Extreme Fatigue

daveryanwyoming

I'm sure it's happened to everyone, cyclist or not, at some point. You got sick. Overtraining can lead to a weakened immune system and increase your probability of getting sick but you still had to encounter some virus along the way. If you get sick a lot or are really wiped out mentally and physically from training then you might think a bit about how much and how hard you're training or how well you're eating, especially when you first get back from training rides, but more likely than not you just got unlucky and got sick like everyone else does from time to time.

I second the previous poster's advice. Take it easy when you get back on the bike if an illness included a fever, swollen throat or chest congestion. Those slam your body pretty hard and you don't want to jump right back into hard training and prolong your illness. Don't worry too much. The important training adaptations you've managed this season won't evaporate over night. You'll feel like you've lost a lot of ground but the important stuff like increased heart stroke volume, mitochondrial densities, capillary densities and the like don't disappear in just a week or so.

Good luck,
Dave