8 Social Distancing Activities to Keep You Occupied

You may be finding yourself at home with more time on your hands than you know what to do with right now. To sustain you through these times of social distancing, here are some suggestions from the Peloton editorial team.

Learn how to make new ride foods.

Things got a little out of hand there at Costco—it’s all a blur. Whatever went down, it’s in the past. Now, there’s business to attend to, namely figuring out what to do with the 300 pounds of rice now stacked around your trainer in the basement. Now’s the perfect time to learn how to make rice cakes, an excellent ride food or quarantine snack. When we emerge from the age of social distancing, making these bad boys will be old hat. Here’s a recipe from Team EF’s soigneurs to try out.

Brush up on your excuses.

From the old standbys like blaming juniors to extreme measures like faking a mechanical, every cyclist has a carefully curated list of excuses to account for underperforming at races. A global pandemic brings new creative opportunities. Now’s the time to Carefully craft your coronavirus excuses about all the races you would have won if they had gone on. Try: “Yeah my fitness was at an all-time high this season. Makes you think about what could have been.” Or try: “I definitely would have destroyed the field at (insert local race here).” And don’t forget to tack on: “It’s a shame, too, I was on track for my cat 2 upgrade this season.”

Maybe clean your bike for once.

Come on, we know you’ve been putting it off. At least clean the chain. Here’s a couple recommendations for cleaning/maintenance products from Muc-Off and Maxima.

Spend quality time with your family in the house.

…by practicing social distancing on the trainer. 

Catch up on back issues of Peloton.

That’s what we would do, at least. Enjoy a free digital issue on us. Each issue features cycling culture, adventures, intriguing interviews with the sport’s biggest personalities and more.

If, like us, you prefer to read in print, you can get 50 percent off back issues here with the code BACK_ISSUE_50, or subscribe here to get these great stories delivered right to your door. (Plus you’ll get a couple of gifts as a thank you!)

Change up your work environment.

Working from home means it’s time for a suit jacket up top, and bibs down below. Enjoy your remote meetings on the trainer. No one will notice. Probably.

Keep up with your caffeine habit.

If you don’t have the budget right now for a shiny, whirring, whistling, milk-frothing bona-fide espresso machine like these ones from Rocket Espresso to hold over your caffeine habit while you stay away from the café, you can certainly pool together all the money you’re saving on lattes for a classic Bialetti stovetop espresso maker. They start at just $30. Worst case scenario, barter some of your excess rice for one.

Finally, rewatch some classic races.

Nothing can fill the pro-racing sized hole in our hearts as more and more races get postponed this season, but rewatching classic races might help. Maybe start with the 2002 Paris-Roubaix, the last time it rained at the Hell of the North.