Cycling post Covid - how much time off?

[Threeracers]

Anyone had Covid? How long did it keep you off the bike? It looks like I didn't just come back with tired legs from my coast to coast trip last week; I tested positive on Tuesday. I have been double jabbed and hopefully all this pedalling will have made me fitter than most to face it but right now I feel completely drained.

Hoping someone has some positive stories to share.

Mark

[whatleytom]

I'll never actually know but fairly sure I had covid across the new year 19/20. Bed ridden for a week, a lot more severe than "normal" flu etc. I felt pretty funny for a few weeks after and was very week after a few weeks of doing nothing. Seems to take well over a month before I'd regained my normal at the time fitness. Seems to wildly affect people differently so it's probably just best to play it by ear based on how you feel. I know some people that definitely has it and have no lasting effects. Others still don't feel 100%. Being jabbed etc you're probably in a decent position.

[Van Dessel]

Sorry to hear, how serious do you intend to train when you’re better. I race so need to be quite fit plus I’ve had it twice so happy to share, just let me understand your circumstances.

[Threeracers]

Van, I am a novice, classic lockdown novice in fact, 57 years old I took up cycling 11 months ago and have really taken to it. I am not a natural athlete and my first ride of five miles round the block nearly killed me. I am up to just shy of 4000 miles since I started, rode coast to coast last week and just keen to not derail my new found fitness I suppose.

I am very conscious of possible injury so any twinge of the knee and I ease up and then rest. Happy to rest through this one too if that's the recommended route. I have heard one or two suggest pedalling through it but I am more inclined to rest up and then slowly get back on TrainerRoad when I am over the worst.

[boyse7en]

A serious runner (sub 30-min 10k, 1:06 Half marathon) i know had Covid in February and he still hasn't fully recovered. Yet some people seem to be OK after a couple of weeks. It is obviously very different ongoing for each individual.

[Van Dessel]

Hey good for you, that’s a great story and it’s fantastic you’re keen to keep going. I’ve had it twice now and I definitely found it impacted my entry back into training. I’d defo get a HR monitor and really start off slowly to not stress your heart. I’m 48 and a lifelong cyclist and I found that if I pushed myself at all in the first month I’d get palpitations and in several cases some hyper tachycardia would set in and I’d need to completely stop riding.

Everyone’s different but I’d defo not push it and go easier than you every thought you had to for the first 2 weeks.

How bad did you feel at the worst? And objectively where are you now compared to before? Like 60% better or more?

I’ll also dig out some Drs advice on a flow chart and try to post it.

[Van Dessel]

[Ashfordian]

Threeracers said:

Van, I am a novice, classic lockdown novice in fact, 57 years old I took up cycling 11 months ago and have really taken to it. I am not a natural athlete and my first ride of five miles round the block nearly killed me. I am up to just shy of 4000 miles since I started, rode coast to coast last week and just keen to not derail my new found fitness I suppose.

I am very conscious of possible injury so any twinge of the knee and I ease up and then rest. Happy to rest through this one too if that's the recommended route. I have heard one or two suggest pedalling through it but I am more inclined to rest up and then slowly get back on TrainerRoad when I am over the worst.

Unlucky on the timing and unfortunately you are going to have to derail your new found fitness somewhat. It will come back quickly once you are back to full fitness.

Do not pedal through this. It is a respiratory virus so you don't want to be doing anything that additionally stresses your respiratory system or your body, so rest up. I would rest a minimum of 7 days and then see how you feel. Then the 7 days after that I would doing nothing more strenuous that walking, but base it on how you feel. After that restart really riding slowly. Maybe at the distance and pace of the first rides when you started riding 11 months ago. It is better to be cautious and take a week longer than reckless and have setbacks. Leave TrainerRoad and hard rides until you have seen how your body responds to the easier rides for a week.

The only person I know who has suffered post Covid complications was a person who did a 20 mile commute and then an hour Zwift race the day before the onset of symptoms. I suspect the reason a lot of fit people suffer 'long Covid' is they train with the virus and/or try and get back to it too soon. A good example is how many runners or cyclists go out while they have a cold saying they will run/ride it off? We also have a rule that if the cold is above the neck, we train, but below the neck eg on the chest we rest up! Covid definitely sits in the latter.

[Dnlm]

Ashfordian said:

Threeracers said:

Van, I am a novice, classic lockdown novice in fact, 57 years old I took up cycling 11 months ago and have really taken to it. I am not a natural athlete and my first ride of five miles round the block nearly killed me. I am up to just shy of 4000 miles since I started, rode coast to coast last week and just keen to not derail my new found fitness I suppose.

I am very conscious of possible injury so any twinge of the knee and I ease up and then rest. Happy to rest through this one too if that's the recommended route. I have heard one or two suggest pedalling through it but I am more inclined to rest up and then slowly get back on TrainerRoad when I am over the worst.

Unlucky on the timing and unfortunately you are going to have to derail your new found fitness somewhat. It will come back quickly once you are back to full fitness.

Do not pedal through this. It is a respiratory virus so you don't want to be doing anything that additionally stresses your respiratory system or your body, so rest up. I would rest a minimum of 7 days and then see how you feel. Then the 7 days after that I would doing nothing more strenuous that walking, but base it on how you feel. After that restart really riding slowly. Maybe at the distance and pace of the first rides when you started riding 11 months ago. It is better to be cautious and take a week longer than reckless and have setbacks. Leave TrainerRoad and hard rides until you have seen how your body responds to the easier rides for a week.

The only person I know who has suffered post Covid complications was a person who did a 20 mile commute and then an hour Zwift race the day before the onset of symptoms. I suspect the reason a lot of fit people suffer 'long Covid' is they train with the virus and/or try and get back to it too soon. A good example is how many runners or cyclists go out while they have a cold saying they will run/ride it off? We also have a rule that if the cold is above the neck, we train, but below the neck eg on the chest we rest up! Covid definitely sits in the latter.

Not sure I agree with this. The illness varies massively but I had it with mild symptoms and *massive* tiredness. Was v early on in lockdown and work was crazy. 30 mins fairly light spinning on the turbo at lunchtime made me much better for afternoon than a nap, and sleep in the evenings was improved too.

Obviously not so appropriate if bedridden badly!

[MrBarry123]

As someone who only suffered with a loss of taste and smell as a result of COVID, I continued to ride normally with no adverse affects other than perhaps getting out of a breath a little sooner than normal.

A close family member however suffered badly with COVID in March/April 2020, did too much too soon (exercise) and has suffered ever since, partly as a result of Long COVID but also because of the subsequent damage done due to exercising too soon.

If your symptoms are only minor OP, my VERY limited examples would suggest you can exercise pretty normally as long as you feel okay.

[Mark83]

I was off the bike for two weeks last year, pre-vaccines. Took another month for my lungs to catch up with my legs. I still had the watts but lost aerobic ability and stamina.

[Soft Top]

My advice is to listen to your body. Don’t push it and don’t chase your fitness.

I had COVID at Christmas and it was rather like flu for me but lasted longer. 5 days before I started to feel OK, (I gauge this by how many days after falling ill that I felt like eating pizza), and I was quite weak with relatively poor breathing for some time.

I started back on the turbo after 2 weeks as my wife pointed out that I could stop at any time whereas on the road I would have to get home if there was an issue. I used some of my short programs just doing 10 mile flat’ish routes but at a much slower pace. I’d do this sort of route in about 26 minutes at normal pace and I was doing it in 42. Quite simply moving my legs and averaging around 140 Watts. I’d then not do anything the next day and slowly increase the power on this sort of route without pushing myself. It felt weird going so slowly but it didn’t stress my body and I believe it has helped me in the long run.

As everyone says this is a respiratory illness so take it steady and as above I would start super steady and listen to your body.

[Threeracers]

Thanks all, I plan to take it slow.

That was my plan too Soft Top, easy recovery rides on TrainerRoad indoors when I feel ready and then I can stop at any time.

I actually think I have got off fairly lightly on this one and not wishing to jinx it I feel I am over the worst - fingers crossed!

Mark