Lockdown life is tough!
One the best ways to manage stress is with physical exercise. Whilst we Melburnians only have 1 hour for that a day, and a 5km radius to exercise within, there’s still a lot you can achieve within those limits. With the help of modern technology and a touch of creative innovation, you can still embark on a scenic ride without breaking the rules.
Here’s how it works.
Staying within 5km from home
As we all know, the law mandates you may only exercise for a maximum of one-hour within a 5km radius of your home. Getting back home within an hour should be easy enough, but how do you work out what lies within 5km of the couch?
Forget about breaking out the measuring tape on a paperback map of the city, because the process is super straightforward via the nifty website kmfromhome. Just click the link, allow it to access your location, set the radius to 5km, and you’re ready to ride.
If you’re wondering whether the tool is morally acceptable and legally above board, then rest assured everything is kosher. After all, the Victorian State Government released something similar of their own.
You might be surprised at how many cool places lie within that radius. If you were to circumnavigate the entire circle, then you’d be looking at a 30-35 km route. Good luck pulling that off in one hour! Not to mention the area within that 5km radius is 78.5km2 – that’s a lot of exploring!
Mapping Your Route
Now that you’ve defined your legal riding zone, it’s time to work out the optimal route within your permitted area. You don’t have to scour through a map and memorise a convoluted route because there’s another handy online tool that’ll do the hard yards for you.
Introducing RideWithGPS, a cycling mega-app that lets you plot any inner-city route you like, turn by turn. The ultra-useful site integrates with popular navigating services so you can pop on your headphones and have a soothing voice tell you exactly where to go. And you don’t have to be some kind of IT superstar as its drag-and-drop interface is incredibly easy to use.
Keep in mind, of course, that suburban streets and shared cycle paths will take significantly longer to tear through than your usual route. We recommend shortening your regular ride by about 5km to ensure you’re back home before the 1 hour limit is up.
Cycling With A Buddy (From Another Household)
What if you want to embark on an hour-long cycle session with your bike buddy?
How could you manage such complex logistics while staying entirely within the confines of the law?
Easy peasy.
Load up kmfromhome and drop a second pin on your friend’s house. Now, you’ve got a handy little high-tech Venn diagram that tells you precisely where the two radiuses overlap. Simply mark out both your routes on RideWithGPS to ensure they intertwine and enjoy some totally legal riding time with your mate.
Please remember folks, if you do catch up on a ride with one person from a different household, you will still need to maintain your physical distancing.
Getting in a decent ride while following the rules and keeping COVID-safe is entirely possible during these trying times. May your next ride help you beat the lockdown blues.