Nathaniel Picard Busky said:

a survey of parents in the district returns results saying that more would refuse to send their kids to school if masks WERE REQUIRED as opposed to not, the prospect of schools opening back up is terrifying.

While I can believe this, it is a complete moral failure of epic proportion.  The most basic moral consideration is reciprocity.  I can't even understand why so many do not understand this basic principle.  

We are adrift in a sea of moral failings and mockery of rational thought. 

On second investigation, Buffs are ok.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/well/live/coronavirus-gaiters-masks.html

Sweet I can look fwd to using my overpriced merino Rapha gaiter when it gets cooler.

The tour can not live in a bubble like the NBA. This will not turn out well for anyone.

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/ineos-rider-tests-positive-for-covid19-withdraws-riders-from-italian-national-championships/

David Yang said:

The tour can not live in a bubble like the NBA. This will not turn out well for anyone.

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/ineos-rider-tests-positive-for-covid19-withdraws-riders-from-italian-national-championships/

You think it's bad now just wait until week three when #'s 1&2 from different teams get sent home because a mechanic or a driver tests positive.

Arrived from my ride yesterday to the news that a good old friend, Rafa "Choco" Faria, passed away in Venezuela from Covid complications. I mention here because he founded and owned the first shop/team, Bike Pro, to sponsor me and a whole crew of nuts way back in the early 90s.

Considered riding the jersey this morning, but no longer fit in it  

Take good care of yourselves and each other.

"Hugs and hearts" not "awesome" reaction. So sorry to hear, Eloy.

Sorry to hear of your loss Eloy

Was the goofy logo on all the jerseys or just yours? Is their a nickname that we don’t know about?

Haha, there was no nickname, but the patch was only in my jersey

Thanks guys! Time to go shopping for some goodies!

(not sure how to move this to the correct thread)

Just an FYI for parents, in person instruction has been delayed again (the start date is based on grade). I found out from a Google News Alert so I'm not sure what the communication is like to y'all! 

🙄🙄🙄Obviously, the mayor and department of ed and teacher's union and principal's union just really needed 9 more days to figure out how to reopen schools in the midst of a pandemic. 🙄🙄🙄

I stress, if you have the means to do so please please please keep your kiddos remote. Schools are not ready to reopen regardless of what the Chancellor says. There have already been positive cases in schools and kids aren't even there yet. Their education will be no different if they are learning at home (literally, our instructional plan is the same for IRL and remote kids). The only difference is they will have to be in a classroom, at their assigned desk, with a mask on, and will only be able to leave the room to use the bathroom. I know childcare is no joke, but as someone on the inside, I cannot in good faith recommend sending kids into school. 

Thanks for your candor @RobertMullen I'm sure that isn't pleasant to write. I'm glad/hopeful that this buys you some extra safety too.

Forgot to mention this from last week's ride.

There's a spin studio place in one of those new residential towers in Fort Lee.

When I rode by it last sunday, they had moved 20 bikes or so into on-street parking spots and were having a class outside.  So close and yet....

The following announcement is not necessarily COVID related, but then again what ISN'T coronavirus related nowadays?

The club would like your thoughts on base training this winter. We are considering ways to help keep us motivated and fit through the COVID winter. Please take a few moments to complete the survey. Thanks in advance! https://forms.gle/hvmSdUFsyCFnNcoM6

Hate to be a downer, but it seems right to mention this.  

https://www.thecut.com/2020/10/dr-fauci-predicts-no-semblances-of-normality-until-2022.html

mugwump said:

Hate to be a downer, but it seems right to mention this.  

https://www.thecut.com/2020/10/dr-fauci-predicts-no-semblances-of-normality-until-2022.html

It does seem pretty obvious at this point. Europe is locking down again, and the USA is a dumpster fire. COVID-20 is now reported in Spain (yes, seriously) and once the ICU's fill the mortality rates will go up again.

On the bright side riding side by side with a friend does seem pretty benign to me even at low-endurance pace.

I'm not sure if it's the COVID, the election, the environmental collapse or kids-missing-halloween-and-being-home-from-school-again or a third missed birthday looming, but I definitely feel like I'm moving into a different phase of COVID mourning... acceptance perhaps.

"Fauci urged Americans to, at the very least, wear a mask in public. “If you don’t want to shut down, at least do the fundamental basic things,” he cautioned. I’d say this man is a hopeless optimist."

Never a truer word spoken. 

I was riding in the park the other day and instead of hitting the Garmin lap button, I hit the stop button, and nodded because some small things are back to normal so I'm hanging on to them as tightly as I can.

Where I now live, Fribourg, Switzerland, is apparently one of the worst places in Europe. 1 in 40 people have it I’m told. With schools and day care open, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before it hits my family. I only hope that if it does, it isn’t terrible. It’s so abstract, because we hear about it, but for many, unless you are in health care, you don’t see it. At least many people are wearing masks. But clearly not enough. 

@Nathaniel Miller that sucks. Still, that sounds lower than the 3% barrier which our county reached almost a month ago. Masks, social distancing, and plenty of scotch. Fingers crossed!

https://www.nbc15.com/2020/11/12/covid-19-is-so-bad-in-wisconsin-dhs-needed-a-whole-new-category/?

It's enough to make you want to punch someone.

@Jules

There was a bus idling outside my building last night.  The church around the corner used to periodically charter buses.  But this one was labeled "Party Bus" and people were dressed like it was 2019.  No masks in sight.

Maybe the testing site around the corner has quick Covid tests.  

^ just an fyi on quick (or any) tests. They don't negate the need to isolate if you've been exposed.

People are treating these tests like they're "get out jail free" cards and they mean you don't have to mask or take precautions.

The tests aren't very accurate, and they don't catch early exposure, ie: when viral levels are low but climbing.

Jules said:

^ just an fyi on quick (or any) tests. They don't negate the need to isolate if you've been exposed.

People are treating these tests like they're "get out jail free" cards and they mean you don't have to mask or take precautions.

The tests aren't very accurate, and they don't catch early exposure, ie: when viral levels are low but climbing.

I agree.

I should have made it more clear that I was being sarcastic.

^I caught that a difficult morning managing three kids in lower elementary at home trying to teleschool has me fuming so I was screaming into the void a bit.

A couple of interesting/useful links:

Winter is likely to be hard pandemic wise, but recent announcements suggest that we should see significant relief next year with a vaccine. John Campbell has been posting reliable and clear information about COVID since before the pandemic hit the US. In this video he presented info from a UK source that suggests that we should see significant relief due to vaccine by the summer. While US results may vary, it gives me hope for the future. That may be reason enough to watch. Also interesting was to dust off what I learned in biology class so many decades ago as he describes how the vaccines work and why they won't impact our DNA (apparently that is an active conspiracy theory). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smm_ZvJqJk4&feature=youtu.be

Finally, I found the following Nature article that compares PCR tests and rapid tests to be very informative. In particular I found the following chart to be helpful, especially for those of you trying to figure out whether you can get tested and safely see families for the holidays. BTW, this article explains why Elon Musk can take 4 rapid tests and get two positive and two negative tests: they are not super reliable outside of a specific window of time.



https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02661-2

At the risk of being too paternalistic I want to encourage all members to be increasingly cautious given that the pandemic is hitting another peak. Not only do you want to mitigate the risk of catching the virus from someone you are riding with, but you want to reduce the risk of having to go to the ER as hospitals started getting overrun with COVID cases. Refer to the guidelines posted elsewhere on the forum for ideas, but remember those were based on idea that the numbers in NY are stable and low - something that is no longer the case

PatrickGrehan said:

At the risk of being too paternalistic I want to encourage all members to be increasingly cautious given that the pandemic is hitting another peak. Not only do you want to mitigate the risk of catching the virus from someone you are riding with, but you want to reduce the risk of having to go to the ER as hospitals started getting overrun with COVID cases. Refer to the guidelines posted elsewhere on the forum for ideas, but remember those were based on idea that the numbers in NY are stable and low - something that is no longer the case

"...you want to reduce the risk of having to go to the ER..." this especially. Hospitals are stretched thin, and most are running on close to skeleton staffs, who are pretty toasted.