Now you’re faced with the hardest questions a competitive cyclist ever has to answer: “Should I ride today? Do I feel like this because of yesterday’s lactate stacks, or am I getting sick? Am I burnt-out? Am I catching a bug? If I ride, will the condition worsen? If I ride, how hard should I push? If I take the day off, will I lose my fitness edge?

HOW DOES CYCLING MAKE ME SICK?

 Studies have shown that hard, race-intensity cycling and extreme training can lead to more colds, flus and sore throats. How it works is that all-out efforts deplete the immune system, usually when you are in a group situation and susceptible to the transmission of illness.

THE SIX SIGNALS

 There are certain signals the body sends when it’s time to back off and rest. We’re going to walk you through these indicators in the same order you need to pay attention to them daily. Following are the six signals that warn you to slow down and maybe even take the day off.

 SIGNAL ONE: SLEEP IS FIRST

 The body does most of its repair work while you’re sleeping. Normal, healthy riders have no problem sleeping after a busy day. However, after an extremely hard workout or race, you may have a restless night. That’s okay and you can make up for it by taking a nap during the day. But a sudden inability to sleep well for more than one day indicates that you are getting sick, overtraining, and not allowing enough time for recovery.
 Professional racers get in ten hours of sleep a day. You need at least eight to feel rested and raring to go again. Even with eight hours of sleep, a hard training rider should schedule an afternoon nap.

 SIGNAL TWO: TAKE THE COUNT

 Check your morning, resting heart rate. Include the number in your daily training journal. Keep track of how your resting heart rate fluctuates after easy and hard training days. Once a consistent pattern is established, the resting bpm can be used to indicate whether you need a day off or not. If the rate is elevated by five beats, it’s cause for concern. Take the day off if it’s ten beats higher.
 What is the easiest way to check your resting heart rate? Few want to sleep with a chest band, and unless you have a monitor that picks up off the wrist, it’s easiest to use a clock with a second hand. To keep from gyrating around in bed and elevating your resting rate, hang the clock on a wall so it’s easy to see. Grab a wrist and use your fingers to locate a pulse. Count the number of beats for 15 seconds. Multiply that number by four and that is your morning heart rate.

SIGNAL THREE: THE WEIGH IN

 Step on a scale. A sudden loss in body weight—like more than three pounds—indicates a dehydrated state. You obviously didn’t drink enough fluids after yesterday’s workout. At this point, it’s going to take a full day to properly rehydrate. Consider taking the day off. Deep yellow urine is also a tell-tale sign of a dehydrated state (drink enough water to keep the color of urine clear to light yellow).

 SIGNAL FOUR: HOW DO YOUR LEGS FEEL?

 Sore muscles can be a sign of impending viral illness. Don’t confuse unusually sore muscles with muscle fatigue from the squats you did yesterday.

SIGNAL FIVE: CONSIDER YOUR THROAT

 A scratchy throat is a sign of irritation from infection. The day isn’t completely shot if this is the only warning signal, but be cautious.

SIGNAL SIX: ASK HOW DO I FEEL?

 If it’s 6 a.m. and you’ve already upset the entire household, don’t like the look of your bike and are generally in a bad mood, today should be a rest day. A lack of ambition indicates burnout and a weak body.

 ADD IT ALL TOGETHER

 Let’s recap. The common indicators that your body isn’t recuperated and possibly under viral attack are: 1. Poor sleep and tiredness on awakening. 2. A morning pulse that is more than five beats above normal. 3. Unusual loss in weight, a dehydrated state and dark yellow urine. 4. Muscle or joint soreness. 5. Scratchy throat. 6. A grumpy attitude. You need to pay attention to all six of these signs every single morning. If you are suffering from two or three of the indicators, train cautiously. With four or more signals, take the day off.

 NECK CHECK

 One of the bigger rules of thumb to consider when deciding whether or not to exercise is where your symptoms are located. If the symptoms are located above the neck—a runny nose, scratchy throat, sneezing—exercise is probably safe. Ride for a shorter duration and at a reduced intensity. If you feel better after a warmup, you might want to ride longer. If you feel worse ten minutes into the ride, stop and take the day off.
 Skip a workout if the symptoms are located below the neck. Chest congestion, coughing, mucus, achy muscles or fever are a sign of a more serious virus and flu.

I GET THE SNIFFLES WHEN I RIDE

 A runny nose doesn’t necessarily mean an upper respiratory infection. It’s called athlete’s nose. As you cycle, more air flows into your lungs. The air needs to be humidified first and the nose secretes more moisture in the form of mucus. It’s more obvious than ever over the winter and doesn’t mean that you’re getting sick.

I THINK I’M GETTING THE FLU

 Riding with the flu won’t improve fitness and will only worsen your condition. Taking two days off and resting is the fastest way to get rid of the bug. Drink plenty of water and other fluids as you’re resting. Two days of down time impacts training a lot less than catching a bad flu and being forced off the bike for a full week.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LOSE FITNESS?

 What happens when you miss a few riding days while beating a viral bug? Don’t fret, because for the trained athlete it takes over a week of missed workouts to lose measurable fitness. The message here is that it’s actually possible to skip a workout without having the world come crashing down on you.

OUR FINAL WORD ON WINTER HEALTH

Your body has easy-to-identify signals that warn you to back off and rest. If the signs are there, a few days off the bike is the best way to recuperate. If you’re riding through above-the-neck symptoms, keep the duration below 90 minutes. Use a moderate cadence around 90 rpm and an intensity below 65 percent of maximum heart rate.

Listen to your body, practice caution and enjoy a healthy winter of cycling.