Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - When Its To Windy and Your Sick Of the gym ?

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pipes
04-04-09, 10:56 AM
What do you do for exercise ? Do you WALk or what ?? Ideas would be great ! Iam sick of the gym and its just way to windy to ride but I just can"t set here .


cyclezealot
04-04-09, 11:01 AM
I always found the gym boring. Swim clubs , less so.. Cycling on the bike. Never..

Jim from Boston
04-04-09, 11:31 AM
What do you do for exercise ? Do you WALk or what ?? Ideas would be great ! Iam sick of the gym and its just way to windy to ride but I just can"t set here .


I always found the gym boring. Swim clubs , less so.. Cycling on the bike. Never..

What is too windy? I've been off the bike from my 14 mile commute for over a week due to illness, and I just finished my first 14 mile ride since. The wind conditions were worthy of comment on the weather reports, but I felt pretty good. I just checked and the winds were nearly headwinds, currently 14 mph with gusts to 26. As a native of Detroit, I think Detroit is windier, but I don't recall severe winds as those I've encountered out west, where with a tailwind you barely needed to pedal.

Winds do increase the excercise experience. I cycle to commute, and for excercise; the gym is only for excercise, so other than variety, offer no additional benefit otherwise IMO ( I don't do weights or treadmill; only yoga). My last cycling in a gym was three weeks ago when visiting Detroit and had no time to get a bike from my brother to ride. This is about the only time I go.


CACycling
04-04-09, 12:29 PM
Winds here were 20 MPH + with gusts over 30 yesterday during my ride. Only did 20 miles but got a good workout.

jesspal
04-04-09, 12:35 PM
I did 40 miles yesterday winds 18-20 mph, the great part was the 20 miles with the wind to my back on the way to the car. That was the only thing that kept me going, knowing that i was gonnna haul butt on the way back.

StephenH
04-04-09, 12:38 PM
When it's too windy, just ride anyway.

If you're riding a singlespeed, consider some lower gearing.

Try to start out into the wind, so you can coast back home, as opposed to coasting far far from home and then discovering you can't make it back. Riding with a strong sidewind is not as bad as a headwind, not as good as no wind or a tailwind.

Residential streets with lots of trees and houses have less wind than open roads or lakeside trails.

JimF22003
04-04-09, 03:21 PM
Wind can have its own rewards if you work it right. Did 50 miles on an out and back directly into the wind. I was beat when I stopped for lunch. The ride back was one of the most pleasurable I've had in a long, long time because of the beautiful tailwind.

I just pretended like the first half never happened :)

Bob A
04-04-09, 03:28 PM
Today instead of riding my wife and I ran/walked 5 miles. I missed riding but it should be calmer and sunnier here tomorrow. The bikes come out

grimace308
04-04-09, 03:35 PM
i dont know why theres such vehement opposition to them, but i like spin classes. as sexist as it sounds, there are nubile sweaty women, who are standing while simulating climbing and i can get a good 45 min of interval training done. it also helps that i like techno/electronica music.

flip18436572
04-04-09, 03:47 PM
If the weather has it out for me, I ride my rollers and do some interval workouts.

I also swim, as I did yesterday. I did a mile of swimming before I had to go do some volunteer work after working about 12 hours. Swimming gives me time to relax, just like a bike ride does. But, my wife makes me take a cell phone with me in case of problems when I ride, but I can't do that when I swim. So, I really enjoy swimming.

I also run. I also lift weights, elliptical, play other sports like basketball, tennis, racquetball.

Do whatever you like that gets your heart rate up.

flip18436572
04-04-09, 03:48 PM
Today instead of riding my wife ... clip


I think you may want to change this post, unless your wife has already approved.:lol:

dlester
04-04-09, 04:10 PM
It has never been too windy to ride. Last weekend was a 20mph wind with 50mph gusts. The only thing you have to do differently is pay closer attention to moving road debris ;)

jaxgtr
04-04-09, 04:33 PM
I will ride my bike to the YMCA and then go swimming or lift weights.

pipes
04-04-09, 05:19 PM
I took the wind on today only 18 miles thou ! I agree ride in the wind if you can . But here along The Detroit river and Lake Erie I mean right on it is my route and its like a wind tunnel . I do ride in it a LOT but like the gym the wind is getting old also . a few days ago it actually turned on me and I had it going and coming back that was ruff. !!!!

baron von trail
04-04-09, 09:56 PM
Aero-bars. With the bars, you'll be able to cut through all sorts of wind. I managed almost 10-13 mph in the face of the 60 mph gusts when the remnants of that hurricane came through here last fall. Trees were falling, but I was still rolling. :D

Wogster
04-04-09, 11:11 PM
When it's too windy, just ride anyway.

If you're riding a singlespeed, consider some lower gearing.

Try to start out into the wind, so you can coast back home, as opposed to coasting far far from home and then discovering you can't make it back. Riding with a strong sidewind is not as bad as a headwind, not as good as no wind or a tailwind.

Residential streets with lots of trees and houses have less wind than open roads or lakeside trails.

I think sometimes it can be too windy to ride, we had today 50km/h (30MPH) wind with 80km/h (50MPH) gusts. I find a strong side wind can be very dangerous, especially if it blows you into traffic..... :twitchy:

breadbin
04-05-09, 05:04 AM
Some people don't like the wind but it can give you such a good workout. Improves the stamina too;)

flip18436572
04-05-09, 06:26 AM
Wind is fine, but too strong of gusts can push you into traffic and when the traffic is 60+ mph semi-trucks being driven by farmers that don't have a lot of experience, I would rather try something a little safer.

Tex_Arcana
04-06-09, 10:56 AM
It's flat here in Houston, The only chance I get to practice those long low grade climbs is to head off into a strong 20 - 30 m.p.h. head wind. It's a good chance to pay attention to my spinning too (I tend to mash a lot).

JoelS
04-06-09, 10:57 AM
What is too windy? A week ago I rode in 30 mph winds with gusts over 50. Did a century. Go ride!

racethenation
04-06-09, 11:25 AM
I find that gusty crosswinds are the only type of wind that will potentially keep from riding. I am fortunate where I live that I can do routes in several directions, so I can usually work with to lesson the impact of the wind. The winter winds around here or typically out of the south, so I have a nice east west route that I ride most of the winter.

I also run a couple of days a week. This helps to provide exercise on the days when it is too windy or too cold to ride.

Snapperhead
04-06-09, 11:27 AM
I take my skirt off and ride anyway! :D

baron von trail
04-06-09, 11:59 AM
I take my skirt off and ride anyway! :D

Yeee-outch! :injured:

Have to basically agree with the concept though. I am usually good to ride, no matter what. Rare exceptions are 6 plus inches of snow, sub-zero temps and ice covering everything. Even then, I'll probably give it the old college try -- never to hear the end of it from the GF, of course.

Last winter I learned some of my limitations. I now plan to get proper gear in order to overcome the worst of these issues so that I can ride all the time next winter.

But, then again.....I am a little nuts. :twitchy:

Jerry in So IL
04-06-09, 12:03 PM
I will ride if its just wind. I had a miserable ride yesterday evening, only got in 15 miles, but did it in a little over an hour! It felt like I was wearing a chute! I just dropped the gearing and pedeled away. Got a great workout.

I swim also. And I'll walk with the wife and kids.

Jerry

gus69
04-06-09, 12:10 PM
It's not too windy before it's blowing full storm.
I'm living in a country with no hills, instead we have a good western wind 350 days/year.
It's great to train in, like some other said 50 miles in headwind first then turn around and
be blown home.
Or if you are fit do the opposite, 50 miles in tailwind enjoying a good long warmup
and then 50 miles in headwind that will give you stamina and muscles.

G