first winter ride = cold/flu

[thelittlebattler]

This is my 3rd winter of riding, and so far I've come down with a flu/cold every year (treated to a nice chest infection this time around). After the first ride of the season that feels slightly chilly, I'm guaranteed to get sick. Does anybody else have this problem?

ps. To negate this, I believe a warm cup of htfu might help? (as gathered by reading about toolonglegs "ice-biking" in France)

[brauluver]

A cold or flu is a virus you catch from other infected people, not cycling.

[m@]

+1

Personally I've found that I get sick much less since I started cycling; I put it down to increased fitness and more healthy immune system.

I reckon that overtraining or getting too cold (to the point that your core temperature drops) could increase the severity of a virus as well as the likelihood of complications like chest infection/pneumonia though... so of you're crook, take time off to recover.

[trailgumby]

Agreed. Part of that is less exposure to sick people cooped up inside the same tin can sneezing and coughing their illnesses around.

I used to experience a similar thing as the OP with surfing. Part of it was me not listening to my body and failing to rest/take a break when I should.

Overtraining can also suppress the immune system, and then combined with the immune-lowering effect of lower body temperature you get a double whammy. Anything lurking in your system from exposure in the previous few days then uses the temporarily lowered defences to establish a beachhead and viola, you're coming down with something.