Nick The Great

I have a tall and wide torso. Headwinds are awful

fietsbob

Hills have a summit, there is an end... headwinds are not something you see the end of , though sunset may slow the heat source pulling it.

weather fronts are another thing entirely & noting, winds rotate around atmospheric cells, Lows turn CCW, Highs CW.

Australs , south of the Equator, may be the other way around ..

mr,grumpy 

Soul Crushing is right! I'll take hills all day long, every day.

nymtber

I'm with this guy!

Hills here are usually short (in my town, at least) but headwinds... Today I hit a headwind at about 4 miles into a 12.5 mile ride. 60% of my riding was a headwind, and I still averaged 15mph!

But give me a windless day on flat ground and temps in the 70's with 0 humidity, and I'd realize I had died and gone to heaven...

CommuteCommando

I used to dread hills when I started riding seriously at 275 lbs. Right around the time I hit 225, wind started becoming a bigger issue.

contango 

A headwind is like a hill without a soul.

With a hill once you've climbed it you get the rewards - the view and hopefully a decent descent as well. With a wind you may get a tailwind once you turn around but it's not guaranteed, and it's fickle.

Although the last time I was out on the bike I started off heading westwards for about 30 miles into a headwind (with some rain bands for extra fun), then did my organised ride, then rode back and the tailwind I'd hoped for materialised in a big way. It was nice to be riding ~20mph while not feeling like I was making much effort.

brawlo

As a big guy, headwinds. Headwinds hurt little guys and they hurt me, but not nearly as much. Little riders leave me for dead on the hills, so it's a vote for headwinds for me.

Beachgrad05

My thoughts exactly. Plus a hill doesn't randomly change elevation profile in a millisecond nor can it decide to change direction and knock you off the road or your bike.

Zoxe

I am back from yet another early season ride in screaming winds. Around here, warm weather this time of year is ALWAYS associated with strong SW winds.

I was feeling cocky, so I took both - the hilly route into the wind! I return with a really slow Garmin report and burning calves, but my head held high.

achoo

You never ride to the top of a big hill and have it turn around on you when you reach the top...

JCNeumann

Winds suck, but it does force you to completely pay attention to your form and bike management.

Hills suck, but are fun - it's a defined goal with a reward at the end of it.

I think what makes wind more unpleasant is the lack of control over the ride. Hills you can control, regardless of how brutal they are. I look at winds like fish oil supplements - they make you a better rider but I will never enjoy them.

My USD .02....

TrojanHorse

Best quote ever.

Yeah, what's better than burping up fish oil supplements?

JCNeumann

What comes out the other end after the digestive process is complete.

:-)

arex

A hill has a peak, but wind will keep blowing. On the other hand, wind will help keep you cool.

Wooden Tiger

Neither, but if I had to choose, I'd choose a hill. Headwinds can be worse than hills.

laflavor

6'2", all torso with wide shoulders. I despise nothing more than a headwind of any kind on the bike. I feel like I'm riding through mud. To top it off, the winds here are always against me. Always. Give me a nice hill.

pavemen

The ride I want to try here is a 48 mi RT with a tailwind and slight uphill on the way out and always a good headwind this time of year on the way back. At least it is a slight downhill, ever so slight, but downhill none the less. I wish it was the other way around, I hate headwinds when I am tired.

I am 6'3" with a tall wide chest/shoulders. I could propel a tugboat if i stood up in a good wind.

Weatherby

Hills, I get them whether I want them or not.

There is nothing worse then having a 10 mile downhill into a river basin fighting a 25 mph wind and barely scratching out 13mph when you would normally be soft pedaling at 25mph.

MikeRides

I seem to have been battling headwinds since I got back on the bike this year. Last night's ride seemed to be the worst, 18 MPH cross winds which meant I had wind coming and going, with gusts up to 38 MPH (source: weather.com), it was the first time I felt the bike swaying to the right as I was riding. What I would have been riding at 15+ mph, I was down to 12. It was ridiculous. That said, with the exception of one ~950ft hill and a some rolling hills I skipped the big hills I would've otherwise rode.

These hills are sucking the fun of riding out of me. I'm seriously considering shopping for a road bike, so I can tuck and ride through the wind faster than I am on my upright hybrid. Maybe I'll finally see what is so exciting about N+1 after all.

contango 

Dropping from 15 to 12 isn't ridiculous. What's ridiculous is going down a hill where you can usually freewheel to 25mph only for the headwind to make it hard to maintain double digits.

daviddavieboy

I decided to bike home from our terminal last night and immediatly this post came to mind. From our yard driveway there is a 200 ft climb within 1/4 mile and the wind was HARD. I could only manage a average of 14mph on the ride home(normally 17-18). Last night I wish I could have had either wind or a hill but I was blessed with both.

Nick The Great

I decided yesterday that heavy headwinds AND hills were a b****

jsigone

any at this point

downtube42

Satisfaction from climbing a hill is tangible and immediate, as elevation gain is visible and the peak is eventually achieved. There is also no unpredictability from hills, unless you are riding in completely unfamiliar territory. The wee factor going oh-so-briefly downhill after a long grinding climb is at least something positive out of the experience.

Satisfaction from riding against a headwind is much less tangible. Sure there may be a training benefit, but that's a very delayed benefit. With some thought, one might be able to reflect on the large air mass moving from the high pressure area in front of you toward the low pressure area behind you... and what the heck else is there to think about when pushing against the wind for hours upon hours? But that's a lot of thought energy expended just to come up with some feeling of accomplishment. Add the unpredictable nature of wind, and you have something easy to hate.

ClassicRaleigh

soul crushing indeed! Wind is my least favorite challenge (unless its a tail wind)