Nangangamba sila na baka malagay sa panganib ang mga cyclists sa pagsusuot ng face mask at face shield kapag nasa public place bilang bahagi ng health protocols para pa rin sa pagkontrol ng COVID-19 sa bansa.
“Talagang hindi safe iyan kasi, alam mo naman, di ba pati sa pag-angkas lang iyang plastik-plastik di talaga nakakatulong,” pahayag ni Gretchen sa panayam ng ABS-CBN.
Para naman kay Kuya Kim, “Cyclists are already physically distanced. Mayroon na silang mask, mayroon pa silang shield. Baka himatayin na iyong mga cyclists na pumupunta sa trabaho.
“Baka himatayin iyan sa daan at masagasaan ng bus sa hirap ng ginagawa ninyo. Having a face shield, they might die,” aniya pa.
Dagdag pa ni Kuya Kim na tatlong beses isang linggo nagbibisikleta sa paligid ng MOA Arena (40 to 50 kilometers), “It is already difficult to race with a mask. Now the face shield. I don’t know how I am going to do it.”
Nitong panahon ng pandemya, lumobo ang bilang ng mga nagbibisikleta sa bansa dahil na rin sa takot ng ilang Pinoy na mag-commute.
“They don’t like to use public transport because it is more prone to the COVID-19 infection due to the lack of proper physical distancing. They include some of our frontliners who go to work daily,” sabi pa ni Kuya Kim.
“You can’t be shoulder-to-shoulder when you are racing. There is proper physical distancing. You might trip or stumble in racing close together.
“Okay lang kung malamig ang panahon. But when you cycle uphill ka na, pagod ka na, hindi ka na makahinga. I think that rule of should be amended to exclude cyclists,” lahad pa niya.
Kamakailan, ibinahagi naman ni Gretchen na nakapagbigay na sila ng mahigit 1,100 bikes sa ilan nating mga kababayan.
“We were able to give more than 1,100 bikes, some in Tuguegarao in Cagayan. This is where I realized that they were not only for health and fitness but also as means of livelihood,” chika ng TV host.