On Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 4:50:05 PM UTC-4, Tom Kunich wrote:
For about a month or a little more I've been having to take Claritin almost every day plus nose spray if I forget and take the Claritin a little late.

I have also been having a real hard time keeping up with anyone. Today I rode with a couple of guys older than me - one 10 years older. It was a flat ride but there were a couple of overpasses. Those guys were absolutely killing me on the overpasses.

Has anyone had any experience with the effects of allergies even when
you feel clear? Last year at this time the allergies were gone and I
could kill guys under the same conditions.

I've suffered from asthma and bronchitis from allergies since I was a very small child. I 'grew out of it' in my late teens, and had only suffered hayfever types of reactions until recently, and they've been getting worse in the past few years. According to my allergist, it has as much to do with aging as anything. about 5 years ago, I was put on a daily inhaler (Qvair) which helped alot. The prescription was for 6 months, and it seemed to help for a few years after. until last year. Like you, I felt clear, but had no 'motor'. I went from finishing CX races just outside the top ten the year before to getting lapped well before the end of the race last year. Late last fall, the bronchitis came back. This year, I'm back in the same boat - another prescription for (Qvair).

My allergist said the fact that I couldn't keep up last summer/fall was the allergies, and even though I wasn't feeling any outward symptoms the issue was that my trachea and major airways were greatly restricted. He also said my single use inhaler (albuterol) wouldn't be very helpful, since those concentrate on the alveoli and branchioles, whereas my issue is in the trachea and major airways. I could confirm this from the fact that using my albuterol didn't really help.

I've been back on the Qvair daily inhaler since last october, and I already feel way better - workout efforts measured with computrainer sessions are a markedly improved over last fall.

Every person is different, and what I experience may not be what you're experiencing, but it's worth a visit to a respiratory specialist/allergist.