Brunch ride and the long road to build up stamina again

😕 not happy with how many breaks I had to take on the climbs today.
Yes, this particular route is a bit brutal and sure, I’ve cycled ever day the past three days but none of them were long or particularly strenuous. I’ve lost so much stamina through and in the pause after the Covid infection in September last year.
Don’t get me wrong, the pause was necessary and sensible to reduce the chances of damaging my heart but it’s still disappointing and demotivating.