Cycling With A Cold

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gazzaputt

New Member
Location
Bexley, Kent
Good idea. Woke up today feeling shite, sinus, throat etc etc.

Now if i have a any sign of a bug I leave the riding due to a few years back making myself very ill because of riding when I had a cold.

What do others do here? Ride through it? Sweat it out?
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
I might still ride if no symptoms below the neck, but I'll take it easy. Otherwise I'll stop riding, it's usually better to rest up and recover more quickly as a result.
 

Maz

Guru
Body needs rest IMO. If I'm not well enough to cycle in, I'm not well enough to work, so I won't go to work .
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
I can't remember Terminator's gender, I sort of hope she's a she, in which case we have the stereotypical gender separation in cases of a sniffle...;)

Also, of course, it depends on what your rides are like. I don't see any reason not to ride if I have a cold, because I generally only hack about town doing stuff I'd have to do anyway. But I don't suppose I'd choose to go out for a leisure ride in nasty weather with a cold, any more than I'd choose to do so without a cold. Whereas if the weather was ok, I'd probably not use a cold as a reason to turn down an arrangement already made to go out...

Those of you manly types who do hundreds of miles at top speed, I suppose you are more delicate, like race horses.
 

surfgurl

New Member
Location
Somerset



(Sorry I had to post this.)
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Head colds - i.e. sore throat or runny nose - they I'll ride - just ease off a little - does make you feel a bit better - fresh air and that.

If it's flu - i.e. aches and pains - don't ride - not recommended as you can do some damage to yourself....

That said, I used to do a 40 mile round commute with mild flu regularly - but I didn't have the knowledge I do now.....

Think about it, if your muscles are aching, same goes for the heart - it is possible to damage it or cause other complications, especially if it is a bad dose of flu.
 

CotterPin

Senior Member
Location
London
Once did an overnight ride in the pouring rain with a bad cold. People could tell when I was approaching - they could hear my hacking cough a mile off!

How stupid is that? (Rhetorical question!) I am older and wiser now (in some respects).
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
I'm with Maz on this one. If I'm not well enough to cycle my seven miles to work, I'm not well enough to work at all.

It depends too on what your work is. You can do desk stuff when you're under parr (although I don't think too clearly when really bunged up). Coal mining, cleaning windows on tower blocks, and dentistry are all probably best avoided when you're unwell.
 
Not sure really on this one. You feel better after going outside and getting some fresh air. It clears the gunginess up for a while also. But then again I have nearly fainted after cycling in to work when I couldn't breathe properly - I assume that's what it was, I felt really funny and nearly fell over....

I think Arch could be right, it depends whether it's flu or man-flu :-)
 
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