Although I have been riding both on the road and in the woods, I am still trying to figure out what the best course of action is to keep myself safe and to set a good example. While I have been wearing a face covering on all rides and riding alone 100% of the time, I still wonder, is it safe to ride along side the car going in the same direction as you or past the car going in the opposite direction, with the windows open.

If 6 feet is the safe distance when 2 people are standing still, then what’s the safe distance of a car flying by in either direction with the windows open as the driver sneezes, coughs or spits? I haven’t found any found any material suggesting what that distance would be. What I have found is some information regarding groups of cyclists riding together. While I know this is a sore point for many, I have been preaching that you should be riding alone. Recent research backs this up. I pulled a chart from a well read cycling blog, showing what the safe distances are for various activities. It shows that while slower activities require less of a distance, cycling at high speeds requires about 40 feet.

On my recent rides, I have placed a strip of packing tape over the nipple of my water bottles. This may be a bit extreme, but it seems as the weather gets warmer, most driver’s have the windows open. I ordered a couple of water bottles with flip off lids to keep any flying fluids off the top of my bottles.

None of this is backed by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) or WHO (World Health  Organization), just an uninformed cyclist, navigating these crazy times.