I’ve had viral flu which has turned into a stinking cold that i just can’t shift after 2 weeks.

I ride most days normally but have only had a few slow commutes last week. I’ve got a 100km race at the end of the month which i need to train for so don’t want to stop riding but am i just prolonging my recovery?

am i just prolonging my recovery

imo yes – especially training and racing.

This topic comes up several times a week at the moment btw.

Have a good google on this one. its has been discussed on here as well

IMO – no – you should not exercise hard when unwell with respiratory infections. Two issue One if the rare link with sudden death and the other is the risk of depressing your immune system and increasing your recovery time from the illness

However both points are controversial

I would say almost certainly. I seem to recover much quicker with no bike time except a 2 mile ride to work tops. As long as it’s just sneezing/runny nose, I keep riding, though for shorter easier rides. If I’m coughing up phlegm or my joints ache, I give any exercise a wide berth.

also, if i go out on the bike and feel grim, I curtail the ride straight away – for a start if i’m not enjoying it, then it’s not great for future ride motivation, and also i think it’s my body trying to tell me something!!

Even ignoring the possible health implications, if you feel crap, you won’t enjoy it, and you won’t get the same exercise as if you were healthy, so, imo, stay in bed.

Got the same issue, my darling partner has shared her cold with me. Just in the snotty nose/head cold stage at mo, got a chesty cough to look forward to if it runs the same.

Still doing the 4 mile commute but longer/harsher rides are out till I recover for all the above reasons, mainly motivation

also, if i go out on the bike and feel grim, I curtail the ride straight away – for a start if i’m not enjoying it, then it’s not great for future ride motivation, and also i think it’s my body trying to tell me something!!

I should have done this yesterday.

grum – it’s taken me several years to realise this!!

even though i’m ill i still enjoy riding, in fact i feel i have to get out.

bit concerned about sudden death though, i’ll take it easy rding home tonight!

This may be outdated now but as a general rule,”they” say if the symptoms are below the neck, avoid training.

swisstony – Member

even though i’m ill i still enjoy riding, in fact i feel i have to get out.

Ride then -nice gentle pootle Don’t worry to much about he sudden death thing – the link is not universally acknowledged and its a rare occurrence in extreme circumstances

I would ride just to get out there because it’s nice out at the moment (well it is around here) and just the feelgood factor of being out on a bike will boost your recovery. But pick a flattish route, keep the mileage reasonably low and don’t break a sweat. And make sure there’s someone (mate, wife, girlfriend, family member) who can be called up to give you and the bike a lift home if you feel rough mid-ride.

I don’t train while ill (even if that means scrubbing an event),but as a few have said,it’s good to still get out and pootle (as long as you’re not at deaths door).

back home now and i didn’t die! took it easy and i feel ok