Cycling with a bad cold

MichaelB said:

Hi Guys. I feel terrible at the moment because I have a really bad cold. I have a bad headache, I cat stop blowing my nose and my chest hurts. I have not managed to do much cycling lately because of a foot injury and now I have this.

Is it not recommmended to cycle whilst you are un-well? I went for a gently MTB ride a couple of days ago and it seemed OK but on the road bike I am totally out of breath and hurting.

What do you guys think?

well, if it is truly just a cold, doing some light aerobic exercise is generally ok. however, the cold air probably won't help you much.

however, if it's something more serious [shortness of breath can be a Bad Thing], you definately don't want to be doing. it's up to you, but if it gets bad you should go see a doctor.

-Bullseye

MichaelB said:

Is it not recommmended to cycle whilst you are un-well? I went for a gently MTB ride a couple of days ago and it seemed OK but on the road bike I am totally out of breath and hurting.

Here's the rule I follow - if my cold is above the shoulders (i.e. sniffling, runny nose, sore throat, coughing) I ride, but quit if I start to feel bad. If it's below the shoulders (i.e. achiness, chest cough, stomach) I don't ride until I feel better.

I tried it today on the road bike and decided to just crawl home after a mile or two with a sore chest. I'm getting [censored] now because I haven't had a good ride in weeks. Plus even going out for just that little ride has given me a niggling cough.

Curse those blasted viral cells.

I generally dont, because I view it as your body is already trying to fight that infection, why burden it with repairing itself after a workout?