The Nelson and Tasman councils closed down mountain bike tracks across the Nelson-Tasman region on Friday

Cyclists are being asked to "ride short and ride local" during the coronavirus lockdown.

Although many mountain bike tracks and trails currently remain open around the country, some clubs and local councils have made the decision to shut them during the lockdown.

On Friday afternoon, the Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council announced they were closing down their mountain bike trails, effective immediately, due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Both councils consulted with relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Health and police, before reaching the decision and said there was broad support for closure.

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Tasman Mayor Tim King said people should not have to be reminded to avoid situations where too many people might be gathered in one place.



"In reflecting the current national advice people should think if I am driving to recreate or travelling beyond my neighbourhood I have probably gone too far.'

Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese said reducing the risk of an emergency call out was paramount at this time.



"We encourage people to continue to get the exercise they need within the constraints of the shutdown, and to remember that we must prioritise safety and protecting our health system."

Cycling New Zealand president Jacques Landry said they were sticking as close as possible to Ministry of Health guidelines to inform cyclists how, when, and where they should ride, if at all.

Landry said Cycling NZ was asking people to use their common sense in the situation. While the best way to reduce exposure was to stay at home, he said there would be many people who would want to get out and exercise.

The guidelines put forward on Friday encouraged people to ride short and local to reduce pressure on emergency services, and not to drive out to a riding location.

Other instructions included maintaining social distancing while on the bike, and avoiding touching surfaces which could have been potentially contaminated.

Landry said in countries badly affected by Covid-19 such as Spain, France, and Italy, more stringent measures had been put in place preventing people from leaving their properties to ride.

He said as the situation developed, they would be keeping their guidelines in step with the Ministry of Health.

"We're not at the same place as those countries – but this is a very fluid situation."

Around the country, some mountain bike clubs have already started to close down tracks.

Sven Martin Mountain Bike New Zealand president Chris Arbuckle said if people went out riding it they needed to ride safe, local, and solo.

On Thursday Auckland's West Coast Riders Club shut down their mountain bike park, while the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club closed down some of its more difficult tracks to reduce the potential of injury to riders.

On Friday the Christchurch Singletrack Club closed the Crocodile XC MTB Park.

Mountain Bike New Zealand president Chris Arbuckle said for people who did go out on their bikes, they were encouraged to ride local, ride safe, and ride solo.

Arbuckle said this would mean different things for different people depending on their contexts, but the aim was to use common sense and abide by the self-isolation principles.

He said some people were using indoor trainers or riding locally in the neighbourhood, while others in the countryside were still able to ride safely without running into any other people.

Rotorua Mountain Bike Club president Mat Hunt said in their area, it was the local council and trails trust responsible for keeping open or closing the trails.

Hunt said while most remained open, they could only advise riders how best to be safe if they did choose to go out.

Hunt said as things had changed with the lockdown, they were now advising people not to go out on their bikes if at all possible.

"The whole thing has moved really quickly – at the start of the week we were saying 'go for it', but don't do anything silly to put pressure on the hospitals.

"Now the club's position is if you really feel like you need to go for a ride, you probably shouldn't, but if you do don't do anything difficult and make it a short one."