Health thoughts - stamina gone

How's your sleep? I've found my fitness is directly proportionate to the amount of quality sleep that I'm getting

If no improvement in a reasonable period of time, it might be worth taking an antibody test to see if you did have C19. It might find - via a blood sample - something the swab tests don't always find at the time.

The tree pollen season starts around March followed by the grass pollens from about now into mid summer. So although you may not experience the more common symptoms of sneezes, stuffy/runny nose or itchy eyes, when you exercise you are breathing in lots of pollen which can trigger an immune response releasing histamine, which causes inflammation in the lungs and the wheezing/coughing. It  also demands lots of your body's strength fighting off the "invasion", so as others have already said take it a bit easier, get good sleep and nourishment and see if it passes when the pollen levels drop.

I'd had a blood test for something completely unrelated, but my Vitamin D level was tested and found to be quite low.  I was prescribed a large dose for a few weeks and now take a daily supplement.  The difference to my 'get up and go' is amazing!

See your GP.

Things change and not all ill health is due to infection. Argue if necessary for blood tests and insist on seeing the numbers so you can check against guidelines from NICE etc. If nothing is wrong, you can rest or do another sport for a bit, and you'll have lost nothing but a short time with the GP. If something is wrong, better to catch it sooner and do something about it.

It could just be age related decline but the timescale is too short really.

Good luck.

Did you follow a Zwift programme?  I've heard some quite negative things about them not building in sufficient rest, which will impact.

I've no idea how old you are, but I've found at age 47 that it takes me longer than it did only a few years ago to recover from sessions.  Repeated hard sessions without sufficient rest start to bring diminishing returns where you aren't able to access that top end to get the adaptations, but you're not recovering either.  In my humble opinion Zwift can be too tempting to go at it hammer and tongs every time as there is always someone in the distance to catch up, so you need to be disciplined.

I'd try spending time enjoying some nice relaxed rides, have a coffee and chat.  Remind your body what its like to ride and not feel uncomfortable!  You will lose very little fitness, maybe some top end power which can be regained in future.  It will most likely be beneficial to your fitness overall.

I am not a coach or a doc, but speak from bitter experience!  Good luck, I hope you find the joy again soon.

If it's giving you cause for concern, see a doc. If nothing else, it will put your mind at rest. If the doc gives you a clean bill of health, you can put it down to needing a bit of a break.

A persistent cough could be something innocent or could be a symptom of something much scarier, so definitely go see a doctor. I often find myself having a slight cough after riding for a bit, but that only lasts for half an hour and I assume that the exercise and heavy breathing has prompted my lungs to clean themselves up a bit (or cold air and traffic fumes irritating them).

eat well, multi vitamins and minerals, sleep, go for some slower rides and walks. 

wont do any harm to speak to your doctor see what they say
 

Your body is fighting something off, so take it easy.

I would say that negative covid tests don't necesarily mean you haven't got/had it, just that there wasn't much viral load in your throat/nose when the tests were done.

Our family had it late December, and only my wife had a positive test. The kids and I came back negative - but pretty sure we all had it. I had mainly a headache and stomach upset, but my wife had a temperature and cough, kids just a slight headache.

I really suffered on the bike afterwards. Had made real gains in Oct/Nov, but it flattened me. After our 2 week isolation period, I tried a bike ride and felt awful, no power in the legs at all. I was reduced to doing short, slow laps of the local park - which is pan flat. I gradually built up the riding, making sure I didn't over do it and now getting the miles in. Took about 8 weeks of recovery looking at my stats.

That said, I don't think the GPs are as busy as you think - if it's concerning you, then do make an appointment.

Having ruled out anything medical, do something different for a bit and chase some new goals. Too easy to become obsessed with past pinnacles and judge yourself too harshly in the dips.

Depending on age, don't get trapped in a downward spiral of tracking an inevitable physical decline.

Take it easy. If there is something wrong, your body will make you rest for longer. Fitness is always coming and going.

See a doctor.