How is Riding ‘Classified’?

Over the past few weeks, governments in several countries have been grappling with the question of how to classify surfing. Is it exercise or a sport or a social gathering? Because after all, that classification will determine what social distancing advice and/or regulations apply to it (unless you live in some countries, where a total stay-indoors lockdown for businesses and citizenry has forced the closure of beaches and automatically made surfing illegal).
But what about riding dirt bikes? Same quandary, right? So, how will the Australian government classify it? As exercise? A religion? A sport? A social gathering? Two-wheeled boot camp? A wedding? A funeral? Day care? Or simply a lifestyle that means something different to everyone?

As much as we all like to think of riding as essential, let’s face it: it’s not. Not in the new world order’s definition of “essential”, anyway. Which begs the question: in the absence of any clear direction from the authorities about how they’ll classify the ‘elective’ riding of your dirt bike, what do we do? Is it still okay to go riding, just for the sake of riding? Or do we have a social responsibility not to get on our bikes for the time being; for the greater good of the community?
Admittedly, choosing not to ride is difficult to reconcile with daily scenes of crowded public transport, supermarkets, schools and boot camps in public parks. But, as nourishing as riding may be for your health and wellbeing, it still ain’t essential (neither are boot camps, but let’s not get lost down that rabbit hole!).
So, if you’ve got a serious hankering to go riding and you’re wrestling with your conscience, here’s a simple test: if you can manage to go riding without coming into contact with more people than you would by staying at home and only going ‘out’ for essentials (ie, abiding by the authorities’ current advice), then go for it. But don’t do it recklessly. Don’t come into contact with other people unnecessarily. Or a tree. Or the ground. Cos if you do, don’t expect healthcare workers to prioritise you ahead of someone with respiratory problems. These people are at the frontline of a pandemic, the likes of which the world has not seen for 100 years, so it’s understandable that their attention and medical resources will be directed elsewhere, not at you.

Yes, it’s a sobering reality. But it’s also a hypothetical picture worth painting now to avoid putting yourself and/or others in an untenable predicament.

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