Fifty Plus (50+) - The winds blew and blew....

Wow.......the system that dumped a ton a snow on DnvrFox finally made it's way to the Carolinas today. No snow or cold temps but we had wind on top of wind. I think wind speeds were 15 mph with gusts 25+.

We did an organized ride today and did the metric century. Fortunately a small group of six of us made it to the finish together after folks kept falling off one after the other. The wind was so strong that on crosswinds you had to lean into the wind to keep the bike upright.

Fortunately the temps were pretty moderate but for you folks that have to ride in this stuff all the time my hat's off to you. We still managed a decent time as we finished right at 3 hrs for 60 miles. I was really surprised at the good time but it just goes to show that if you have several people working together it really helps with conditions like today. I wonder if folks that were out there by themselves ever made it back in????

It's amazing how fast conditioning can slip. I just haven't been putting in the miles the past few weeks and it really shows with an elevated heart rate. I spent over an hour of the 3 hours in my red zone or 170+ beats per minute. Probably a good chance I'll sleep well tonight!!!

I hope your riding conditions were better than ours!

First rain, then wind here in NJ. I did errands today. Supposed to be wind tomorrow - 40+ mph. We will see. I'll try to get in a ride. Spoke with my daughter in college in Ohio today. She said alternated between hail, rain and blue skies - every five minutes.

Unfortunately 15mph winds seem to be the norm in winter over here. All I want to know is why on a circular route- it is always in the face.

I try to set my rides so that I have a tailwind on the final part of the rides. Makes it a bit awkward when you start but does ensure a comfortable end to the ride.

Ride this morning is going to be offroad so the wind on top of the hills is going to be a bit blustery. 7 mph forecast for the area in general but by the time you get on top of the Downs- it will double. As long as the rain stays away- we'll be OK.

Could be the same system which went through this area. First it rains all week. That means that our limestone trails are soggy. I went on my 50 mile run yesterday. There was this storm blowing. Gusts well over 20 MPH, right in my face. It took two hours to do 25 miles and that was hard to do. Combination of storm and resistance to the wheels rolling.
The return trip was better but still nothing to brag about. 25 miles in 90 minutes.
This is a good example why road bikers are not enthusiastic going on trails. Well, today it will be 60. We will be going with our Tandem. I think that the trails will be dried out, I hope.

Speaking of wind, which you were, I always ride in the wind. I live in Beaumont, CA made famous this week by the "Wild Fire" (not sure about that term...like there is some other kind of fire) in Cabazon which killed four firefighters. I work in Cabazon also, at a rock plant about a mile from where it all started. Anyway, it is always at least 10 mph winds out here and 20+ is not unusual. This morning I got up and to my utter shock I looked outside and NO WIND!! Nothing, nada, zilch!! :D :eek: :D :eek: So I quickly got out the bike and headed down the road. Did my best time ever, 12.94 miles in 52.06 minutes.

So I was wondering how many of you deal with the wind continually as I do? I guess it's just part of where I live, but it sure would be nice to get some more of this weather every now and then...perhaps I'll throw the bike in the truck and go somewhere else on occasions. :rolleyes:

The past 2 weeks we've had over 8 inches of rain.

Last Monday it rained about 4.5 inches. No ride (lightning storms over the prairie are NOT good riding conditions around here)
Tuesday was sunny & steamy & I got in 8 miles just before/at dark
Wednesday was cloudy and windy but no time to ride before dark.
Thursday was cool and WINDY: avg NW wind at 10-15 mph, gusts at 25-30 mph. Took me 52 minutes to ride 11.2 miles.

On our rolling coastal prairie, there is always wind; typically from the south/southeast but now that winter fronts are rolling over the Mexican Sierras, we'll get fronts from the west/northwest (called 'northers' in these parts). Like Stapfam says, I try to orient my loop to be riding with the wind on the home stretch return but somehow the orientation of my routes seems to mean that the wind changes during the hour I'm on the road and I ride against the wind in both directions.

But this past Thursday, I got to use my new drop handlebars pedaling against the wind and could pretend that wind resistance was less due to my sleek profile presented to the norther...:D

Yeah serious wind here too in Maine. Sure glad the rain that preceded it wasn't snow. The streams filled up fast. My neighbor's gauge said 3 plus inches in 24 hours.

Kind of breezy here in Georgia today too. But it was a beautiful, sunny day and temps were in the low 70s this afternoon when my wife joined me on the old tandem for a cruise around the lakeside roads by the airport.

The only time it's not windy here is the summer. These past two weeks have been really windy(although today's breeze was pretty light). Looking at my ride chart shows several days that the winds gusted to over 30 mph on my rides. I too start by riding against the wind and finish with it. I figure if I can get that far against the wind, then with the wind I can pretty much coast(which I seem to do a lot).

Winds were strong here as well, temps were perfect. I did about 2hrs and that was enough for me, I was spinning like crazy on the north legs.

Speaking of wind, which you were, I always ride in the wind. I live in Beaumont, CA made famous this week by the "Wild Fire" (not sure about that term...like there is some other kind of fire) in Cabazon which killed four firefighters. I work in Cabazon also, at a rock plant about a mile from where it all started. Anyway, it is always at least 10 mph winds out here and 20+ is not unusual. This morning I got up and to my utter shock I looked outside and NO WIND!! Nothing, nada, zilch!! :D :eek: :D :eek: So I quickly got out the bike and headed down the road. Did my best time ever, 12.94 miles in 52.06 minutes.

So I was wondering how many of you deal with the wind continually as I do? I guess it's just part of where I live, but it sure would be nice to get some more of this weather every now and then...perhaps I'll throw the bike in the truck and go somewhere else on occasions. :rolleyes:

Hey Metric Man, I used to live in Banning (moved to Wrightwood to get closer to work) so I know what those winds are like. They were either blowing out of the west or out of the east. I remember many a time riding down San Timeteo Canyon to Redlands with the wind at my back and then struggling all the way back up through Calimesa with a full blown Santa Ana in my face (you think I would have learned). But still a great place to ride. I especially liked riding up the Bench or Wildwood Canyon from the Calimesa side. Try starting in Redlands when the winds are bad - it's usually is a lot calmer there. Take care.

Hey Metric Man, I used to live in Banning (moved to Wrightwood to get closer to work) so I know what those winds are like. They were either blowing out of the west or out of the east. I remember many a time riding down San Timeteo Canyon to Redlands with the wind at my back and then struggling all the way back up through Calimesa with a full blown Santa Ana in my face (you think I would have learned). But still a great place to ride. I especially liked riding up the Bench or Wildwood Canyon from the Calimesa side. Try starting in Redlands when the winds are bad - it's usually is a lot calmer there. Take care.

I think that's what I'm going to do on those days I have time. Most days I just get on and go up through Cherry Valley, quiet streets and some elevation changes make for a good/quick workout. :D