This time last year I had got ill with a virus that took nearly a month to get over. I started riding gently at day 19 and after 10 days was back on form.
Fast forward a year and I have another viral illness I cannot kick. Glands, vague nausea, aching neck and very little energy. By the afternoon I’m shattered. I’m sleeping 8hrs a day, not exercising, WFH only a half day etc, eating well, not drinking. Most exercise I’ve done is walk a couple of hundred metres. It’s day 20 and I’m no better than day 10. I am so pissed off I’m tempted to bimble on my bike to at least improve my mood.

Totally feel your pain, i stupidly decided to give up car for a year and rode 36-56 miles day to and from work, except all i did was ride myself into chronic fatigue and now struggle to ride a bike more than 20 miles and get out of breath climbing stairs, i have to have a “pre-sleep” on the sofa at 8.30pm before then climbing into bed feeling grotty.

Hate looking outside at the weather and not being able to take advantage of it.

Mood wise, i am lucky to live near beautiful coast line, so will bimble on bike to the coast about 12 miles, and bivvy overlooking the beach, does wonders!

Day 20? Seriously ADSH, get to the docs. It may not be viral but biological and is bubbling around you’re bloodstream. In addition your immune system will be low and you’ll be exposed to got know what else.

edit: I know this sounds a bit rich coming from me, but I just rode my strongest 90 minutes this year after listening to people and doing bugger all for 3.5 weeks – although I did struggle with the inactivity to be fair I now see the benefit.

Been to doctors twice. Diagnosis is rumbling viral illness. I shouldn’t have been run down – proper training plan with rest weeks.
It’s possible it’s stress related – work and house build. Cannot stop wife’s massive list of jobs which stretch out forever. Together with no planning it means every time I come home I don’t know if I can relax or have to do so.e time critical shit in the new build.

Training stress and general life stress both add to the overall load as it were.
Training at a ‘normal’ level on the bike – even with a well structured plan – can be too much when rest isn’t actually rest.

IANAD, but pretty sure the ‘cure’ is going to be the same whether you’ve got something viral or just simply gubbed yourself – rest harder.

As ^ your have too much on and you’ve not given yourself time to recover. + you are ill too. Stop all this ‘wife’s list of massive jobs’ for a while. Get out for some walks, take some time for yourself. The risk of ploughing on regardless is that you will really run yourself down.

IANAD, but I have lived with chronic fatigue and it’s bloody hard. But a bloody-minded attitude to not looking after myself caused the issue in the first place.

+1 for stress tiring you out. I get anxious a lot, have a constant load of tasks (that, to be fair I give myself) and as result find it hard to unwind / shut off / find time for riding. and so it goes on..

I had a viral chest infection in February, finally cleared the last of it 2 weeks ago. It’s awful and SO frustrating.

Sadly, laying off the bike was one of the things that made it better, gentle bimbles with the kids aside.

I feel your pain, 2017 has been a write off for me racing wise.

pretty sure the ‘cure’ is going to be the same whether you’ve got something viral or just simply dubbed yourself – rest harder.

This.

I’ll also add – I’m not the only one then!

About 3 wks with a sh1tty viral thing though slowly improving. Not really ill, but as soon as I’m on the bike….very annoying too – BC Bike Race is just round the corner & I’ve had a really solid 6 months build to it with not a single cold!

I picked this little bugger up after an FTP in monsoon like conditions & then riding – not resting – with it as I had a friend over from the US for a few days.

Sucks Bojo’s balls in Hell it does!

Quick update.

No better really. Not ridden bike for 3 weeks. Half day’s haven’t cured things so I’m signed off for 10 days. Gone beyond watching a years training bleed away and am now just hoping I don’t have EBV or CFS.