March 18/20 16:21 pm - MPCC Tells Riders to Stay Home

Posted by Editoress on 03/18/20
 

The MPCC (Mouvement pour un Cyclisme Crédible) has issued a statement in support of strict health measures, including advising riders to not train on the road. European countries are taking different positions on this, as are athletes. Spain and Italy have been very strong on riders not training outdoors (Italy will issue professionals 'passes', but they are being stopped by the police and it has become socially unacceptable). In a statement: Because it is a matter of protection for everyone, because the health of the riders has always been our main focus and because we have been committed to fostering credibility for 12 years, MPCC asks everyone, and especially its members, to comply at once with all of the health measures with the same determination that they have shown towards sports and ethical rules.

The efforts of the governments focus on slowing down the propagation of the COVID-19 virus in order to create a sufficient level of immunity among the population. The main goal here is to avoid a huge number of persons getting sick at the same time, thus overcrowding the hospitals and preventing those really in need from getting a sufficient level of care. As a consequence, during the spread of the virus, the governments already have to - or will very soon - restrict the free movement of persons. These restrictions will only get more permissive during an ulterior phase.

In numerous countries, the population is already required to stay home to limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus. In these areas, MPCC believes that the same rule should apply to everyone, whether you are a mere amateur cyclist or a cycling champion, for as long as imposed and following the different rules enforced by the governments.

The doctor of our movement, Pierre Lebreton, hematologist, has a clear statement for them: "If some of you wonder whether they can go out to train, the answer is no! Not going out is the answer to two potential issues: contaminating the others, and having an accident that would overcrowd the hospitals even more."

During the following weeks, we are convinced that our 861 members, including 380 professional athletes, males and females, will support this behaviour, whatever the consequences on their professional activity and on their mid-term and long-term sporting goals.

Before anything else, cyclists are global citizens. Solidarity is a crucial value that sport must encourage, especially in these circumstances.

We sincerely hope that our individual behaviours and our collective will are key to defeat this pandemic. We wish all of you "Bon courage" in this difficult moment.