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What do you do?
Almost immediately after realizing I've not had a cold for aaaaaggess...
Yesterday I was sneezing a little, slight tickle in throat.
Today, snotty, nose mostly blocked, sneezing, slight cough, croaky voice came on in afternoon.
Felt rough on commute home. So went the slightly longer way to avoid traffic. Wheels stopped rotating because clogged up with semi-frozen Kentish mud between forks/mudguards/tyres. Fun.
The only additional item I wore was a lined woolly hat that covers the ears under my helmet. Not sure about a balaclava lol, I don't currently own one. Multisport tracky/leggings under lightweight 'xc ski' trousers. T-shirt/fleecy top/windproof on top half. Thick gloves, 510 EPS Freeriders.
Should probably go to bed now instead of posting this.
If I'm feeling rough I'll take the van, an hour in the pissing rain/freezing cold is no fun and much less so when I'm under the weather.
Covid LFT Friday or Saturday.
It now often begins with an innocent sore throat that turns in razor blades and fire, along with cold-like symptoms.
Sympathies - in the same boat. Not had a proper cold for ages, got levelled this week after coming back on a plane from Dublin at the weekend.
Sounds like a couple of days off work are in order - when you're coming out of it I find that a bimble on the bike in z1 is fine, and doesn't feel any worse than just sitting on the couch. Had to ride 30 minutes today to restart our car which was marooned with a flat battery - didn't feel great but it wasn't any stress.
My hands can get painfully cold bimbling in this weather. They are fine if I'm working on the bike but at bimble levels the blood don't flow.
To my mind cold and a cold have little real link. Yes you might feel a bit crap so can't be bothered to wrap up but generally I reckon a nice bracing ride makes everything feel better once you have made the inital effort. I always used to find surfing a good hang over or cold cure.
My feet freeze so obviously thick wool socks, loose winter/goretex boots and overshoes are not enough or myabe I just have poor circulation.
i havent ridden to work for a week and a half due to being full of snot. Bloody cold seems to keep reinventing itself. Start to feel better, then the next day, its back with a vengeance.
Thankfully i have a car so riding isnt my only option. Its annoying, but equally i am missing the sub-zero temperatures.
Hope to be back at it next week.
I don't think cold temperatures really affect having a cold like Mattsccm says up there^ but personally I try and avoid getting damp for any length of time as I feel like that could be detrimental perhaps
My only limit with cycling in the cold is when it’s consistently below zero and the chance of ice, especially black ice before dawn and after dusk is a real likelihood.
As others have said, having a cold and cycling in the cold are fine bedfellows.
Having flu/Covid and cycling in the cold is really crap. I speak from very recent experience of being halfway home (20miles) and starting to shiver uncontrollably and being totally unable to focus on anything, even what I’m doing on the bike WRT gears etc.
I always ride to work when ive got a normal cold, it helps to clear me out and actually makes me feel better
If it was making me feel really bad riding and i was really struggling then id suspect i have flu/covid or at best a very very bad cold and i wouldnt go to work as i wouldnt want to spread that around to everyone else i work with!
Been off the bike commute since catching covid in November. Cold symptoms and sinus issues since, so it can wait till January.
Some colds you can't ride in any weather with! Like, if you can't breathe properly!
Worst I felt was riding to work after not eating the day before. Ok when I was riding, but nearly fainted when I walked in the building. Won't be doing that again.
What I ended up doing was phoning the boss, tried to say I hadn't made up my mind about going in, but who then agreed I sounded terrible so assumed I wasn't going to. Then about 15 minutes later after more indecisiveness changed my mind and went in. Had some max strength cold/flu tablets, drunk loads of fluids today, and it wasn't too bad at all really. Felt much worse yesterday on the ride home. I've been commuting on my bike with no other option for probably ten years now. Have made myself worse by riding around like a lunatic more than once.
Not sure about a balaclava lol,
Gore windstopper balaclava. Invaluable ear protection. About 35 quid and you wont regret it one bit.
I might be tempted by it to be honest, but it's only hitting negative temperatures before daylight here, and with the hat on I mentioned (that covers my ears and back of neck) I've been getting a bit too warm and getting sweaty. Not been hammering it either. Not the very easiest of efforts though, find it difficult to do in traffic.
Do you wear goggles with it? I'm thinking rainbow reflective goggles.