Cycling with a cold

rich.d.berry

I've woken up this morning with a head cold. I don't feel too bad though. Slight sore throat but lots of thick yellow mucous cleared from my sinuses when I blew my nose. The mucous is also running down my throat irritating it and causing me to cough.

Should I venture out for my regular Saturday morning spin or would I be better off giving it a rest. We normally do 40 to 50 k at around a 25km/h pace which is not pushing me too hard.

I want to get out there but I'd hate to end up worse off and miss a few weeks because I find't give it a miss this weekend.

RobertFoster

Apparently if it's above the neck you can still cycle, but below the neck you should rest. You could go for a shorter spin if you feel up to it, but if you're feeling lousy there's no harm in resting

GTDolanator

stop being a pussy get up get out and get spinnin sweat the cold out of ya!

Cookie_Monster

The cold (temp) will do you good, the cycle will loosen all that out and you can snort it out all over the road

Darkglasses

Its probably not popular here but i've started cycling wearing a snood, significantly more comfortable in cold weather now!

Arthurdaly

I would give it a miss until you feel better, theres a reason you feel sh$$ite and it involves you listening to your body and resting up. Give it a miss and you will come stronger!

minterno

i think i have the same bug,its a bitch of a one,i had the same one last year and drags on for awhile,i went for a 20m cycle last night in the chilly night air and felt the better for it,i felt a bit weaker and my average was well down but i felt better after it than i did all week and got my first decent nights sleep of the week,as the previous poster cited if its above the neck it ok but if your having chest problems its better not to as the lungs are already inflamed and to exercise would only irritate them further

ciotog

Arthurdaly wrote: »

I would give it a miss until you feel better, theres a reason you feel sh$$ite and it involves you listening to your body and resting up. Give it a miss and you will come stronger!

I had a head/chest cold of some sort a couple of months ago and opted to stay off the bike. Cold wasn't shifting and taking the bus was annoying so I got back on the bike after 2-3 days and found I felt way better by the end of day. The physical exertion seemed to shift the crap and give me energy back strangely enough.

james405

Speaking of the cold and cycling i recently started cycling to work, its about 4 miles each morning! Its getting colder and more icy now at 7am not fun! I am a bit worried about the bike slipping on the ice! Does anyone know of any special tires you can buy for a bike! Like snow tires for a bicycle Anything helps! I just didnt want to get riped off by the guy in the bike shop! Thanks

rich.d.berry

Update: I went for the spin in the end. Did 50+ km at 28.7km/h average. Battled to stay with the pack. About half way was tired and thirsty, reached for my water bottle, and went down. Just seemed to lose my balance, perhaps inner ears affected by cold. Anyway, bashed the back of my head. Thank God for my cycle helmet! The back of it shattered, rather than the back of my head. Decided to carry on but went to A&E after getting back. A slight concussion left me with a monster headache which is only just starting to clear now.

I don't think I'll do the group cycle again with a cold. The pressure to stay with the pack caused me to overdo it. A gentle cycle on my own would have been the wiser choice.

Sr. Assumpta

rich.d.berry wrote: »

Update: I went for the spin in the end. Did 50+ km at 28.7km/h average. Battled to stay with the pack. About half way was tired and thirsty, reached for my water bottle, and went down. Just seemed to lose my balance, perhaps inner ears affected by cold. Anyway, bashed the back of my head. Thank God for my cycle helmet! The back of it shattered, rather than the back of my head. Decided to carry on but went to A&E after getting back. A slight concussion left me with a monster headache which is only just starting to clear now.

I don't think I'll do the group cycle again with a cold. The pressure to stay with the pack caused me to overdo it. A gentle cycle on my own would have been the wiser choice.

Glad you survived your crash!
The good news is that your blinding headache will now deflect your attention from your cold, and possibly the bash to your head might encourage that charming yellow mucus you've mentioned to evacuate more promptly.

Having been there, can I suggest investigating whether the manufacturers of your helmet provide a 'Crash replacement policy' (you've probably done this alreday), my new Giro arrived speedily and well discounted.

rich.d.berry

james405 wrote: »

Speaking of the cold and cycling i recently started cycling to work, its about 4 miles each morning! Its getting colder and more icy now at 7am not fun! I am a bit worried about the bike slipping on the ice! Does anyone know of any special tires you can buy for a bike! Like snow tires for a bicycle Anything helps! I just didnt want to get riped off by the guy in the bike shop! Thanks

What tyres are you currently running? You might find that if you're using skinny tyres at high pressure (23mm at 100+ PSI) that switching to a broader tyre (25mm or 28mm) which runs at a lower pressure (80 PSI) will give you a bigger contact patch and be less inclined to bounce on an uneven surface.

I like Panaracer for the non racing tyres. Assuming you have 700 rims, these are some options for you:

The Panaracer RibMo is reasonably expensive, but is not too heavy and has good grip.

The Panaracer CrossTown is cheaper, broader and would even handle snow with its deep tread pattern, but is much heavier.

There's also Dutch Perfect tyres that I've seen recommended. Never used them though. They look heavy too.

Sr. Assumpta

james405 wrote: »

Speaking of the cold and cycling i recently started cycling to work, its about 4 miles each morning! Its getting colder and more icy now at 7am not fun! I am a bit worried about the bike slipping on the ice! Does anyone know of any special tires you can buy for a bike! Like snow tires for a bicycle Anything helps! I just didnt want to get riped off by the guy in the bike shop! Thanks

Lots (& lots, & lots....) of Tyre Threads (enjoy that?) recently, including references to 'snow tyres', some samples include....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056410521

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056404767

and if you still can't decide....

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=74247029&postcount=12

james405

Thanks for that! Thats a great help! I wont have to worry about sliding off the bike! Although i might part the bike come december! Ice last year was pretty bad!