BlazingPedals

I wouldn't go so far as to say I love wind, but I really don't mind it. Being very low and very streamlined, a big headwind doesn't slow me down nearly as much as is slows everyone else down, so it tends to make me look like Superman(tm). I haven't gotten out much arount home yet, though, because it's still a bit chilly here. But the snow is slowly melting off, and at least I had a nice 70-mile week while visiting my brother in S. California.

Phil85207

Real Classy

pdlamb

I complained all the way across Kansas because of the quartering headwind that usually topped out at 25-30 mph. Then we hit the day with the monster headwind in Wyoming, where the residents estimated it was a 50 mph wind straight in our faces. 20 miles in 5 hours, ending up with a 6% downhill where I could exceed 6 mph pedaling as hard as I could.

After that, what's a 30 mph breeze?

billydonn

Excellent wind horror story! True misery....Well done!

BlazingPedals

OK, somebody has to do it, so I will...

bkaapcke

Where I ride, it's a headwind from the house to the end of the trail at the edge of San Francisco bay. Tailwind most of the way back that really pushes a LWB 'bent. So, I have mixed feelings about it. bk

gcottay

Wind is your friend.

You can work hard against it and get some motor tuning.

You can ease off and use it as an excuse for riding slowly.

You can put it at your back and be the strong rider you really are.

You can ride sans helmet because of the added noise.

You can grind road grit into your eyes. (There seems to be a problem with this wind friend theme.)

Mr. Beanz

I actually like the wind. I have soooooo many friends that will avoid riding when the winds come. Gina used to worry about the wind but I talked her into going a few times and now she doesn't mind. 45 mph winds and we are there! The #1 attraction of riding in the wind is listening to all the crybabies!

We're never gonna make it!.......it's so tough!....It's blowing too hard!....Tell my wife and children I love them if I don't make it!

I figure what goes up, must come down. Headwind out, cruise back in or vice versa. If it changes, then oh well, it was little better workout than we expected. Just something about finding the right gear and working with the wind rather than trying to beat the wind works great. When we ride in the wind. we're sure to have a gorup of guys on our wheels.

Ona 40 mph wind day. You can see the diference in her hair, it was dancing! Plus the palm trees and dirt in the air.


Check out this video. Wind is stronger at certain sections of the trail but checkout the trees blowing. Gina did get tired at one point but she was riding her bike when others wouldn't.

I also did a ride up into the mtns with a few guys. Plan was 5000 ft of climbing with 40 mph winds. A gust blew one guy over, he hit the ground and was knocked out cold. Some of the forum members will remember that.

az_cyclist

I would rather ride uphill than into a headwind, but, I would never not ride because of a wind.

alanknm

Around where I live, when is there NOT wind ? They want to put in an offshore wind farm here. You just learn to live with it and ride accordingly.

Agave

The auto deposit from my trust fund is late this month.

Weep for me...........

az_cyclist

one of the riders in my club has a motto, "The wind is your friend". His explanation was that some riders will let the wind defeat them. He did rethink that recently when there were 40+ mile headwinds.

Recycle

My favorite is "Wind and is your friend. It helps you along or it makes you strong."

TromboneAl

As long as I have a tailwind going home, I like the wind. Riding out is like putting money in the bank. Unfortunately, since you spend more time riding into the headwind than sailing back, you don't get all your money back.

Photos from recent high-wind ride:

DnvrFox

My wind isn't consistent, and usually changes direction regularly - to the point that I oten am facing a wind both directions. I guess that never happens to those of you who count on a tail wind to balance the headwind.

billydonn

And then there is the "surprise wind" that comes up behind you on the trip out.... and you are SOL when you turn back.

Wish these "I love wind" people would start their own thread... this one is for whining and complaining.

Mr. Beanz

Wow, you aint kidding!

Recycle

The winds I hate are the ones where I crawl 15 or 20 miles directly into a 20 or 30 mph head wind, all the time thinking about how good it's gonna be to sail back home... then at the turnaround, the wind changes direction 180 Deg.

DnvrFox

Well, we will have a bit of wind and snow here. Nothing unrideable, but also not "pleasant."

Today
Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower to mid 60s. West winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph becoming northeast.
Tonight
Cloudy. Slight chance of rain and snow in the evening...then a chance of snow after midnight. Lows 26 to 32. North winds 10 to 15 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
Friday
Cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow in the morning...then partly sunny in the afternoon. Highs 45 to 51. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph in the morning becoming light.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower to mid 30s. South winds 10 to 20 mph.
Saturday
Sunny

oldbobcat

Around here there are days so windy you shouldn't ride. One afternoon, as I was driving to work, I kicked myself for not giving a lift to a cyclist who had to stop because of the wind. It didn't last long, though. A couple miles up the road another cyclist had dismounted his carbon Look. Before he let the bike go and it got blown into the highway, he was skittering across the road on his carbon-soled shoes and plastic cleats.

We threw the bike into my trunk (the lid was almost blown off) and I gave him a lift.

ModeratedUser150120149

Once again wind demonstrated that Mother Nature is constantly challenging and testing. Took off for 2011 ride #3 into a quartering headwind. But the sun was bright and I was headed generally to a lower elevation. Had a nice 32 mile ride around a lake and along the river while waiting for my ride. The ride didn't show so I had to ride the 5 miles back to the start. By this time Mother Nature decided to test my fortitude, heart and legs because I was riding up hill in what the weather station said was 21mph gusting to 28mph winds. Fortitude made it, barely. This 74 y/o was able to sustain a heart rate 151bpm which is close to my max of 155 so I guess that passed the test. The lungs panted a bit but provided enough oxygen so guess they are OK. I can still stand on the legs so I guess they are OK. I'll know for sure tomorrow.

The best reward though was that warm feeling of approval from Mother Nature on meeting the very personal challenge.

bjjoondo 

On Saturday, it was a very gusty, windy day, we were riding home from the local/annual bicycle show and stopped for a stop sign, as we went to put the foot in the pedal (we ride recumbents, you put a pedal up, just past top dead center, and push to start off), we got hit with a big time gust!! :O The wife just fell over into me, lucky I'm not a "lite weight" but even I had just enough time to get my foot on the ground, so I held us both up, till it quit. March in So. Colorado is always WINDY and sadly, it's usually a COLD wind, no matter the "recorded temp"!!