Yeah, I got it before it was a pandemic (oddly). Took me months to get back to "normal" but even then my strength, VO2max, max sustainable heart rate will probably never recover to what it was. I probably would not know it if I was not in "race shape" in the summer months. But last year was not a strong year. I'm curious to see if I'm any better this season.
Originally Posted by
canklecat
After I'm vaccinated... maybe.
I've taken the pandemic very seriously all along because I worked in health care and several friends are doctors, nurses, EMTs and med techs. There's no doubt about how serious this is.
Toward the end of 2020 I began to relax a bit and I'd join *one* casual group ride a month for most months from July 2020-Jan 2021. I usually wore a mask because it was a relaxed pace and I was often at the back of the group as sweep and traffic guard. I haven't done any fast roadie group rides since late 2019 when I first heard news of the pandemic. And probably won't again anyway.
But I quit doing even one casual group ride a month after January when a friend who's about 10 years younger (I'm 63) developed COVID and is suffering the "long haul" after effects. Despite being in his early 50s, he's one of the strongest local riders and owns many local KOMs. When we rode together he always had to ride a very relaxed pace -- for him -- otherwise I'd be dropped within a few miles. But now he can barely turn the cranks. I noticed recently he hadn't posted on Strava for a month -- he usually rides or does Zwift every day -- and messaged him. He's struggling.
If a guy that strong can suffer those ominous lingering after effects, I'm not taking any chances.
There's one small group of close friends I'll ride with. We're all pretty much on board with reasonable precautions.
But others I know, especially in faster road groups, still contain vehement pandemic denialists who refuse to acknowledge it's real and won't get the vaccine. And that's despite the deaths of some of their parents and grandparents from COVID. At least one is even a health care professional -- I will never understand those people denying the reality of the coronavirus. I will never ride with those folks again. I won't fuss at them on social media. I still give 'em kudos on Strava. They're okay people. I wish them well. But I won't ride in their plague rat spittle clouds again.
TBH, I probably won't miss the fast roadie groups. I've changed my goals to solo time trials anyway, and resumed running a few months ago which is already a mostly solo thing. It'll be awhile before I do even a "fun" 5k group run, though.