Labour councillor “done with cycling” after being driven at in road rage incident; Your thoughts on cyclists wearing masks; LTN planters help police catch driver; Dutch road sign tells cyclists how many calories they’ve burned + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Dutch road sign tells cyclists how many calories they'll burn
A new road sign spotted in @Gem_Oosterhout to warn cyclists about a temporary detour:
“Road closed. Extra cycling time: 30 seconds/11 Kcal.”
Via Erik van Dongen on Facebook: https://t.co/AdVnJKVXwp pic.twitter.com/SmohmW9r93
— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) January 19, 2021
In 11 calories time turn left…This is a nice reminder to cyclists that they’re benefiting their health while getting around. A diversion sign in Oosterhout in the Netherlands tells you how many calories you’ll burn on the new route, handy if you’re hoping to have earned a slice of cake later on…The Dutch do cycling infrastructure well, don’t they?
End of an era as Shimano replaces Mavic neutral service at the Tour de France
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Mavic’s yellow neutral service cars have become synonymous with the Tour de France, but 2020 was their final year as Shimano will be taking over at this year’s race. The change will see Shimano provide neutral service to riders at all Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) races including the Critérium du Dauphiné, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Mavic’s association with the Tour began in 1977 and they completed their 44th edition of the race in 2020, providing mechanical help to any rider who couldn’t access their team car. Since then their yellow support cars and motorbikes have been an ever-present feature at the race and have helped countless riders in difficulty. We’ll have a full story coming soon on road.cc…
🚲 @ShimanoROAD for neutral support at Tour de France ! 🚲
🔧 @ShimanoROAD will adorn the neutral support cars in all A.S.O. races, offering all riders assistance to get back on the road as quickly as possible in the event of a crash or mechanical issue.#RideShimano #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/wrJEupw71P
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) January 19, 2021
'Vigi-plant-es': LTN planters help police catch driver who failed to stop
This vehicle failed to stop for #XT48, the very brief pursuit was brought to a safe conclusion thanks to these planters which have recently been placed in the roads around Levenshulme. Vehicle seized and no doubt will go unclaimed and be crushed #RPUEAST #DRELIEF pic.twitter.com/AmBTI4dalo
— GMP Traffic (@gmptraffic) January 19, 2021
Those pesky LTNs helping the police catch criminals…We hear a lot from anti-LTN groups about planters supposedly slowing down emergency service vehicles, but these planters did the opposite and helped catch a driver who failed to stop. Ironically, the chase happened in Levenshulme where a couple of weeks back the very same planters were being targeted by vandals who filmed themselves ramming them off the road. What a great comeback story…
Greater Manchester Police Traffic’s Twitter post explained: “The very brief pursuit was brought to a safe conclusion thanks to these planters which have recently been placed in the roads around Levenshulme.”
Streets for People, a community campaign group who helped repair the vandalised planters, replied to the post: “Great to see the new active neighbourhood already helping make Levenshulme safer!”
Vigiplantes at work https://t.co/xwPSkQa1wy
— Ian Pennington (@ianjpennington) January 19, 2021
London's CS3...
It’s 0904 and the Embankment cycleway, CS3, just had its 1000th user so far today. With bus capacity now limited, this is approximately 33 double decker buses. pic.twitter.com/jm1seJCR8W
— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) January 19, 2021
Ed Clancy and Graham Briggs help children stay active with lockdown coaching programme
The Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy has launched an online coaching programme to help kids stay active during lockdown. The programme is part of the academy’s CB Live learning platform which teaches children about developing their cycling skills through hour-long training sessions and shorter sessions on topics such as mindset development or nutrition. It was launched during the November lockdown and is available to 10-18 year olds across the UK. Classes are taken by Clancy, Briggs and their former teammate Ali Slater.
Clancy, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, told Doncaster Free Press: “For us, launching our new Youth and Junior Development programme was vital to ensure we supported kids across the UK during this lockdown period and help them continue to take part and enjoy cycling – even if only virtually.
“As a team of coaches who have grown up together in the industry, we’re passionate about nurturing future British talent and with the right approach, we’re confident that the new programme will not only support the development of children’s cycling skills but also essential life-long skills such as tenacity, focus, communication and teamwork.”
Australian cyclist recalls frightening concussion recovery
Lauren Kitchen, an Australian cyclist who rides for women’s WorldTour outfit FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope, has recalled her frightening recovery from a concussion in an interview with SMH. The 30-year-old crashed in her first race back after the Covid-19 shutdown and suffered a concussion as well as road rash and swelling to her head and face. Her injuries healed but the effects of the concussion still troubled her months after the incident.
“I struggled a lot mentally with emotions, the response from concussion basically. I’d never realised the impacts of that. I’ve seen it a lot, concussion, and aware of it but how can you tell your own head if it’s you? It’s really strange. When you get a broken arm or a broken leg, you know, you can see it, but when there is something not quite right in your head you don’t know. That was challenging to pick up and then recognise and then deal with [it with] the team.”
Kitchen reported she was still suffering headaches, blurred vision, memory loss, nausea and confusion during her recovery. In December, the UCI published a new concussion protocol which will apply to all UCI International Calendar races from this season.
How good do those Hunt wheels look...
Weapon.
How do you like our 2021 @Ride_BMC? 🤤
📷 @Damian_Murphy28#BicyclesChangeLives 🖐 pic.twitter.com/Dm0RXWQAeo
— Team Qhubeka ASSOS (@QhubekaAssos) January 18, 2021
Deceuninck-Quick-Step confirm delay to Remco Evenepoel's return from injury
On Thursday’s live blog we shared the news that Remco Evenepoel was slowing down his return to the sport following his crash at Il Lombardia last year. Today his team, Deceuninck-Quick-Step, confirmed he would be spending a further period of time on the sidelines. Evenepoel went for a scan on his injured pelvis on Monday. Despite the results of the scan showing that he’d suffered no further damage, the team has decided to extend his recovery period for another three weeks.
Team boss Patrick Lefevere confirmed the news on Sporza’s De Tribune podcast: “We hoped that he would cycle again from tomorrow [Tuesday] but we are not taking any more risks. So he will probably stay off the bike for another 3 weeks. That’ll take us to February 8, exactly three months before the start of the Giro.”
Social media reaction to calls for cyclists and joggers to wear masks
I wear a snood while cycling during cold weather and sometimes also cover my mouth + nose because it’s cold. I can’t do it for long because it fogs up my (sun)glasses – doesn’t seem very safe. Also becomes wet very quickly which I thought was bad for masks?
— Bryan Wall (@whoswalldo) January 18, 2021
Trisha Greenhalgh, a professor of primary care at the University of Oxford, has caused a stir on social media today with an article published on The Conversation which argued that cyclists and joggers should be wearing masks while exercising. Her main argument is that we must reduce the strain on the NHS and that if wearing a mask while exercising has even the slightest impact on reducing infections, then we should be wearing them.
Greenhalgh writes: “Masks work mainly by protecting other people. Pedestrians passed by a relatively young and fit jogger or cyclist include people who are elderly or otherwise more vulnerable to COVID and its complications. If there is a risk of transmission, there is surely an ethical argument to mask up.”
The professor’s other argument is that mask wearing shows social solidarity and “The masked jogger or cyclist is saying both ‘the pandemic is still very serious’ and ‘your safety is more important than my comfort or my lap time’.”
Thoughts?
Don’t see the need to where a mask when I’m training out in the countryside alone & remote from any other human being?
— Dave Smith (@smudger_d) January 19, 2021
I’m pretty sure my exhaled air will not reach you while I’m going past you on my bike at 20mph 😂 https://t.co/g0Y6B5Jb1s
— NFNC 6’0 IQ 167 (@TAPPEDlN) January 19, 2021
Poll: Do you wear a mask while cycling?
New bike park at Ealing Broadway including cycle repair station
Travelling on two wheels for your essential shop? We have just opened our new bicycle and scooter parking unit; including folding bike lockers and a cycle repair station. Head down St.Saviour’s Walk and check it out for yourself. https://t.co/dNmILRXzxh #ealingbroadway #ealing pic.twitter.com/12SdghKJLU
— Ealing Broadway (@EalingShopping) January 18, 2021
I’m not sure what constitutes a cycle repair station* but there seems to be a work stand and a pump, which is better than 99% of bike parking facilities. Top work Ealing Broadway…
*Update, 20th Jan: we wondered, and the folks behind the repair stand, Turvec, got in touch to answer! Their public repair stand features a full set of tools, including a hex key set, Philips and flat screwdrivers, tyre levers and an integrated pump. There are also QR codes that give how-to guides to users – more info here.
Your thoughts on wearing a mask while cycling...
Cyclist pushed off bike in York
The Press reports that North Yorkshire Police are appealing for information about an incident that happened on the Clifton cycle path in York. A woman was assaulted and pushed off her bike at 6.50pm on December 28.
A police spokesperson said: “We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident. In particular, we are appealing for information from the cyclist who was assaulted.”
Anyone with information is to call 101 and quote the reference number 12200246425.
Labour councillor attacked while cycling says two men drove at her before throwing a drink out the car
It’s the second time I’ve had aggression on this road. It runs off Ravenslea and is used to avoid the traffic lights. So drivers get particularly annoyed at having another car or cyclist coming the other way. It’s where the car ended up on its roof on NYE.
— Jo Rigby (@Jo_Earlsfield) January 19, 2021
Labour councillor Jo Rigby took to Twitter this afternoon to report an incident in Wandsworth. Rigby says she was attacked by two men who drove at her before throwing a drink at her from the car. Posting about the incident, Rigby said “I’m done with cycling.” Jeremy Vine quickly responded to Rigby’s Tweet encouraging her to continue riding her bike.
Labour MP for Enfield North, Feryal Clark said: “So sorry to hear that Jo, sadly there are some real a******’s on the roads – but don’t let them put you off cycling.”
Thank you everyone. I’ve actually just started laughing at them. It’s the bit about ‘didn’t you see I was a car’. It’s actually ridiculous. And that’s all his fizzy pop money for the day from his mam wasted.
— Jo Rigby (@Jo_Earlsfield) January 19, 2021
19 January 2021, 09:05
Here's the full story as promised...
Shimano takes over Tour de France neutral support from Mavic
The announcement brings to an end the iconic image of the yellow neutral service car
19 January 2021, 09:05
19 January 2021, 09:05
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Latest Comments
I had a strange one the other day. I was waiting at a red light on my bicycle when a woman crossing the junction in her car, lowered the window and with a face demented with hate and rage screamed at me ‘you are meant to stop at a red light’. I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even muster the energy to tell her to eff off.
Same author writes an article on the costs of safety and one complaining about ticket prices for part of the event.
@mdavidford it is now!
@ChrisA Absolutely, that is definitely the case. However the person of whom I'm thinking, and many others I see online, more or less blatantly say we should have more sympathy for the driver than the deceased cyclist, the attitude being almost how dare the cyclist by riding on an A road or at night or in fog or whatever have taken such risks that have now saddled the poor driver with a lifetime's trauma.
@mdavidford should be 'seeds being sowed', I think
@mdavidford sequins, surely? 😉
Yikes - don't think I'd want to go anywhere near anything where 'joy givers' are in operation - all sounds a bit Black Mirror.
Report from the front: it's already here - just check out any of many 'articles' on the Oxford Mail site, or some of the comments on the Abingdon Blog any time cycling is mentioned.
Is that a mixed media metaphor?
55 thoughts on “Labour councillor “done with cycling” after being driven at in road rage incident; Your thoughts on cyclists wearing masks; LTN planters help police catch driver; Dutch road sign tells cyclists how many calories they’ve burned + more on the live blog”
11 kcal in 30 seconds? Maybe
11 kcal in 30 seconds? Maybe if you’re a track sprinter.
What 1,320 Cals per hour?
What 1,320 Cals per hour? Perhaps cycling up L’Alpe d’Huez chasing Chris Froome!
portec wrote:
11 calories extra and 30s extra, don’t think I burn 1320 calories an hour. It would seem unreasonable to assume that that the increase is not proportional to journey time. i.e. that in addition to more time, the power output would also increase.
Maybe they’re assuming an
Maybe they’re assuming an average Dutch bike, laden with children, fridges etc.
Good catch – I didn’t take
Good catch – I didn’t take the fridge and other cargo into account! Also, if they’re in the Netherlands it’s probably into a headwind 🙂
portec wrote:
Perhaps the detour is up a steep hill…
It’s a two minute detour, but
It’s a two minute detour, but only 30 seconds if you go at 700 watts.
But it’s OK because he had
The joys of Bristol’s pop-up cycle lanes.
But it’s OK because he had his hazard warning lights on…
(he hadn’t unscrewed that one – just reversed over it; it was still attached to its base).
and Eco Friendly!
and Eco Friendly!
But it was before 8am or it
But it was before 8am or it was Sunday!
1pm today, unfortunately…
1pm today, unfortunately…
I’m local and will remember
I’m local and will remember to never employ them.
It would be nice if you could
It would be nice if you could leave a large note on the windscreen saying ‘ucreated a mess and a danger to anyone who cycles along this lane and supports the environment, practise what your logo says, be eco friendly and stay out of the cycle lane ?’
Mask while cycling? – I’ve
Mask while cycling? – I’ve heard some nonsense in my time , but…
The thing about bicycles is that they are mechanically efficient – my breaths per 100m while cycling are far fewer than when I’m walking, so your chances of me exhaling anything nasty over you when I’m cycling is remote in the extreme, added to which I’ll probably be two metres from anyone on the pavement.
Came out of a shop thought I
Came out of a shop thought I’d keep my mask on to cycle to the next shop.
Glasses rapidly fogged up and I stopped and removed mask.
I don’t think it will help the NHS for cyclists to crash whilst not being able to see properly.
I take it masks are required for everyone who is outside, especially in shopping areas and narrow pavements (footways).
I’m not anti-mask (I’ve been
I’m not anti-mask (I’ve been wearing one in supermarkets since March) but unless you’re in a *really* crowded place for significant periods I can’t see that there’s any evidence for their efficacy outdoors. The article is very light on science. It’s the precautionary principle taken to an unnecessary extreme.
It seems to me that if Simon
It seems to me that if Simon Yates could cycle in the Giro for a couple of days with Covid and not pass it on to anyone else in the peleton, then the risk from outdoor maskless cycling seems pretty small. (I’d also add that the apparent lack of transmission in top fight football matches also backs that up – outdoor transmission is pretty hard.)
Steve K wrote:
Yates pulled out before stage 8, after stage 9 two more riders and twelve team staff tested positive, so not sure that’s the case.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Yates pulled out before stage 8, after stage 9 two more riders and twelve team staff tested positive, so not sure that’s the case.— Steve K
Two other riders after 100 odd riders have been in a peleton together for 4 hours a day for several days would be pretty low transmission even if that was how it was spread. But I thought the view was that the team hotels were very Covid insecure, so far more likely to have been picked up there.
I could be misremembering,
I could be misremembering, but I thought the other positive tests were also Mitchelton-Scott, which would make it more likely it was passed on while the team were sharing a hotel than while the riders were out on the road.
As I say, I could be remembering that incorrectly.
Masks – just common sense I
Masks – just common sense I think. I’ve been wearing a cloth neck tube pulled up over my mouth and nose (bought a Respro but can’t get on with it and glasses) when riding round London as I’m frequently stopping at red lights, zebras etc, also on main roads frequently filtering through stationary traffic close to the pavement and so pedestrians. Once I’m out in the country where the nearly everyone I encounter is in a car with the windows up, roll it down – if I pass any walkers I pull out to give them as wide a berth as possible. If, as is rumoured, the powers that be make masks compulsory everywhere in public, I don’t think, science aside, it would be a good look for cyclists to try and claim an exemption. It’s not much of an incubus in this weather anyway!
Rendel Harris wrote:
An incubus may keep you warm at night, but not while cycling.
You have to wear a mask in
You have to wear a mask in Spain when outside but not when exercising or at the beach, so it can’t be that clear cut.
hirsute wrote:
No I don’t think it is, I just think in certain environments – riding in town – I am likely to frequently come within 2m of pedestrians so I’ll wear a mask, riding in the country I won’t so I don’t. I’m fairly ignorant of the science (and let’s face it, in these times I could find evidence to defend any position I choose) but as I said, wearing a mask in this weather doesn’t bother me so if it protects others, or even just makes them feel more protected, I don’t mind doing it.
P.S. Just looked up Spain out of curiosity, a mishmash of regs for different regions. In many regions it’s compulsory to wear a mask when cycling unless exercising, so masks for leisure rides and commuting but not for training and exercise! Could lead to some interesting conversations with police – “Look sir, your bike’s all aluminium, it’s got a Claris groupset and you’re wearing tracksuit pants and trainers, are you really claiming this is a genuine training ride?”
I agree that if masks were a
I agree that if masks were a requirement in all public places, I wouldn’t expect cyclists to be exempt – but the original post calls for ONLY joggers and cyclists to wear masks, and based on very little by way of actual evidence.
OnYerBike wrote:
Were that regulation to be imposed (cyclists and joggers only, not all people in outdoor settings) I completely agree that would be daft.
I don’t think it does call
I don’t think it does call for ONLY joggers and cyclists. I suspect it is more of an argument from her that they should have them on. She is arguing against other health organisation and countries with public mask requirements think they shouldn’t be. Currently as a ped, I don’t (always) wear mine but just ensure I give any other peds plenty of room instead.
RE: Wandsworth Councillor at
RE: Wandsworth Councillor at Wexford Road.
Many properties along this road would appear to have CCTV. Perhaps she should contact the residents for video evidence.
That is a good idea I hope
That is a good idea I hope she has contacted the police and they will do a simlar exercise and that restrictions with police resources are not held up as a excuse. The attitude, danger and idiocy of these people is real and a threat to the general public as much as if someone was walking the street shouting and waving a large knife around.
I hope she has contacted the
I hope she has contacted the police and they will do a simlar exercise and that restrictions with police resources are not held up as a excuse
Waste of time without video. They will ignore the report even if it is accompanied by video, but you can then save the ignored cases up and use them in evidence- against the real villains- The Police. The yobs behave like this because they know that the probability of any action against them is almost zero.
Wearing a mask while cycling
Wearing a mask while cycling or jogging is a silly idea, except if the enviorment you are in does mean that you have to be in close proximity to others, i.e. using CS5 at rush hour.
I wear glasses which tend to
I wear glasses which tend to steam up if I wear a mask. So if I’m required to wear a mask while cycling, it’ll have serious implications for safety. Either I’ll have to take my glasses off, so all I’ll see will be blurry, or I’ll wear them and they’ll be steamed up and i’ll still not be able to see properly.
World Health Organisation
World Health Organisation advice is NOT to wear a mask while exercising as the increased respiration makes the mask wet which in turn makes it more likely to be a source of infection than protection. I’m a (British) PE teacher in Greece. Masks are compulsory for everyone everywhere here except for in your house and while exercising. We discourage our students from wearing masks during PE lessons and teach activities that maintain a sensible distance between participants but if students want to wear masks during PE lessons, we let them, but make them change for a fresh mask after the lesson.
When cycling here I don’t wear a mask but take one (or pull my buff up) when stopping for coffee.
Regarding wearing a mask
Regarding wearing a mask while cycling this is instilling yet more fear. The chances of transmitting the virus we are told are vastly reduced by being outdoors. You would need to be within 2m of someone for approximately 15 minutes to be at risk of infecting them (or vice versa). You will not pass the virus by walking past someone on a path. I’d rather they concentrated on the builders, scaffolders etc who are still sitting three abreast in their vans without any masks being worn.
“three abreast in their vans
“three abreast in their vans without any masks being worn”
I suspect that masks wouldn’t make a difference in that scenario. All they do is reduce the spread of droplets from your mouth and nose into the air. They are not a magic barrier that stops them dead either way and for the amount of time they might be in their van the insides will fill up with said moisture either way.
Jigzy99 wrote:
I think this is bourne out by the fact there were no massive spikes in cases following the summer protests or scenes of busy beaches, as much as the finger pointers want to lay blame on those people.
Mask weaing is all about
Mask weaing is all about showing willingness to comply- all they have to do is issue a national exhortation for all people outdoors, and I’ll happily do it when other people are about, until I find that all the builders, footballers at training sessions, people outside mobile food vans etc., aren’t.
So much wrong with the mask
So much wrong with the mask story. Why would the government want to introduce new rules when they can neither explain nor enforce the ones they have? Let’s be honest they don’t police masks in shops they aren’t going to stop cyclists. If we had a world class test and trace we would know the high risk areas of transmission and we would target those areas. In the first lock down there were so few cars on the road giving space wasn’t an issue. Finally, to be controversial, is getting a coffee and going for a stroll round the park with your mate actually exercise. Those people seem to be the ones criticising joggers without any self analysis.
“World class test and trace”.
“World class test and trace”.
What is that? Have you any idea how to create one or what level of resource is required?
Perhaps in a rock hard communist regime one might work but not in freer societies. The app failed miserably in Germany because the authorities simply did not have the staff to trace people nor were many people particularly cooperative in providing information.
Something else as well. An App ain’t gonna work with me ‘cos I don’t have a smart phone.
I don’t believe Taiwan or
I don’t believe Taiwan or South Korea are communist regimes, although they probably are considerably more authoritarian than the UK.
But I agree that it does require the public to buy into the system, but we are too short sighted to see that extreme action early on reduces the overall pain.
In Taiwan new year festivities are being cancelled because they have FOUR community transmission cases. In November cases in the UK were running at over 10,000 a day and there were discussions about how many people could get together for christmas.
Isn’t that more to do with
Isn’t that more to do with shutting down than tracing? When numbers were low here tracing worked but once infections took off the authorities didn’t have the staff to keep up with the tracing.
Tracinng has never been great
Tracinng has never been great because
A) significant proportion of people don’t engage (especially those likely to be on protests)
B) we never tested the contacts of cases. In the summer the was capacity to do this, we could have eradicated the virus but were content that 10 deaths a day was fine
Having new cases of 1000 a day all through the summer meant it was just a matter of time before things got worse. Cracking down immediately you see any community transmission along with effective quarantine can maintain zero cases and much greater freedom within the zone.
New zealand Australia, Taiwan, South Korea have all endured less lockdowns and fewer deaths. But they have all taken strong action whenever they see cases at levels far below those we see here with people bitching about police state and loss of freedom
Dingaling wrote:
I can’t make sense of that – the app is totally anonymous, so no amount of staff is going to help tracing people through the app. Neither would they need to – the app does the contact tracing itself through proximity, anonymously.
The app fails because it does nothing to protect the individual, but everything to cost you two weeks loss of earnings unless you have a pukka employer. Any sort of gig worker, self employed, contractor, etc, forget it. Even some employers are on record telling their staff not to use it.
Your thoughts on wearing a
Don’t want “thoughts” or opinions on this, want evidence-based direction. A simple yes or know will suffice after evidence has been weighed by scientists.
Nice how they published the
Nice how they published the opinion of @TAPPEDlN who has in their bio that they are a shitposter.
Scientists said smoking was
Scientists said smoking was safe.
I can’t see the point of
I can’t see the point of trying to enforce joggers and cyclists using masks (or anyone exercising to the point of breathing hard) when I regularly see people inside supermarkets not covering their noses with masks. As I understand it, when you’re breathing hard the amount of virus expelled will be diluted compared to when you’re breathing normally, so we need to be concentrating on non-exercising people and especially when in shared indoors settings.
I don’t get the exercising
I don’t get the exercising hard thing – surely more volume = more virus ?
Now most supermarkets insist on masks anyway and people who need to be shielding but have exercise too probably won’t be in supermarkets anyway.
Runners and cyclists shouldn’t be close enough to other people long enough to be cause for concern.
That depends on how many
That depends on how many virus copies that your body is making. Maybe at the start of a heavy breathing ride you’d be liberating more virus into the air, but after a while you’d be hopefully exhausting your virus reserves and thus liberating less virus into the air. I would imagine that your virus production is at a relatively steady state so that breathing more wouldn’t increase the number of virus particles but as there’s increased volume of air, the density would be much reduced. Conversely, maybe heavy breathing would liberate more virus from parts of your lungs that ordinary breathing doesn’t reach?
However, I have no idea if that’s how it works or not, so it’d be interesting to hear from someone who does know how these things work.
Where did the notion that the
Where did the notion that the virus comes out on the breath arise from? I understand the virus being a payload within droplets of spit ejected on the breath as people speak, shout, sing, cough, etc. But no discrete droplets, no virus.
The virus, being a solid, can’t evaporate, nor hitch a ride on evaporating moisture molecules, it needs to be a passenger in saliva droplets being expelled, which as far as I know does not generally happen with just breathing?
As I understand it, it’s
As I understand it, it’s related to bio-aerosols that carry the virus and whether or not ordinary breathing releases any of these into the air. It’s up for debate as to whether it’s only coughing, sneezing and talking that are the main vectors though.
Found this article that refers to some studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7205645/
Hmm. Interesting reading.
Hmm. Interesting reading. Even the WHO is skeptical about the breathing bit:
No wonder, since it is looking for solid evaporated components.
Anyway, I looked at the reference No3 for that claim, which eventually took me to a video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H2azcn7MqOU
It’s a good video, I wish more people were aware of what comes out of their mouths even when just talking – which the video shows compellingly, together with the vital importance of ventilation. However, the mechanisms shown are talking and coughing and sneezing. But at 3:24 the chap simply adds in “breathing” as well. Maybe there is evidence, but as the referenced source, this ain’t it.
To me it just seems likely
To me it just seems likely that if talking can launch aerosols, then surely breathing would also do so, but in smaller amounts. It’s not something that I know much about (although I have been breathing for a long time) and it seems that we in general don’t have good models for how coronavirus is spreading – hopefully breathing isn’t a major vector as that’d be worse than only spreading whilst talking (though I’d be happy for some people to do a lot less talking).
Talking involves vibrating
Talking involves vibrating your vocal cords, so I imagine that flicks off some moisture, flicking your tongue about, which is going to fling a bit of spit, plus all the fricatives and plosives, which is bound to get the spittle flying. Just think “Roy Hattersley”. Breathing does none of the above.
I do wonder whether the English “th” sound, with the tongue peeking out between the teeth, is especially guilty. Maybe there is a correlation between language and spreading covid?
But yeah, amazed how little research there seems to be. The video I linked previously is quite good, but the most compelling part turns out to be modelling rather than actual observation.
Perhaps all languages have a
Perhaps all languages have a guilty sound. The way ‘j’s are pronounced in Spanish also springs to mind.