It’s spring now, which means that the warm weather is coming to many different parts of the country. Some areas that saw several feet of snow just a few weeks back are now becoming much more pleasant, with flowers starting to bud and sunshine breaking through the clouds.
It’s hard not to think of renewal with the nice weather coming, as well as the FDA approving multiple vaccines. After a year-plus of this pandemic, it’s pleasant to consider that before too much longer, there should be a long-overdue return to normalcy.
A group bike ride is one of the best activities that you might consider doing now that we’ve defeated winter for another year, and it looks as though we are going to beat Covid-19 as well. Let’s talk about a few of the reasons why this venture might appeal to you.
You Can Get Together with Friends While Still Socially Distancing
One reason why the group bike ride sounds like a good idea right now is that some individuals have had the vaccine, but others haven’t received it yet. However, you may want to get together with your friends. You just need to make sure that all of you stay as safe as possible.
The solution is a bike ride since you can congregate, but still stay a few feet away from each other if you feel like that is prudent. Until everyone has had a vaccine and the CDC says it’s okay for people to get together indoors again, meeting up outside gives everyone who wants to a chance to socialize while still keeping everyone out of danger.
If you have group members with an immunocompromised condition, this is ideal. You can get together and have some quality time while still making sure that no one catches Covid-19 during what are hopefully the pandemic’s final stages.
You Can All Get Some Exercise
You might also belong to a group of millions of individuals who don’t feel like they have gotten as much exercise as they would like over the past few months. Many people talk on social media about lethargy and weight gain.
These things are not surprising when you think that so many people have not been able to go to the gym. At the same time, the stress and anxiety have caused some binge eating.
Biking is better than most other exercise forms, though, and now is the time to remember why. Peddling up a steep hill might not be so pleasant after many months indoors, but it may be just what you need.
You Can Explore Some Neighborhoods Around the City
You might also decide to go biking as a group because with spring in full bloom, there’s no better time to explore the city or region in which you live. Maybe you have not biked or walked around in many months. You can go out and see whether anything has changed since you were last there.
You can see which stores remain open and which ones did not survive the pandemic. You might also decide to visit a neighborhood that you never have before for no other reason than to familiarize yourself with some new territory.
This way, you can find some delightful places you never knew existed. You might spot a new restaurant that you want to try. You may find a bookstore or a lovely second-hand clothing store that you can come back and explore at your leisure.
You Can Return to Nature
You might also decide to get together and bike as a group because all of you are craving some nature. Nature is something that you may feel like you need without even realizing it.
Once you are in a public park or a nature preserve, you will likely realize how much better it makes you feel. To be under the trees with the wind blowing past you, to feel the sun coming through the branches, and to smell the flowers and the rain are all things that should put you in a much better mind state.
Many studies show that nature is something that helps humans feel better and reduces their overall stress levels. You can look online and find public parks or other natural spaces with bike trails if you are unsure where to go. Even if you don’t feel like there’s somewhere close by to bike to, you can all drive, meet there, and then take your bikes out of your cars and hop on.
You Can Test Yourselves Together
You also might feel like you can only bike for a certain distance. Maybe the most you have ever done at one time is five miles or ten. If you go together in a group, though, you can probably go further than you ever have before.
You might have one person lead you who’s in excellent physical shape. You can ask them to challenge you, and they can comply by mapping out a longer route than anything you might attempt on your own.
You can choose different routes each time, every one a little longer than the ones you did before. This is how you can build up the endurance and stamina that you lost during the pandemic.
If you don’t have a bike yet, then now would be the perfect time to get one. Your friends might have biking trips planned this spring, and you probably want to go with them.
Just be sure that you get a reliable bike model and a helmet to go with it. If you’re unsure which ones to get, look at some online reviews, or talk to your friends who know about such things.
You might also ask them to give you some bike riding lessons if you don’t know how to ride or you’re a little rusty. If you have not biked since you were a kid, you’ll often find the skills come back to you quickly.