Road Cycling - A stiff wind cut my speed 40%!

Yesterday, I went out for a spin on one of my favorite routes. It was an out and back deal over rolling terrain. I planned to go out for one hour, then turn around and be back home in another hour. Wrong! Going out, I didn't notice any wind at my back, but I did notice my average speed was up a bit. But then, when I turned around for the trip back, the headwind damned near knocked me off my bike! So I was one hour out, and 1 hour, 25 minutes back. A 40% decrease in speed (I averaged 13 mph for the whole trip)! I learned a lesson from this. A strong wind at your back can be insidious -- you don't notice the wind until you turn around.

I feel fortunate to live in a town where I can plan my rides where I can go out into the wind and back with the wind to my back. I have also found that you have to go twice as far with the wind at your back with faster speed to impact your overall average speed. You have nearly twice as much time into the wind as to your back.;)

I figure, if I don't have a headwind, I'm not riding fast enough.

Cheers,
Jamie

The wind is like alot of things in life, you only notice it when it's going against you!

There's something about the way the wind blows around the mountains here or something, I get a headwind the whole ride on a windy day without a break.

Yeah, those canyon winds that swirl around in mountains suck. I get them here riding in the hills and through wide canyons. Hard to do very much about that wind except keep riding. The best is when it blows down a climb you're doing.

If your feed up with the wind buy a recumbant.:beer:

I've ridden past 2 days out here in Orange county, the wind has been HORRIBLE!!! But was a nice challenge :)

I plan to go for a ride tomorow wind or no wind. The forcast is for 60+ F. and mostly sunny.

Let her blow:D I'm going riding!

Except for the wind, the weather in Southern California right now is great.. Santa Ana winds from the East.. There have been gusts today up to 50 mph- yesterday over 60 mph.. I took a day off work today to ride with my group. the winds were so strong on one of my favorite roads( traverses through a canyon like terrain) the winds there felt like hurricane force gales..
I recall having the same feeling diving underwater against a current.. Anyway, I noticed my speed in on this road- fighting the wind, was about the same, as later; climbing a 2 mile- 7 % grade. And I would say, it felt easier on the climb.. But the temp's were in the high 70' s and sunny. Oh well, the wind makes you stronger..! Would not have missed it..

that is where you get your strenght, on my training ride I would alway look for a head wind then I just hammer down , , I don't care if my speed has been reduce to about 40%, that is strenght building.....

You Californians make me sick! Your great year round weather makes me green with envy! :)

trmcgeehan - That's about right.
I went on a 40 mile ride the other day (Kev knows the wind I am talking about), averaged 30+MPH on the way out (first 20 miles)...until I turned around...I was lucky to do 14MPH! Rode most of the way back at 12MPH, but did get a sprint in at 16MPH!

Wind has cut down past couple days ALOT, was nice for a few days but, was getting tired of it :)

I'm glad I wore a helmut the other day, some plastic bucket or soemething flew through the air and hit me in the head I barely looked down in time so it did not hit me in the face.

I have had headwinds so bad I needed to pedal going down a steep grade or I would slow to a stop. It's not good.. but life's like that

On my 200km ride, Toronto to London, I had tailwinds all the way. In fact, the whole ride is slightly downhill except for a couple big hills. It was the best ride ever.