The spread of coronavirus has stopped many Orlando area businesses in their tracks.
Leaving the house has become a perilous adventure, while getting in a workout requires a vivid imagination and ample motivation.
Yet amid a worldwide pandemic, cycling continues to roll along in Central Florida as a safe outdoor activity and readily available form of exercise.
Area bike shops have struggled to keep up with the surging interest.
“We’re overwhelmed,” said Deena Breed, owner of Orange Cycle in College Park.
The demand for repairs has been ridiculous.
Some reawakened riders now face three- or four-week waits, having dug out and dusted off a dilapidated 10-speed or found their neglected mountain bike with a rusted chain and tires suffering dry rot.
“You should see the condition … some haven’t ridden in five or 10 years,” Breed quipped. “We usually are busy, but repairs just skyrocketed.”
Purchases surprisingly have spiked, too.
“You obviously wonder what this is going to do to people’s everyday spending habits, but fortunately for us, we’ve been OK,” said Joey Gilman, general manager of Winter Park Cycles. “A lot of people’s gyms are closed and between a lot of people working at home or even just being out of work they got to have something to do. They’re kind of turning to the bike right now.”
But an ordinance announced Wednesday will close all non-essential businesses in Orange and Osceola counties by 11 p.m. Thursday.
Breed said she will shut Orange Cycle’s doors at 6 p.m., until further notice. Repairs will continue and bikes will be available for pickup behind the store or can to be delivered. Online sales also will remain.
Winter Park Cycles is taking a similar approach.
“We’re just trying to feel it out as we go right now,” shop owner Ward Bates said. “But a decent part of our business is set up through e-commerce.”
Retail options in Seminole and Lake counties still remain, including fledgling Adrenaline Bike Works. Shawn Lukens, an avid rider and a retired Lake County Deputy Sheriff, opened the Mount Dora shop in October.
“I started my career as a deputy sheriff, fat,” said Lukens, 38. “Halfway through, I decided it was time to lose weight and I lost 100 pounds, which got me into biking. I love biking and I love the community.
“Any time I get somebody new on a bike, that makes me as excited as I can be.”
The pandemic, though, has closed off parts of the shop, including an indoor track and area for kids, and curtailed activities.
“We still have a big lobby where you can come, but it’s not the same,” Lukens said. “Like tonight would normally be our Thursday night ride and we’d have 20 riders that would show up. We’d cook cheeseburgers when we’re done and drink beer.
“We can’t even do that.”
At least the wheels still will keep turning.
Breed is quick to offer a word of caution for an idle rider getting off the couch or a newcomer accustomed to hopping on the exercise bike at the gym for a quick warm-up.
“You just have to remember if you go 10 miles out, you’re doing for a 20-mile ride,” she said. “There’s no getting off [like you do] at the gym.”
To get the most out of cycling during the age of the coronavirus requires even the most seasoned riders to be more aware of their surroundings and willing to make sacrifices.
Known in the cycling community as “The Cycle Chick,” Tracy Draper got into the sport for kinship as much as fitness.
“I love riding with friends,” she said. “One of the main reasons I got into cycling was the social part of it.”
These days, Draper is riding solo. The Mount Dora-based personal trainer has an aging mother living out of state and does not want to pose a risk to her elderly clients due to the coronavirus.
“I’ve kind of pulled the plug on doing big group rides,” said Gilman, of Winter Park Cycles. “But people are still doing them. If I were to go for a ride, it would be with someone I know pretty well and know their backstory, rather than just showing up and riding with essentially a stranger.”
While health officials urge riding in groups of 10 or fewer, Draper recommends tandems, and preferably with a familiar face — due to the fluids flying during a group ride.
“The thing you got to look for is people spit, they blow their noses on group rides … that’s exactly how this virus is spread, through droplets,” Draper said. “There is etiquette when to spit, how to spit, when to blow your nose — you go to the back of the group. But not everyone knows that unless you’ve been out on the road a lot.”
These are unique times, indeed, but Draper, who recently turned 54, has learned many tried-and-true lessons during her decades of cycling.
Topping the list: buy a helmet.
Draper’s first headgear was a basic model for around $35 from Target, but she now wears a state-of-the-art, $179 model that is light, breathable and comfortable.
“I’ve had quite a few friends go down in crashes, and their helmets were split in half, in shatters, and had no head injuries — so I know they work,” she said. “It’s good common sense.”
Draper also has upgraded her cycle considerably since her first ride, also purchased at Target.
Bikes from large retail stores will suit a person planning for a weekly trek in the park with the family, but not a regular rider. Parts are mass produced and the cycles assembled by a staff trying to figure out the instructions to assemble the bike while juggling stocking shelves and sweeping floors.
“If you get too cheap, it’s not going to be fun,” Breed said. “Ball bearings will only be kinda, sorta round. You have to work so hard to make it happen.”
For many, a quality, entry-level mountain or hybrid bike — in the $380-$600 price range — would give a rider the option to hit the pavement or bike trails. Meanwhile, a serious road cyclist or mountain biker easily can spend in the thousands.
Used bikes, purchased either on eBay or a local swap meet, can help a person on a budget, but a proper fitting to maximize comfort then gets tricky.
“What is the purpose of the bike, how much time do you want to spend on it and how long do you want it to last? It really depends on your goals,” Draper said. “People need to decide what they want to use the bike for. That’s more important than what it cost, honestly.”
And once the coronavirus has passed, what then? In some cases, the bike will return to the back of the garage or storage shed while riders return to the gym and their routines.
But some just might get hooked on a new hobby.
“This whole virus stuff has gotten people back outside and dusting off the bike,” Bates said. “Riding is a neat feeling. We as adults forget about that a lot of the time. It’s addicting.
“It will be interesting to see. Hopefully it sticks.”
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com.
egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
