The clinical picture of the know-it-all virus is well known: People are constantly telling others what to do and what not to do. We mountain bikers are very familiar with this when we are told where to ride in the mountains and, above all, where not to ride. There are lots of people on the trails who have no idea but have an opinion. No idea about mountain biking, and yet they know everything better. This is the clinical picture of the know-it-all virus, and the high-risk group includes hikers, foresters, farmers, hunters and tourism professionals. The virus is described in the literature in the blog post on Ride.ch in July 2019.

Now mountain bikers have also been hit. Triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, mountain bikers are also showing symptoms of the know-it-all virus. The inflationary use of the hashtag #stayathome is still the most harmless form. People are loudly and sometimes aggressively calling for people to stop riding their bikes. Anyone who does so anyway is in fact contributing to the coronavirus pandemic and putting the healthcare system at risk. Moralizing is a typical clinical picture of the know-it-all virus.

In the coronavirus matter, the following applies to (almost) all of us: we have no idea. We lack medical knowledge, we only have secondary information and we don't have a holistic understanding of the healthcare system. So we have no idea, but we still have an opinion. And this opinion has to be imposed on others. Just like the hikers, foresters, farmers, hunters and tourism experts on mountain bikes.

A communicative quarantine would be advisable for the know-it-all mountain bikers. Everyone should decide for themselves how to deal with the current situation. The credo: avoid transmission of the coronavirus and injuries requiring medical treatment. Anyone who therefore refrains from sporting activities should do so. Anyone who can take responsibility for getting into the saddle or ski touring boots should do so. After all, it is precisely this personal responsibility that we mountain bikers demand back on the trail in post-corona times. The only medicine available against the know-it-all virus is personal responsibility. Don't let it be taken away from you!

More blog posts by Thomas Giger

ride.ch/blog/giger