COVID-19 after LEL

[Sezdavies]

Hi. I am sure I won’t be the only one but I managed to pick up COVID-19 at some point last week. Stared coughing as I rode across the Fens on Thursday evening. Slept on a mattress on the side of the restaurant in St Ives from about midnight to 3am. Finished at 1043. I tested positive today.
I hope I didn’t pass it to anyone else - I guess it was inevitable there would be some spread with us all sleeping next to each other.
Funny how much symptoms of Covid-19 are similar for symptoms of “I just rode a very long way and had next to no sleep for 5 days!”

[L CC]

At least 2 of the VC167 have picked it up.

[abc123]

I would expect to see a fair few cases given the number of people mixing during the event. I caught Covid 4 weeks before the start, on my my final pre LEL Audax (at least three other people on the event also caught it). I hoped that meant I wouldn't get it again before starting, but I wore a mask for the train journey down and while I was sleeping at controls. Bit of a cough since I got back, but testing negative, so I think that's just general LEL wear and tear!

[alfapete]

Hi. I am sure I won’t be the only one but I managed to pick up COVID-19 at some point last week. Stared coughing as I rode across the Fens on Thursday evening. Slept on a mattress on the side of the restaurant in St Ives from about midnight to 3am. Finished at 1043. I tested positive today.

Sorry to hear that, Sarah. I'm surprised by how few cases have been reported, considering the way controls are set up. I had every intention of wearing a mask throughout at Barney but let my whole team down by failing to stick to my own policy within a couple of hours of starting work at the control - in and out of the building so often.
I've heard of a couple of volunteers who have tested positive (not mine), but not a huge number, and when you look at the numbers involved...

[CrinklyLion]

I'm surprised by how few cases have been reported,

If there's no particular channel for reporting, I guess you won't see a lot of reports. I've seen a couple of things on twitter, one or two on fb, but i don't know how much social media overlap I have with participants this year. I also have to wonder if some people will feel shite, assume that is just the kind of shite you feel after 1500km and not test? I know SO many people who over the past couple of years were completely convinced that their lurgy was definitely not covid until they eventually realised that it was...

[Redlight]

We had one definite case at Brampton, an overseas rider who tested positive on arrival there on his way South. The controller had a plan in place and the individual was immediately isolated in a separate building until he was able to be moved. I would be very surprised, though, if there is not a fair number of riders now testing positive.

[Lightning Phil]

If I’ve read it right on the audax uk forum, a rider turned up to LEL the day after they had a positive CV19 test result.

[αdαmsκι]

@LP: Yip that's my understanding that the rider was going to attempt LEL while they had COVID....

[markcjagar]

That's diabolical, should their ride be validated?

[Mr Larrington]

AIUI they packed fairly early on.

[Kangaroocourt]

AIUI they packed fairly early on.

They were withdrawn by the controller if it's the rider I'm thinking of

[Sezdavies]

AIUI they packed fairly early on.

They were withdrawn by the controller if it's the rider I'm thinking of

Rightly so.  That makes me mad….he says “as far as I was concerned I was safe to ride”. That is one of the most selfish things I have ever seen.

Not usually a public ranter but I am in bed now, coughing, isolated from family and unable to work. If I picked it up from someone who didn’t know they had it then that’s completely fair enough, but if I picked it up from someone who turned up to ride because they knew they had Covid but “felt fine” then….

[Redlight]

he says “as far as I was concerned I was safe to ride”. That is one of the most selfish things I have ever seen.

Sadly, I think this is becoming a common attitude, especially during this holiday season. A couple of our near neighbours recently took a flight to Portugal despite both having tested positive and openly sharing that information with the street. ON top of that, I imagine that many people are ignoring symptoms because they don't want to pay for the testing kits.

[hellymedic]

AIUI they packed fairly early on.

They were withdrawn by the controller if it's the rider I'm thinking of

Rightly so.  That makes me mad….he says “as far as I was concerned I was safe to ride”. That is one of the most selfish things I have ever seen.
Not usually a public ranter but I am in bed now, coughing, isolated from family and unable to work. If I picked it up from someone who didn’t know they had it then that’s completely fair enough, but if I picked it up from someone who turned up to ride because they knew they had Covid but “felt fine” then….

I would be SO angry!

I wonder how many others have been infected by that rider.

I just hope they aren't clinically vulnerable and have no vulnerable loved ones.

This is a monumental Public Health FAIL!

[IanDG]

I misread details on the controllers whats app chat. I thought he had had covid for a week but was still testing positive (quite normal and not infective). I didn't realise the first positive test was the previous day 

[bhoot]

I just hope they aren't clinically vulnerable and have no vulnerable loved ones.

As someone with a vulnerable loved one, I wasn't going anywhere near LEL except for a quick trip to Debden on Wednesday (so with very few people about) to deliver magazines. I would really have liked to be part of it by volunteering but not worth the risk

[coops456]

Two volunteers from Great Easton - myself included - have tested positive so far.
I'm really annoyed with myself; to have been so careful the last 2+ years, and then let my guard down at LEL.   I'm now thinking it was idiotic to take part at all, but I would have hated to miss it.
I wore a mask into the dormitories but not on the front desk . Our health focus switched primarily to managing the heat.

Negative test Saturday, but positive today so do keep an eye on it.

[Sezdavies]

Two volunteers from Great Easton - myself included - have tested positive so far.
I'm really annoyed with myself; to have been so careful the last 2+ years, and then let my guard down at LEL.   I'm now thinking it was idiotic to take part at all, but I would have hated to miss it.
I wore a mask into the dormitories but not on the front desk . Our health focus switched primarily to managing the heat.

Negative test Saturday, but positive today so do keep an eye on it.

Same here - negative Saturday, positive today

[Ivo]

A problem for many riders will have been that many symptoms of heat exhaustion are similar to a lot of Covid symptoms.
I packed in Malton after having not enough power in the legs and cramps in the Fenns (usual heat exhaustion issues).
The morning after I packed I felt a bit feverish. The rider with whom I rode in the direction of York got me a self test in Stamford Bridge, and indeed a light positive.
Informed organisers, was told (quite correctly) to stay away from the controls. Luckily I had some FFP2 masks in my barbag so could return to base and stay outside as much as possible (and keeping those around me informed).
Symptoms only lasted for a couple of hours so it kind of passed rapidly through my system.

[mmmmartin]

AIUI they packed fairly early on.

They were withdrawn by the controller if it's the rider I'm thinking of

He was told he wouldn't be allowed into controls. So in the end he did a 200k to keep up his RRTY. He did the right thing in saying he was positive and Danial did the right thing in saying he wouldn't be allowed into controls. He ended up riding hood bike in the open air, getting into his car and driving away. All good. Given that i think I've read that 15% of the population has it now at any given time, he wasn't in any way an increased risk to riders, who would ask have started before or after him and had zero contact with him, as he didn't enter any controls.

[hellymedic]

I would advise against riding AT ALL if testing positive, let alone riding a DIY 200.

[chrisbainbridge]

I would advise against riding AT ALL if testing positive, let alone riding a DIY 200.

I think that is an overkill statement now for a well trained rider doing an aerobic 200km ride. The risk of serious complications is probably less than an accident on the 200 in a double/triple vaccinated person. We really have moved on significantly in the risk ratios compared to even a year ago.

[Kim]

I would advise against riding AT ALL if testing positive, let alone riding a DIY 200.

I think that is an overkill statement now for a well trained rider doing an aerobic 200km ride. The risk of serious complications is probably less than an accident on the 200 in a double/triple vaccinated person. We really have moved on significantly in the risk ratios compared to even a year ago.

As has been repeatedly pointed out, there's more to covid than serious complications.

Far better to rest, which will hopefully help you recover more quickly, and do your DIY in a couple of weeks time when you're in a state to enjoy it and not infectious, IMHO.

[Notfromrugby]

Two points

1) there has never been a point in the pandemic where the infection rate was estimated to be at 15% of the population. I think it topped 5% at most in some areas.

2) Riding a 200 brevet whilst having Covid gets the Stupidity award for 2022, topped only by riding LEL whilst being knowingly positive for Covid.

[chrisbainbridge]

I would advise against riding AT ALL if testing positive, let alone riding a DIY 200.

I think that is an overkill statement now for a well trained rider doing an aerobic 200km ride. The risk of serious complications is probably less than an accident on the 200 in a double/triple vaccinated person. We really have moved on significantly in the risk ratios compared to even a year ago.

As has been repeatedly pointed out, there's more to covid than serious complications.

Far better to rest, which will hopefully help you recover more quickly, and do your DIY in a couple of weeks time when you're in a state to enjoy it and not infectious, IMHO.

Actually I think there is far less to Covid. Thousands of people have had covid without realising. Thousands have worked through covid  as they had to. I can guarantee that 50% of “long Covid” is nothing of the sort but more likely psychological relating to the ongoing mass hysteria.
Yes, you cannot ride a mass start event with covid. But doing a solo 200 with a mild head cold? No problem and no more risk of serious long term complications than after any winter sniffle.