No More Hugs

Today I bring you a story from the Can’t Make This Stuff Up files. 

The Mid South gravel race is one of two major bike races in the United States this weekend to run despite mass cancellations because of COVID-19, and—I kid you not—one of the mainstays of this event is hugs. Yes, the race promoter has a tradition of hugging every racer who crosses this finish line of the Oklahoma race dubbed a “Monument of Gravel” by VeloNews. 

On a normal day, the mass hugging after the mass start event is harmless if not a bit gross. But these are not normal days. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, experts are warning that the most impactful way to curb the spread of disease is to practice social distancing. The rationale is that even healthy people can become a carrier of the disease and not show symptoms. These people then can pass along the disease to other people, eventually impacting people who are at a higher risk of dying from COVID-19, like the elderly. The end result is an overburdened and failing healthcare infrastructure, like what’s happening in Italy. 

Lucky for Mid South participants, the race announced on Thursday that finish line hugs would be off the table. They also announced that participants could choose to sit out this year and defer their registration to next year, an action which I commend. But these measures still miss the whole point—the point that has cancelled events from the Absa Cape Epic mountain bike stage race in South Africa to the first two rounds of the Enduro World Series in South America. If social distancing can significantly stop the spread of the disease, then holding a bike race which attracts thousands of people is a surefire way to spread it. 

I understand the pressures put on race promoters. Certainly the economic impact of cancelling the event is at the forefront of promoters' minds. I also understand the human urge to keep on and carry on and have a little fun before everything goes to shit. However, everything has already gone to shit. We’re in the midst of a global pandemic. One year of not running a bike race will mean nothing in the course of human history but deaths caused by COVID-19 will. 

I’d also like to address the role of professional athletes here. I understand that athletes are faced with a tough choice here. With lots of racing off the table at the moment, they must have a big desire to put in at least one race effort to satisfy their personal goals as well as show their sponsors or teams that they are committed. What’s left out of that equation is these athletes’ influence. Professional athletes are influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers. If a few pros had pulled out of Mid South or the US Cup mountain bike race in Southern California for public health reasons, the athlete would have sent a message to their large base of followers that staying home is the best thing to do right now. 

Given that we are in the middle of community spread of COVID-19, and even the world’s political and celebrity elite are testing positive for COVID-19, it’s only a matter of time before somebody who was at Mid South or the US Cup tests positive too. 

Next weekend, there is another US Cup race in Bonelli Park. There’s still time to cancel.

(Update: Next week’s US Cup race has been cancelled.)