Omicron-safety for calendar events

[Frank9755]

It looks like calendar events are going ahead: what are the typical precautions that organisers are taking to minimise COVID risk?  I couldn't find anything on the AUK site or forum.

Reason I ask is that I'm organising a reliability ride in a couple of weeks and am trying to decide how to run our HQ. 

[GdS]

There are no longer any legal restrictions but I will probably go back to the rule of 6 (with no mingling between groups which would work well for a RT as they tend to be like that anyway)  if Covid is as much of a problem by the spring

and only using outside or commercial controls including start / finish

My limited experience of RTs is that some sort of brevet card style proof of passage is required. I would ditch this in favour of info controls emailed back to you via a simple form, means nothing to handle and also no manned controls. Although clubs will just share the answers if it's that sort of RT!

[Lightning Phil]

My last events ran in September 21, next ones March 22.

1. Brevet Cards left in envelope for a few days before opening
2.  Did lateral flow tests before my events and encouraged riders to do the same. Strong message not to turn up if you weren’t quite right, regardless of LFT result.
3. Start / finish areas with large mostly covered (but open) outdoor seating areas and options for hot food and drinks. Hot food needed to be pre ordered.
4. Riders reminded to maintain distance and not get too close for too long.
5.At start I used hand sanitizer before handling the cards.  I didn’t label the cards , and had pre bagged them (having sanitizer my hands then as well) I handed them out , so one touch.
6. Hand sanitizer at start / finish
7. Staggered starts.   I set riders off in groups of six at about 5 min intervals
8. Made validation by E-Brevet or GPS an option. Non touch and no need to enter shops. Any control that required receipt was commercial with multiple options.
9. For cards and receipts handed in, I asked entrants to make sure bagged up, that they’d included and labelled every receipt.   Then they dropped into open shoe box to be looked at at least 48-72 hours later.

For my events in 2020 when more restrictions in place.

1. Car park start in a park.
2. Riders asked to approach one at a time , to my picnic table at edge of car park, and free to start riding as soon as they had their cards
3. Validation by GPS permitted plus photo evidence at two controls, else postal.
4. I left the answer to an info question at the finish.  When the time limit arrived I went back and removed the answer.  If you got the answer you were in time, if you didn’t you weren’t.
5. Anything posted got left a few days before opening.


For both 2020 / 2021 reminded entrants to bring and use a face covering if entering any indoor areas during the events.   The 2021 events had warm indoor areas available, but actual validation etc handled outside . The 2020 events were handled entirely outdoors.

My 2021 finishes were pub gardens with plenty of space, at pubs serving hot food even for the last riders back.

Hopefully a few ideas. 

[hellymedic]

I strongly suspect The Public Rules will change in the New Year. I'm sure AUK will follow these but I don't know what politicians will announce. Watch that space!

I think asking participants for a negative lateral flow within 24 hours of start time, indoor masking and distancing, where possible, open windows and minimal indoor gathering is practical and possible, even if none too comfortable!

[Frank9755]

Thanks all, that's helpful.

We don't have any validation requirements so no cards or receipts to handle.  We normally do staggered starts so that is not a problem.  We usually have sign on, but we could scrap it and just email everything out in advance.   

My main question is catering at the arrivee.  We've traditionally had 100+ riders in a warm, humid hall, lingering over food and multiple cups of tea, which probably isn't the best idea at the moment. 

We can definitely do a one-way system in the hall.  I'm debating whether we should do anything food-wise - such as allowing people to pick up food and a hot drink inside to eat out in the car park - or if we should just scrap it altogether.

@Helly, agree, we need to watch how the guidance evolves.  I had hoped we would have clarity a couple of days ago, but the government is working day-to-day, or week-to-week at the moment.  We many know more next week.  May have to cancel...

[αdαmsκι]

Hi Frank

Sounds sensible. One question: why, in the current situation, even offer food at the end? If this were a ride starting / finishing in a remote area (eg Upton Magna) then I can see the point but I am guessing you'll be pretty urban. So if anyone needs food they can get some from shops nearby? If you do offer food aren't you just encouraging people to hang around?

Good luck.

[Frank9755]

Hi Adam,

I was sort of getting to that point in my thinking.

In the past, the whole point of the event was seen as that we gave people a good feed at the end of it, home made cake, unlimited sandwiches, etc. And it was January, so they needed to warm up in a cosy hall. Otherwise all people are getting is a ride on public roads that they could do anyway (and some do), so didn't feel they were getting much for their money.

But maybe things have changed now so that it doesn't make sense to do food. Hence the question really, I've not done any calendar events since March so didn't know if arrivee food was still a thing or if orgs had just cut it out.

[grams]

Assuming volunteers are willing and there’s no requirement to go indoors to participate in the event, I see no reason not to run it as normal.

[GdS]

Hi Adam,

I was sort of getting to that point in my thinking.

In the past, the whole point of the event was seen as that we gave people a good feed at the end of it, home made cake, unlimited sandwiches, etc. And it was January, so they needed to warm up in a cosy hall. Otherwise all people are getting is a ride on public roads that they could do anyway (and some do), so didn't feel they were getting much for their money.

they are getting a well planned route and an organised ride in company for their money! what more do they want in these times?

The RT I rode then took over (with permission) as an Audax AAA perm and also calendar was 105k hilly and demanding yet offered no food apart from at the end, all nice and sociable but no actual use on the ride. Give the riders a banana and flapjack at the start ditch the hall and reduce the entry fee IMO

[nikki]

The Independent SAGE pan for household mixing (released in the run-up to Christmas) might give you some useful reference points:

If anyone in a moderately-sized social gathering indoors (e.g., ten people meeting up in a house for Christmas dinner) has Omicron, most people are likely to become infected, regardless of vaccine status

https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Household-Mixing-Plan-FINAL.pdf

That would seem quite straightforward to extrapolate for a gathering of 100+.


If you go ahead with the event, I'd suggest you emphasise to participants that the symptoms for Omicron are different to classic Delta. IIRC I was reading reports yesterday that Omicron has a shorter time between becoming infected and becoming contagious too. Current advice from Independent SAGE is to do lateral flow tests immediately before in-person socialising.

[Philip Whiteman]

It looks like calendar events are going ahead: what are the typical precautions that organisers are taking to minimise COVID risk?  I couldn't find anything on the AUK site or forum.

Reason I ask is that I'm organising a reliability ride in a couple of weeks and am trying to decide how to run our HQ.

In my instance, at the HQ, audax participants were given take out drinks at the start and not encouraged to congregate.  Upon return, their timings were sufficiently spread out that seating was spaced in the HQ.  The latter point would be more difficult for a reliability ride, so I would suggest take out drinks and possibly out-of-doors registration of finishers.

Interestingly, Malvern Sport were sending their reliability riders off in bubble groups of fifteen. I don't know how they managed their hall start and finish.

[Jeff E]

Audax is really JUST about the Route.     Any extras like food in good surroundings are just a BONUS.    During these difficult times, members will be very happy that Organisers still put on Basic “X” Events.      So 1.5hr Window Starts in Car Parks where riders may Leave once they have picked up their Brevet;    Commercial Controls of their choice;   And a Postal Finish should avoid most problems.     Normally Finishers have to hand in their Brevet before the cut-off time, so they should be expected to return their Brevet, under Postal Finish circumstances, the very next day.   Allowing for Post Office delays, Organisers should impose a cut off of the Tuesday Week after the Event.     

All will look forward to a return to normality, but in the meantime we all realise that we must expect a change in the usual format, just to keep Our Audax Rides going

[Ivo]

During the Bord-eau 1200 we were experimenting a bit with photocontrols via Wahtsapp. This turned out to be very helpful as the finshcontroller (me) could follow most of the riders and already know when they appeared at the finish if they had been at all the controls. So no brevet cards to be handled.
We've quite often laid all the cards on a table so the riders could take their own cards and distance can be kept.
The rule during semi-lockdown times was turn up at the start, collect your card and immediately start. Maximum small groups every 15 minutes, no big pelotons.
All procedures up front online, no payment at the start, enter at max 2 days before the start and pay online.