I agree completely. I’ve probably been pushing the boundaries in our journals anyway under the excuse that we don’t have a home any more and so we’re always more or less on tour. Personally, I’d be pleased to see others taking the same approach during this terrible time so we could have something more uplifting to read to start our day with.
Thanks Scott – we’re all glad that you two continue to push the boundaries! Weather here in Iowa is just now getting warm enough for more than a toodle around the neighborhood, but I hope to get out for longer, more interesting rides next week. There is nothing like springtime to renew the spirit.
Yes Susan I’d be interested in contributing. I’m currently 7 days into a 14 day self isolation stint at home after flying home to Australia which is a slowly but surely closing down as the reality of this pandemic hits and infection rates rise. It’s possible we might go into a complete lockdown like NZ has done.
I’ve had to postpone a long cycle tour across Australia and am planning to do at least one mini tour locally in unpopulated areas I can access from my back gate. Meanwhile I have to stay at home. Some work continues via daily teleconferencing via ZOOM but otherwise I suddenly have plenty of spare time.
Yes Susan I’d be interested in contributing. I’m currently 7 days into a 14 day self isolation stint at home after flying home to Australia which is a slowly but surely closing down as the reality of this pandemic hits and infection rates rise. It’s possible we might go into a complete lockdown like NZ has done.
I’ve had to postpone a long cycle tour across Australia and am planning to do at least one mini tour locally in unpopulated areas I can access from my back gate. Meanwhile I have to stay at home. Some work continues via daily teleconferencing via ZOOM but otherwise I suddenly have plenty of spare time.
Thanks Scott, Karen and Graham - glad to see there is some interest
Maybe I should clarify a bit on the nature of the journal(s). I was thinking that we each would have our own journal, but instead of writing about touring away from home it would include posts of our day rides from our home, or shorter multi-day excursions from home. Sorry for any confusion.
The idea of a single "Covid Journal" that we could all contribute to is intriguing. I'm not sure how it could be set up - it seems we all contributors would need to be co-authors with a common password. Not sure if that is feasible.
Hi Susan,
I have a journal or two here, but don't visit as often as I should.
Nonetheless, I wanted to mention that Scott modestly neglected to mention that a couple of years ago he started -- and continues to manage and participate in -- the Cycle365 site which is devoted to day rides, training rides, everyday cycling, etc. We also have monthly "challenges" and other amusing (?) interactions. You would probably recognize the names of many bicyclists over there, including some from here and some expatriated from elsewhere.
In any event, all are invited to join Scott and the gang for day rides, especially during this time of reduced touring.
http://cycle365.life
Did I get that right, Scott?
PS: I hope I didn't break any rules by suggesting the Cycle365 site for day rides.
Thanks for the clarification Susan. The way I had interpreted your suggestion was that each individual would do their own journal, and that that journal would comprise page entries of day (or maybe 2-3 day long rides) from home and back to home via different routes. Is this what you had in mind by ‘hub and spoke’? That is would the hub=home, and spokes=different ride routes from/to home?
A journal based on a hub and spoke model could give readers a thorough and interesting perspective of the writers’ home region through the lens of multiple mini cycle tours (1-3 day rides) aggregated in the one journal by that one author.
I am thinking that when I get out of quarantine I could do a series of different one, two or three day rides from home, and record each one in a single journal.
The difference from a normal journal is that I’ll end up at home at the end of each leg of the tour. And there won’t be meetings with people in the tour during this era of social distancing.
As stated on the home page, “CycleBlaze is a welcoming community of people who love to travel by bicycle”. Unfortunately, our travels have been severely restricted by the current pandemic, and many of our planned tours have been canceled. Yet I suspect that most of us still manage to get out on our bikes during these periods of travel bans and/or self-isolation. Perhaps we can temporarily stretch our idea of touring and consider documenting our cycle outings in aggregate as a “home-based hub and spoke tour”. These "Covid-19 Journals" would allow us to continue “to share, to help, to inspire” each other in these times of upheaval and uncertainty. Just a thought. Stay healthy.
4 years ago