[Closed] Riding with the lurgy.

I've been ill for over two weeks now, started as a chesty cough - ended up in A&E on Christmas Eve with suspected Sepsis! tests done and they think it was a viral infection, so no treatment. Really want to get back on my bike but I've controlled the urge and just walked the dog in the woods, trying to avoid seeing mates piling down Greno and Wharny tracks!
Today I felt wheezy again and realistically cant see my self riding until at least next weekend (Doc's appointment on Friday, so I'll see what she says).

Better to rest until 7 days after the symptoms have gone, so I've been told!

I’ve always understood it’s good for you and gets the blood flowing and aids recovery, unless you have a fever and high temperature then it’s no.

Cold in your head - ride
Cold in your body - don't

Gave myself a brutal chest infection for Xmas a few years back by manning up and carrying on riding regardless.

Really careful now to take it easy when I’ve got a cold.

+1 with molgrips, just take it steady if you ride with an infection above the neck, no KOM chasing. 😉

Your energy levels should be very depleted if youve got the lurgy bad in which case you will soon know after a mile or so of riding.

Above the neck, OK. Below the neck - rest.
Whilst the temptation is to go riding, there are potential long-term health risks - not least cardiac failure!

What molgrips said. If it's below neck you'll end up longer off the bike in the long run

Colds last 2-3 weeks for me, former if I stop all exercise and booze, and go to bed before 9pm

Just back from a ride which I failed to complete thankfully the other lads were ok about it! had nothing in the tank after 3 hrs of riding and hike a bike, been ill since xmas with the Flu. Thought it would be good to get out but I reckon its set me back a week

Me and my mate both have the lurgy and went out today was a woeful ride ended early with tea and cake. Nice to get out again but feel awful again now. Had this cold for about a week. Hate moaning about something so trivial, but this really is a stinker!

A good ride can do wonders for clearing your sinuses I find.

Probably not such a good idea if you have a bad chest, or any kind of significant infection that requires some good rest.

For me, a bit of sniffle or mild cold then possibly but I'll probably ease off.

However, I went for a short road ride earlier in December with a sniffle which I turned into a mega cold. I ended up having what felt like a mild asthma attack at the top of a climb (constricted breathing, took 10 minutes to get breath back properly). I haven't had any bother like this for over 20 years and I've been wheezing during exercise since then. Basically like exercise induced asthma which I'm very much hoping will piss off.

So I'm increasingly wary of exercising with a cold! Too many bad experiences over the years.

Don't!

I made a similar mistake on 30th December, I'd had a cough since Crimbo Eve, couldn't really warm up / get warm on the morning of the race, started a CX race, bailed after 2 laps, was sick and continued to be be sick, went very grey with purple lips, shivering etc got home, basically passed out, the wife called 111, paramedics came out as I was pretty unresponsive, red hot to tough and slurring my words. Temp of 39.5, HR of 95 (resting) normally 50, BS of 94%, severe chest infection, anti-biotics, chest X-ray, yey!

Got the results today, have an accumulation in my lower left lung and need a return x-ray in 6 weeks to make sure it's cleared, brilliant!!!

As a tangential thing, as someone with the willpower not to ride equivalent to a floppy lettuce, I started using an iPhone app called ithlete that measures something called HRV - heart rate variability - which gives a rough overall guide to your state of health / fitness / recovery.

It's a one-minute every morning thing, a bit like measuring resting heart rate, using a thumb monitor thing and basically gives you a pointer as to where you are. I found it really useful for anticipating when I was about to go down with something - back off then and it often doesn't develop - but also as a guide for when I was okay to get back on the bike again if I am ill or have been ill. Often it says I'm better than I feel on the upward slope and experience bears that out. Sometimes it says red light, don't ride, and it's generally been right on the odd occasion I've ignored it, it's pushed me over the edge.

As someone who's always had a tendency to ride regardless and suffer the consequences, it's been a bit of a game-changer and takes some of the subjectivity out of deciding whether to ride / train / not ride / ride hard / potter about etc.

Not saying it's essential or owt like that, but some here might find it interesting/useful.

I've got this stinking cold going around at the moment, wiped me out for most of last week & turned into a lovely cough.

I went out at the weekend, mainly as I was going crazy just sitting around feeling sorry for myself. Managed to get out for a few hours both days having a bit of a pootle & not trying hard to get out of breath.

I shifted what felt like a bucket load of snot & phlegm both days & whilst I still have the annoying cough everything appear to be moving on.

I was very careful though, being asthmatic & having spent some time being treated for pneumonia in the past when a cold went bad, did not want a repeat of that! (Although riding when ill wasn't the cause, just bad luck).

Don't. I lost three months last year after racing# with an infection. Thought I'd be OK and didn't feel too bad, but had to DNF and then had an ongoing viral episode that took an age to clear. Now back training properly, but will be more cautious in future. Gentle rides to the shops in lieu of walking are OK, nothing harder.

#National 24 hr TT. Bailed at 16 hours and 310 miles. A bit extreme, but still... Don't.

Cold in your head – ride
Cold in your body – don’t

I've always wondered what to do when I get one of those irritating not-full-on-tonsillitis sore throats. 😀

I didn't.
I also got the 30 december christmas sinus Lurgy - we should have a lurgy club.
Bright green snot and a hacking cough you say. Not the flu , but has made me feel rubbish for a good week.

Gave myself a brutal chest infection for Xmas a few years back by manning up and carrying on riding regardless

^^ this in erm 2004? 2005? whatever I've only done it once