ol geezer

My wife gets slammed every winter with a bad cold - like she has right now. It takes maybe a week or longer for her to get over it. Invariably, I catch it from her but I get over it in a couple of days.

I just started up with the symptoms of my mild cold yesterday and decided I was going to ride today regardless of how I felt or what the weather was. It actually was a beautiful day - sunny cloudless skies, no wind, and 37 degrees. I started out hacking and coughing and spitting crud. But once I got warmed up I felt pretty good. I felt a little congested and like I didn't have the lung power I usually do but otherwise had good energy.

I got home, the hacking and coughing has stopped, and I still feel pretty good. I definitely don't feel like I have a cold although there's still a little congestion. This has happened each winter the past few years. Is it possible I've cycled away the cold or is it maybe just coincidental? I'm fully aware of the health benefits of cycling (or any other form of vigorous exercise) but this sounds too good to be true (but I'll take it!).

jimincalif

This happened to me a couple weeks ago. I was not feeling well Thurs and Fri, woke up Sat morning feeling about the same, a mild cold, maybe even slightly feverish. Figured I'd go for my club ride and bail out if I didn't improve. Ended up riding 55 miles that day and felt better and better through the morning, got home and felt great and the cold did not come back. Maybe it had run its course anyway and riding had nothing to do with it, don't really know, but was pleased with the outcome.

Gyrine

Interesting question. I just did a literature search for medical studies on the question and one thing is clear: exercise does not prevent the common cold. But does exercise reduce the duration of symptoms? By the time symptoms appear (the symptoms are the body's inflammatory reaction to the virus) you have been infected for several days. The symptoms then last from a few days to more than a week and vary within the individual and between individuals. Also, after a short time you are no longer infectious but it takes time for your body (immune reaction) to calm down. Best guess - coincidence. Your body had things well under control when you went riding.

Daniel4

Caught a cold from my wife in mid December. No runny nose, just a deep cough with phlegm. But I just continued to cycle to work anyways. The heavy breathing of the cold fresh air felt good. Got over the cold in ten days which is the normal time for colds anyways.

ironwood

There is a saying that most colds run their course in seven days, but the others take a week. But to get back to the question: I don't know if what seems to be a cold might be a cold, an allergy, or the start of a flu. A number of years ago, I thought I had a cold, but there was some beautiful snow and I had a long x-country ski. It was the flu and I was really sick. Ever since then I rest at the first sign of a bug.

Wilbur Bud

I don't know of any conclusive evidence, but I find that continuing to commute when sick does make me feel better for the day, so I'll generally saddle up and keep riding, unless I have a fever and then I stay home. But then, riding generally makes me feel better anyway, even when I don't have a cold.

howeeee

It seems kinda scary when you have a real sore throat and are breathing heavy, then you go out in 15 degree F weather and are breathing hard while riding a bike for 2 hours. I am 61 I dont do that type of thing anymore. Ill take the 4 days off in a row. Just ride 2 times that week instead of the 5 to 6 times a week I have been riding all winter. That happened to me 2 weeks ago.

pdlamb

Cycling in cold weather is an excellent way to clean out my sinuses (and lungs, if they're getting congested).

Your body produces mucus to try to isolate nasties in those areas. So perhaps cycling cleaned out the bacterial/viral load to the point that your immune system could handle whatever was left.

(Not a medical doctor, though I do play one occasionally on the internet.)

Fishmonger

Whenever I'm suffering from allergies or a cold, a short bike ride or a run usually makes me feel better. I figure that just getting my blood and lungs pumping causes some of the crud to come up that usually would have sat and festered for a few days. But I'm hacking and spitting the whole time, so I wouldn't go to a gym if I were you.

Never push yourself too hard, or you'll weaken yourself when you need a strong immune system. But I think a little exercise is fine. Moving your blood around also transports antibodies quicker, right?

Bat56

A doctor told me that the fierce breathing we do while cycling will help prevent sinus infections. This totally makes sense to me.

SalsaShark

I used to sweat away illness by running for miles....don't see why a long bike ride wouldn't do the same.