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Do you have a bad attitude?

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Do you have a bad attitude?

Old 03-03-07, 01:37 PM
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Do you have a bad attitude?

I do towards the wind. I just despise riding in windy/gusty conditions. I know a lot of you folks deal with those kinds of winds everyday and my hats off to you. I don't mind a 5 mph breeze, but today's 15 mph sustained winds with gusts to 25 mph just made me miserable. I even let my bad attitude not let me enjoy riding with the wind today because I knew when we got to the futherest point out and made the turn it would be in our face for a few hours. You can have the wind....I'll take a hill over that stuff anyday!

81 miles today and the best part of it is I'm back home!!!

Please say a little prayer for OHB crossing the US that he doesn't have to deal with a headwind for a full day........

Thanks for letting me vent.
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Old 03-03-07, 01:53 PM
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Originally Posted by jppe
I do towards the wind. I just despise riding in windy/gusty conditions. I know a lot of you folks deal with those kinds of winds everyday and my hats off to you. I don't mind a 5 mph breeze, but today's 15 mph sustained winds with gusts to 25 mph just made me miserable. I even let my bad attitude not let me enjoy riding with the wind today because I knew when we got to the futherest point out and made the turn it would be in our face for a few hours. You can have the wind....I'll take a hill over that stuff anyday!

81 miles today and the best part of it is I'm back home!!!

Please say a little prayer for OHB crossing the US that he doesn't have to deal with a headwind for a full day........

Thanks for letting me vent.
We have had winds since before Christmas and I am getting fed up with it. I avidly watch the weather forecasts and try to get the headwind on the outward leg on our circular trip. Doesn't always work but last week had the 15% climb into a 20mph headwind- I got it wrong.

As to hills- always better than the headwind but tomorrows weather is forecast different- Only a 12mph wind but Rain. I hate getting wet so better make certain the goretex is to hand.
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Old 03-03-07, 02:05 PM
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I hear you. I, too, prefer hills over wind most any day.

Today's ride should've been a relatively easy loop, a couple good climbs, lots of rolling hills, through the almond orchards. All the weather reports were calling for 5 mph. One look out the window told me that the weather folks had not looked out theirs.

Forty-five miles later I think my face has had microdermabrasion. My contacts feel like potato chips and I'm wondering why I'm such a masochist. Oy.
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Old 03-03-07, 02:34 PM
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H*** No!
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Old 03-03-07, 02:56 PM
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Oh stop your grouching. Anyone'd think this was the old buffer's forum

Richard
Long time wind hater
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Old 03-03-07, 03:20 PM
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I rode from 6:30 AM to 10 AM this morning, before the wind picked up...... nice!!!
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Old 03-03-07, 03:34 PM
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Every now and then things work out just right: Two distinct high points, one about 7 yrs ago when the local century was almost flat and up one side of a broad valley and down the other, we had a 10mph headwind all the way out, of which I was unaware as I sat in a group of 20 hotrods, and then had a glorious solo ride back with tailwind the whole way. The other was a ride from just outside (east) of Glacier NP to Billings MN with a 20-30 mph tailwind for 96 mi. Did it in under 4 hrs in 1971, unbelievable.

But slow arduous rides always weigh on the mind more than short and furious fast rides because they are the difference in riding up hill 5 mi at 8 mph versus downhill
at 35mph. Then there was the century ~4yrs ago with the tail end of some hurricane blowing northeast at 15-20mph, I stood it for 30 miles and gave up and
sagged out after total of 70 miles with 30 yet to go into that blasted wind by myself.

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Old 03-03-07, 03:59 PM
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Originally Posted by jppe
...but today's 15 mph sustained winds with gusts to 25 mph just made me miserable.
jppe-
Guess your wind was lower than mine, did the RRRC metric route this late AM. early PM. checked when I came in and wind was 18MPH with gusts to 31MPH . I know you remember some of the longer climbs on that route were INTO the wind today. Kicked my butt, but I'll be back out tomorrow for a little "stretch"
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Old 03-03-07, 04:33 PM
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You know it's bad when you have to work hard to go downhill, or when you can hear the blowing sand rattling on your glasses.
I did a cross-country trip in 1990 and I remember a 40 mile stretch in Kansas when it was over 100 degrees with a strong headwind. Talk about dehydrated!
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Old 03-03-07, 05:42 PM
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There is a wind in the Alps called the "fohn." It is associated with evil of all sorts, even temporary psychosis. The fohn has been used as a defense in criminal cases. As a cyclist, all of this makes perfect sense to me.
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Old 03-03-07, 05:45 PM
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Wind blows, big time.

I especially hate it when I have to pedal down a hill.
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Old 03-03-07, 05:58 PM
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Super windy in Los Angeles today...30 MPH plus in the AM. I drove north until it abated, and rode around Santa Barbara area for about 4 hours...
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Old 03-03-07, 06:26 PM
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Originally Posted by PAlt
jppe-
Guess your wind was lower than mine, did the RRRC metric route this late AM. early PM. checked when I came in and wind was 18MPH with gusts to 31MPH . I know you remember some of the longer climbs on that route were INTO the wind today. Kicked my butt, but I'll be back out tomorrow for a little "stretch"
Oh boy-judging by the wind's direction today I suspect Patterson, Johnson Dairy and
Grey's were all into the wind for a really tough finish. I'm really glad tomorrow will be another day!! I hope to get out a little myself. I will check the weather and wind first, though!
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Old 03-03-07, 07:25 PM
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Where I ride, if you time it right, you can go to the edge of S.F. Bay with no wind, and have a decent tailwind all the way home. Of course, a 20 minute break at the bay helps. bk
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Old 03-03-07, 07:50 PM
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I had to work today but was able to go for a 20 mile lunch ride. 54 degrees and not much wind. Then, 5 miles from my vehicle it started raining. On the way out I had been riding 18-19mph. On the way back in the rain guess which way the wind was blowing. Straight at me. Oh well, once I got back into my dry clothes I felt better than I would have if I had gone out for mexican food with my friends from work. No complaints from me today. (at least about the wind)
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Old 03-03-07, 08:23 PM
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I always have a good attitude.

But I'm sick and tired of the snow. We have about 18" on the ground and I've had to run my snowblower 4 times this week, including this morning.

Now buzz off and leave me alone.
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Old 03-03-07, 09:03 PM
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I made peace with the wind when I was about 10. Getting pissed off about it is pointless, like going to the ocean and getting pissed off by the surf.

Use the opportunity to work on your aero position and learn how to cheat it. That's good sport.
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Old 03-03-07, 09:26 PM
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I can handle the hills but the winds can be too much at times. Anything up to 20 mph isn't too bad but over that and I won't ride. Once you climb those hills you can often coast down the other side but you never get to quit pedaling into those headwinds
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Old 03-03-07, 09:31 PM
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I've been bucking the wind all week now. Between the wind and trying to break this new saddle in (835 miles) later I'm getting pretty feed up. It still beats living up north though. I had 62 years of snow and I didn't like that to well either. I did 20 miles and out of the 20, 8 were down wind. That was nice.
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Old 03-04-07, 07:59 AM
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Originally Posted by serotta
I rode from 6:30 AM to 10 AM this morning, before the wind picked up...... nice!!!
Like Serotta, I lucked out yesterday. Left the house just before 9:00 riding into the wind. It was good timing because the wind hadn't really come up at that point. Made my turn at about 10:30 the wind had been picking up and now it was at my back for the 22 miles back into town. At one point along the open flood plain of the Yadkin River I was taking the wind to the side and felt the speed must have picked up to 25-30. It really pushed me across the road. However once across and redirected to the east,northeast I had that big wind to my back for the remaining 13 miles. Got back to the house a little before 12:00 and the wind was really blowing.
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Old 03-04-07, 11:01 AM
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I am like Tom, just waiting for the snow and cold to go so I can get out there and take on the wind again
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Old 03-04-07, 11:47 AM
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I certainly am not an expert wind rider but have found that for me it takes a different attitude to ride in strong head winds. On a cross country tour I had three 75 mile days in a row with 20-30 mph headwinds and nary a tree to rest behind. Hills are different because they usually end at some point and you can coast down the other side. On a windy day now I just force myself to relax, go slow, and accept the ride as it is. And think about something else besides the wind.
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Old 03-04-07, 12:10 PM
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One lasting memory of my XC trip was going against a ridiculous headwind all day for 150 miles. We did that with the help of peloton and pace-line biking. This is the first time in my life that I did that. We had to learn fast how to do that. It is not that simple. The leader in the pace-line lasted for 1-2 miles and you know the peloton rotates leaders constantly.
I still think of that. It was so exiting (and stressful).
Your comment about OHB XC trip brought back this memory. I think that he will have his challenges on that long trip.
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Old 03-04-07, 07:20 PM
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Maybe it's because I ride recumbents, but I seem to be the opposite of everyone here: wind has to be awfully bad before it bothers me much, but hills are my Waterloo.
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Old 03-04-07, 08:01 PM
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Son of a B.........! can't we stop this thread!

(I'm kidding folks............. can't help myself............)

Yep agree JPPE "Wind Blows, Man"..........

Seriously, I rode directly against a 25-30 mph wind last week for 2 miles, struggled to get 8 mph, HR = 161 (high for me)
Return trip, did 27 mph, (2 miles) HR= 149.

Sure makes a diffrence. Gives a good workout though.
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