your employees for
temperature and symptoms when they arrive
at work each day.
› Perform regular self-monitoring as outlined
by your occupational health program.
› If not already required, ensure affected
employees wear face masks in the workplace
for 14 days from the date of the exposure.
› Maintain physical distance guidelines of at
least 6 feet from others in the workplace.
› Disinfect and clean works spaces, especially
shared spaces and equipment.