Like you, we have been watching the news and following updates on the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. We thank you for your support as we collectively navigate responding to the complex challenges of COVID-19. At this time, the entire Outride team is working from home under the California “shelter in place” mandate here in the Bay Area. For those of you who are also in areas with restrictions, we hope you’ve been able to hunker down and find ways to get out and ride as well (while maintaining social distance of course).

We are thinking especially about our Riding for Focus Community—142 programs across North America, with 250 School Champions, impacting 35,000 middle schoolers in the 2019-2020 academic year. Please accept our gratitude for your partnership with us and our heartfelt wishes for your health and wellness in the weeks and months ahead.

While we wholeheartedly support you staying active, we first want to emphasize the importance of complying with the guidelines set forth by the CDC and state governments – we all must do our part to aid in reducing the infection rate both here in the US and globally. This means riding in smaller groups restricted to those you live or quarantine with, avoiding public spaces, and respecting travel restrictions.

Kaylee Blevins, Outride Research Manager, and brother Christopher Blevins, Outride Athlete Ambassador, on the trail. Remember, keep 6 feet distance between you and others outside.

As Mike Sinyard said in Specialized’s recent Instagram post, it’s also important to think of the implication a crash could have on your family/friends and the medical resources in your area – especially during this time of our strained healthcare system.

We encourage you to step outside for some fresh air. Of course, we have a bias for going for a bike ride—long or short if you can—or take a short walk or run. We at Outride know that bicycling benefits the brain in so many ways. Research shows cycling boosts the immune system and can help reduce stress. And we know from studies that exercise can lead to other benefits, too— like improved thinking, greater happiness, decreased anxiety and depression, and better academic performance-- that is good for all ages, not just kids.

I've been thinking a lot about how cycling has given me such useful skills to manage stress throughout my life, especially while going to school. I'm finding that those same skills and tools that cycling provides are also extremely helpful during su… — I've been thinking a lot about how cycling has given me such useful skills to manage stress throughout my life, especially while going to school. I'm finding that those same skills and tools that cycling provides are also extremely helpful during such unpredictable times as now. Cycling can be such a powerful tool for our youth and I think that what we are going through globally is a great example of this.
—HAYLEY BATTEN, OUTRIDE AMBASSADOR—

So, while we are all hunkered down make sure you take time to spend with your family and loved ones. Maybe watch a movie with bicycles (we’ve recommended a few below).

Let’s OUTRIDE this pandemic.

A few of our recent reads—

How to Keep the Greater Good in Mind , During the Coronavirus Outbreak, Greater Good Magazine, March 10, 2020, by Jill Suttie.

Cycling Keeps your Immune System Young, The Guardian, March 8, 2020

How to Ride Safely Amid Coronavirus Concerns, Bicycling Magazine, March 13, 2020, by Jordan Smith.

Bicycling During the Coronavirus Pandemic, STREETSBLOGLA, March 13, 2020, by Joe Litton

A few movie recommendations (as always, screen these before watching with your children)

*a few are Amazon Prime views

Keep an eye out for Motherload streaming online - The story of a mom searching for freedom and connection in a gas-powered, digital, and divided world.

Lifecycles, A true adventure film. Visually stunning, mountain bikes provide the vehicle for exploring ideas of creation and destruction in dramatic landscapes.

unReal, Glacial walls transform into mountain bike trails and thousand pound mammals become riding partners. This film is for the dreamers and rule breakers, the ones who know the way into the unReal world.

Blood Road, Blood Road follows the journey of ultra-endurance mountain bike athlete Rebecca Rusch and her Vietnamese riding partner as they pedal 1,200 miles along the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail through the dense jungles of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Their goal: to reach the site where Rebecca’s father, a U.S. Air Force pilot, was shot down in Laos more than 40 years earlier. During this poignant voyage of self-discovery, the women push their bodies to the limit, while learning more about the historic ‘Blood Road’ and how the Vietnam War shaped their lives in different ways.

Afghan Cycle, Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, Afghan Cycles uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights - human rights - and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis, from discrimination to abuse, to the oppressive silencing of their voices in all aspects of contemporary society. These women ride despite cultural barriers, despite infrastructure, and despite death threats, embracing the power and freedom that comes with the sport.

Rising from the Ashes, A team of young cyclists try to outrun the past. ““This is the land of second chances,” the coach of Team Rwanda says. The riders—Hutus and Tutsis—find that cycling gives suffering a purpose.

Where the Trail Ends, Where the Trail Ends is a film following the world’s top freeride mountain bikers as they search for unridden terrain around the globe, ultimately shaping the future of big mountain freeriding.

Wadjda, An enterprising and rebellious Saudi girl enters a Koran recitation competition at her school and hopes to win enough money to buy her own bicycle.

Ride the Divide, An award-winning feature film about the world's toughest mountain bike race, which traverses over 2700 miles along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. The film weaves the story of three characters' experiences with immense mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border.

Classics—required viewing for all bicyclists!

Breaking Away, This charming, Academy Award winner (1979) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after high school. When top-notch cyclist Dave learns that the world's bicycling champions are always Italian, he attempts to turn himself into an Italian.

American Flyers, Sports physician Marcus persuades his unstable brother David to come with him and train for a bicycle race across the Rocky Mountains. He doesn’t tell him that he has a cerebral tumor. While David powerfully heads for the victory, Marcus has to realize that the contest is not beyond his capabilities.

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Pee-wee Herman, an eccentric child-like man, loves his red bicycle and will not sell it to his neighbor. While Pee-wee visits his friend, the bike is stolen. Pee-wee sets off on a trip to find his bicycle.

For the younger set

Duck on a Bike, by David Shannon

Curious George Rides a Bike, by H. A. Rey

Bike on, Bear!, by Cynthea Liu

Along a Long Road, by Frank Viva

The Red Bicycle, Jude Isabella (This is the Amazon link because we couldn’t find a version online, but worth a read if you can find it!)

Stay Calm, Safe, and Let’s Outride this Pandemic!