Cycling whilst ill

[MickeyBlueEyes]

I had a call to go into work this morning, which meant some unexpected miles, I turned it into a nice round trip of 50. I was happy as it allowed me to turn over the 1k mark for the year. I have had the dreaded Man Flu for a few days now but still fancied going on two wheels, but, does cycling whilst being ill take longer for your body to recover ? Would it be betteer to take the car for a few days and get cleared up quicker ? What do you guys and gals do ?

 

[G3CWI]

Listen to your body. Pro athletes seem to rest when ill.

 

[Herzog]

I had a call to go into work this morning, which meant some unexpected miles, I turned it into a nice round trip of 50. I was happy as it allowed me to turn over the 1k mark for the year. I have had the dreaded Man Flu for a few days now but still fancied going on two wheels, but, does cycling whilst being ill take longer for your body to recover ? Would it be betteer to take the car for a few days and get cleared up quicker ? What do you guys and gals do ?

No idea what is the best method of dealing with illness and cycling.

I was supposed to race yesterday, but have had a cold for a week and feel terrible. I ended up going for a training ride at a reasonably brisk tempo, and felt ok, with no negative effects...yet.

In answer to your question, I usually ride but have no idea if this is either arresting or aiding recovery

 

[ColinJ]

I used to MTFU/HTFU and carry on riding but I did that once when feeling distinctly poorly, rode up a local hill onto this stretch of road and ...

... woke up 15 minutes later on the wrong side of that wall, bucketing sweat and feeling like I was going to die!

Since then, I have erred on the side of caution!

 

[numbnuts]

When I'm ill I don't ride

 

[zizou]

Generally the advice is if the cold is above the neck then it is ok to train (maybe dial the intensity down a bit) but if it is below the neck like a chest infection etc then rest

 

[MrJamie]

Unless it's just a head cold, I would try to rest up, you'll be back on form quicker. Listening to your body seems really important and often if you don't you end up having to rest much longer as things get worse. The same is particularly true IMHO of niggly little sports injuries.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

As much as I generally have the legs when I'm not feeling 100%,I have to stop completely if I have manflu for example. Legs want to go but chest doesn't.

I'm sure it's an effect of being an ex 40-a-day smoker

 

[Saluki]

I am still feeling a bit fragile after a dose of the flu, which saw me in bed for over a week and then tonsilitis. I will get back on my bike this coming week but I generally don't ride or jog when I feel like hell. Its not that good for you. If you are ill, rest. You recover from illness faster if you are not exerting your body.

 

[gaz]

As long as it's not below the neck then I ride. Take it a bit easier mind.

 

[Sandra6]

I'll ride to work even if I'm under the weather, but I won't do a longer ride unless I'm feeling fit.
Unless it's a dose of cba (can't be arsed) which is often cured by a good blast on the bike.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Sometimes I don't know whether my body is well enough until I set out, and if my body makes it very clear I'm not fit the I turn home. Cycling is supposed to be fun after all

 

[fullcycle]

depends on the illness really i suppose, sometimes when youve got one of these bunged up sort of colds it feels good to get out riding as you can breathe better, but then there are those sort of bugs which zap your energy and make everything an effort i dont think i would fancy riding while having a sickness bug or anything like that though

 

[HLaB]

I came down with a 24h stomach bug on Sunday and I was gutted (no pun intended) but had to listen to my body, which was probably a wise choice as after a slow tempo exploratory ride on Monday, I followed it up on Tuesday with y longest ride of the year (just under 127 miles)

 

[Hip Priest]

If I'm a bit under the weather, I'll normally commute, but won't do any training. If I'm badly ill, I won't do either.