Fifty Plus (50+) - Pedaling FURIOUSLY Downhill to go 8 MPH

Pedaling FURIOUSLY Downhill to go 8 MPH

Ferocious gusts to 40 mph and there I was on my mountain bike in low gear pedaling my heart out while going downhill at 8 mph!

I was amazed at the stability of the bike when I changed direction a bit and went into the crosswinds.

But, great exercise. Did it for an hour. (My wife and I went somewhere and I rode back, therefore, I NEVER got the 40 mph tailwind. Headwinds all the way.)

Now THAT's the way to get some cardio! A new friend of mine here accomplishes the same thing by using a solid rear tire and a variable-tension roller attached to the seat post. The roller applies friction to the rear tire. Friend says he can get a 140 heart rate while pedaling at a walking pace among the pedestrians, dogs, and children!

8 mph is not fun. Today is a fun day for me and 8 mph, uhhhhh, oh yeah, does not hummmmmm. I did that once and decided winds above 30mph is a no ride day. I may change thoughts next year, but for now steady 30mph and gusts to 45 means pain is greater than the pleasure. Once I get aero bars, I'll probably ignore winds, but for now...

However, good for you sticking it out. Keep on pedaling..

40mph Crosswind- thats takes some beating. Occasionally we have strong winds up on the hills and we modify our route for those days. Ride into the headwind for the first part of the ride and make certain it is a circular route so by the time we are shattered we have a bit of assistance on the way home. Only one thing to do on days like that-- Ride round in circles. Bit difficult to do on a straight run.

A few years ago I did a 65 miler on an exposed route. Torrential rain all day and a force 10 gale- Rode into the wind on the way out and then the wind changed direction and rode into the wind again on the way back. Last 5 miles were across the top of an exposed moor and it took over an hour to cover those 5 miles with horizontal rain in the face. Hypothermia set in and whenever this ride comes up- we look at the weather report and if rain is threatened we don't travel the 100 miles to what is probably our favourite road ride of the year. The one experience was that bad.

Pedaling FURIOUSLY Downhill to go 8 MPH

Ferocious gusts to 40 mph and there I was on my mountain bike in low gear pedaling my heart out while going downhill at 8 mph!

I was amazed at the stability of the bike when I changed direction a bit and went into the crosswinds.

But, great exercise. Did it for an hour. (My wife and I went somewhere and I rode back, therefore, I NEVER got the 40 mph tailwind. Headwinds all the way.)

That seems to happen all too often here in Texas. Two weeks ago, all three rides we took on our tandem were in 20 to 35 mph winds. The bike is an almost 60 lb EZ Tandem recumbent tandem, so we're a bit slow even without the wind.

Most of the first 10 miles of our ride is south, the last 10 is north. More than once, we've had a cold front time itself just so we were fighting a headwind both directions. Brutal, I tell ya!

The weather review on TV last night said the gusts yesterday in Parker (where I was riding) were up to 55 mph. No wonder I was pedaling furiously! :D

My goodness Dnvr. That's one tough wind to ride into to. Give me hills over wind any day!!