Why is it that when I get reasonably fit I catch some bug that returns me to square one? Last week I had a road bike week in Majorca, came back feeling really good and ready for an event this Sunday only to come down with a classic snotty cold which has left me knackered and wondering whether I should even go tomorrow. This is a fairly consistent pattern, I get some decent miles in my legs ready for events or just longer holiday rides and I catch something. Is there anything that can be done or is it just the luck of the viral draw?

possibly not getting enough recovery time in? then although you're getting stronger your immune system is compromised and makes you more vulnerable?

i do bugger all miles and rarely get ill. crazy huh…

Flying i the single worst place to catch a bug as the air is all recirculated, so if one person sneezes it passes right through the cabin.

the fittest people are always just one step from illness
a bit like genius and madness……….. 😆

very true-do you always fly when you get ill? i had assumed not but when you assume you make an ass of you and i*

*eh fraz?

After being at my fittest ever I got a nasty virus then post viral fatigue and have barely been able to ride my bike at all in the last 7 months.

always stay a bit unfit and fat………….it is when you are at your strongest…striving for fitness.

always stay a bit unfit and fat

Aye. All last winter people were falling down with colds etc etc. I was fine 🙂

I blame my nieces and nephews, was hardly ever sick till they came along. They're just germ ridden petri dishes with legs.

Flying i the single worst place to catch a bug as the air is all recirculated, so if one person sneezes it passes right through the cabin.

Common myth and total rubbish, the air in modern aircraft is generally cleaner than in most hospitals. The fact that you're within inches of hundreds of people as you go through check-in/security etc then on the plane itself is the factor, not the air circulation system of the plane.

After exercise your immune system is depressed so it's much easier to catch a bug, could also be a symptom of overtraining.

Fat loss? Lower body fat compromises the immune system to a degree

Common myth and total rubbish

really? why's that? not trolling genuinely interested, it makes sense in my head-is the air not recycled then?

i have read somewhere the air was actually cleaner when you could still smoke on planes as they recycled it more often.

Too much training raises cortisol from stress and interfers with protein synthesis of immune cells.

Try to get more sleep, nutrition and cool down properly.

A week off riding should not lead back to square one.

Try reading around training articles-sport science is not about blasting away miles. Or pay a consultant for training advice.

Common myth and total rubbish

really? why's that? not trolling genuinely interested, it makes sense in my head-is the air not recycled then?

aircraft are pretty leaky things really. while there is a bit of recirculation going on, there's also a constant supply of new air from outside coming (via the engines) in to replace that which is lost – that's how the pressurisation is maintined.

there is a bit of controversy brewing among industry types (cabin crew, flightdeck crew) about illness caused by long term exposure to that compressed air – it's compressed in the first stages of the engine and is tapped off to feed the cabin. there's a chance that the air coming in is contaminated with engine lubricants – not significant as a punter, and only (as yet) allegedly of significance even after long exposure.

as crazy-legs says though, IMO it's more about all the people in the airport/gate/jetway/cabin than the quirks of air circulation.

Fitness followed by illness hey?

Do you also suffer with cold sores on yer privates?
If so I diagnose genital herpes..

If NOT however.. then you should seek a second opinion..