Back on the bike

[mgarl10024]

Morning all,

I'm back on the bike today! horrah!
I've been cycling regularly for about a year and recently caught the office cold which took me off the bike for 3wks. Normally, I'm pretty good with colds and shift them pretty quickly, however this one really lingered. I'm now left with a bit of a cough still, but thought that a go on the bike would sort me out.

However, I wasn't prepared for how tough I found it. I'm convinced that my quads have shrunk to about 2/3 of the size they were before the cold (which perhaps makes sense as fighting a virus takes a lot of energy and with a sore throat I wasn't eating all that well). The result was that I didn't have a lot of strength going up hills etc. so I would switch to a lower gear and more cardio and would find that I couldn't keep up the pace or would trigger coughing. I stopped twice during my 7 mile commute (I rarely stop), and found that holding anything above 12mph on the flat was a struggle (normally about 16mph comfortably). My average was 10mph (down from 11-12mph normally).

To be fair, it was cold (-2), I did have a poor night's sleep, a cross wind and weighty set of panniers this morning - but I still know that I'm not performing at where I was 3 weeks ago.

What do you guys reckon? Is the virus still sapping energy? Is it quite normal after a 3wk break to have dropped this level of fitness? What sort of time does it take to build it back up (a day, a week, a few months?).

Thanks,

MG

 

[Brommie77]

Well done for getting back on your bike - it can be hard sometimes.

I always find that your fitness and muscle strengh goes much more quickly than you build it up in the first place. Also I think this current cold going round is a nasty one, Its not hit me very hard, but Ive had it for about two months now, and I just cant shift it.

Give it a few weeks and you will have forgotten all about it, and be leaving the others behind

 

[fossyant]

It's likely you still have a bit of a cold. Should improve over the next few days.

 

[magnatom]

Well done! It's only the first 6 weeks back that really hurt....

 

[summerdays]

Well done ... it was a cold wind today ... and apparently an occasional cyclist in Mr Summerday's office cycled in today and needed reassurance from Mr SD that it was the weather conditions rather than just his fitness as he found it so hard. But you have probably lost a little fitness which you will quickly recover, plus some lingering fatigue from your cold.

 

[the snail]

I think it's the effect of the chest infection - sounds nasty if it's taken 3wks to improve, and the cold air would be guaranteed to get you coughing. Take care of yourself, get rid of the cough and you'll be back up to speed in no time.

 

[mgarl10024]

Thank you all for your kind words and support.

I was working at home on Mon-Tues, so this thread was about my first day of cycling on the Wednesday. I stuck with it, and cycled in on Thursday and Friday (Today) too. It's getting easier, but I've still a long way to go.

Wed - 10mph av.
Thurs - 10.2mph av.
Fri - (the dizzy heights of) 10.3mph av! Given that my av. speed normally goes down over consecutive days, I'm actually taking 10.3mph as being better than it sounds.

I'll get there. I'm also feeling a lot 'clearer' of the bug, especially in my chest, after cycling - so I'm glad that I did it for sure. Just need to build those leg muscles back up!

Thanks once again for your support.

 

[fossyant]

And the weather helps ! Been nice, but cold, up here recently.

 

[2old2care]

Hi just started back on the bike after 4 years off after being knocked off, broken knee cap. Just wondered if it was normal for it to feel like I'm pedalling with the brakes on!

 

[summerdays]

Hi just started back on the bike after 4 years off after being knocked off, broken knee cap. Just wondered if it was normal for it to feel like I'm pedalling with the brakes on!

Have you checked that they aren't ?

I mean if the bike hasn't been riden for a long time it could be in need of a little attention. And have you checked things like your saddle height? I would have thought that initially it is going to feel hard due to the muscles feeling lazy! I don't know enough about broken knee caps to know if that would also have an impact - but if it continues to give trouble it might be worth seeking out the Doctor for a quick chat.

 

[2old2care]

You could be right about the saddle height, as when I first went on it I for some reason lowered the height by 5mm. Other than that it's a new bike. Only other reason could be the 3 stone in weight that I found somewhere ! By the way the muscles are hurting a lot , I just don't remember it being this hard, the knee is OK doc said cycling would be far less impactive than jogging, any recommendations for cycling underwear as I am having trouble with sore bits if you know what I mean!!!

 

[Brommie77]

This might sound strange, but try to monitor the angle of your knees when you cycle, and make sure that they are in line with the bike. I had big knee problems years ago, and found cycling and walking downstairs really painful. Someone pointed out to me that I always walked and cycled with my knees pointing slightly outward, thus putting pressure on the joint where it shouldn't have been. It took me a long time to get actually get so that I self corrected, but its made a heck of a difference. Also check the saddle is not too near/too far away from the handlebars - I like mine to be slightly further back than the recommended, but again it has made a difference to pain free cycling.

 

[mgarl10024]

About 18mths ago, I managed to dislocate my knee cap. At the time Orthopaedics didn't know what I'd done so sent me for an MRI in just a few days, but it took 3wks for a consultant to just take a look at the scans (!). During that 3 weeks I was told to keep my knee straight in a splint in case moving it would cause any damage. After just the 3wks, my muscle had almost completely wasted and I couldn't bend my knee. It took 6mths of physio to get it moving again correctly.

Physio, like Brommie77 said, advised me that cycling was a great way to get moving again, and was an excellent exercise as it was low impact. The physio also stressed the importance of operating the knee in the correct area - so not cycling with the knees really far out from the bike frame because you'll be operating the knee on areas which it isn't designed for and wearing bits that you shouldn't. Interestingly, they didn't mention saddle height - but I now know (I didn't then) the importance of saddle height - whether your knees are damaged or not.

My knee has been pretty good recently - with me commuting sometimes 5 days a week, and going for weekend rides too.
Sadly, it hasn't reacted well to this recent return to commuting 3 times after a 3 week break with a bit of pain and minor swelling. I'm backing off a little to let it readjust.
Long term, I wonder if the dislocation will lead to a replacement down the line, and I do worry that I am speeding this up by cycling - but overall I believe that the health benefits of being fitter (and losing weight if possible) outweigh the additional wear, and could slow down the wear long term if successful.

 

[Brommie77]

I wouldn't have thought you will speed it up, you just need to be careful, and remember that the extra weight will put pressure on the knee all the time when walking, but in real terms makes little difference when cycling - stick with it. If in doubt see the physio again and ask their advice, but tbh I never found the one I saw all that useful.

 

[beatlejuice]

I had a loss of fitness following the heavy cold that nearly everyone got after Christmas. Hills became steeper and I could no longer ride on the flat in top gear. While I am sorry to hear mgarl10024 that you've so knocked back by this but you aren't the only one.