mscycler

Yesterday I left work early and went home for what I hoped would be a casual 25-30 mile ride. It was so pretty here on Mon-Wed, but I had to work until 6 each night. So, the weatherman told me that there would be winds from the SW at 18-20 mph and gusts to 30 mph. So, of course I didn't believe him. I rode anyway. I made 15 miles and was pooped. I burned almost 1000 calories on that ride (right at an hour). I normally burn between 500-600 calories an hour while riding. Would the extra "energy" I put out fighting the wind make me burn more calories because I am working harder?

Also, how do you combat riding in headwinds? With crosswinds, I lean into the wind and I am ok. With tailwinds, I tuck into the drops and really hammer the pedals (makes me feel like more of a man). With Headwinds, what gives???

Thanks,
mscycler

RoadToad

Aerobars...

2Rodies

With head winds I put my hands on the tops close the stem and get into the same position as I would have if I were on the drops. Helps lower your frontal area. Still I hate the wind and it hates me.

RC2

Tailwinds, love 'em, it's a great feeling to easily cruise along at 25+mph in complete silence other than your drive train and tire noise. Ruined to a small extent knowing that it's gonna suck coming back.

Only solution to riding in a strong headwind I've found? Go the other way.

operator

How exactly are you calculating how many calories you're burning?

botto 

if you're going by your HR Monitor, or computer, to see how many calories you're burning, then i have to tell you - it LIES!

As far as wind, that sounds pretty normal to me. There's only one way to treat a headwind - grin and bare it. Think of it as a hill, and ride.

mscycler

Yeah, I am tracking the calories by my HR. I don't put too much stock into it though. In order for it to really even get close, I would have to enter my weight (at the very least) before each ride. I usually only update the weight with significant changes (+/- 5 lbs).

For the headwind, the worst thing about it was that was the way I really wanted to go, so I had to alter my route and try something else.

mscycler

twilkins9076

The best strategy I've found for dealing with wind is to simply adjust my expectations. Gear down and spin. You may not go as fast or as far because of it, but in the same amount of time, you'll should get as much or more of a workout.

In my view, any bike ride is good. Some are just harder than others!

DXchulo

It's actually better to sit up for the tailwind. You want to be as un-aero as possible so the wind has more to push against.

OPC

In strong headwinds I try to stay focused on perceived exertion (and HR) and cadence. The HRM is a very useful tool to help ensure you are not pushing harder than you planned. Do not get caught up in your speed (unless that is the focus of that particular ride). I just get aero in the drops and stay there.

Wind happens.

-José

cyclezealot

The tail winds can make one feel great. But around here, tail winds vary. Wish it was not so. But, that ocassional side blast at 60 mph , (not an exageration !)can scare the crap out of me. I have found myself unexpectedly fighting winds that strong. I ended up walking. Pay close attention to weather reports should you live in certain areas.

lotek 

Today's lunch ride is a perfect example its a quick 14 mile out and back that runs roughly nw by se.
today we have 25 - 30 mph westerly winds, gusting to 40mph. ouch. I have a brief period of
tailwind and the rest is headwind or crosswinds, not fun.
I tuck down for the headwinds and try to present as small a target as possible, for the tailwind
I ride the hoods and try to catch a bit more of the wind.
for cross winds I just hang on and try to not get blown into either curbs or traffic.
Todays ride was exhausting, and about 5 minutes longer than usual.

As they say down here, God created wind cause there ain't no hills in Texas.

mscycler

Yeah, the sitting up in a tailwind makes more sense now that you put it that way.

Lotek...we are supposed to get your winds in a couple of hours. My first road race is supposed to be this Sunday, but I think I have already chickened out...I don't want to have to fight the other people and the wind. I think it would be hard enough to ride the race, wind notwithstanding.

mscycler

GuitarWizard

I have a short 16 mile loop around here that I'll do when I'm A) pressed for time, B) want to do a shorter ride, and C) want to gauge my fitness.

Since there hasn't been a calm, windless day since I can remember, I had to fight the usual barrage of wind. About 4 miles up the road I had a bit of a tailwind....the back 8 miles was all headwind, and the last 4 miles for the most part was tailwind. Managed to average 17.5 mph with the wind (which is moving along for me, especially in those conditions).....what I typically do is sorta grab the tops of my brake levers and rest my forearms on my bars.....so almost the same type of position as in the drops, but not really. I find that this position gives me a bit more power than in the drops that I can maintain for a longer period of time, and I can get myself fairly aerodynamic this way.

I hate wind.

jimblairo

Just treat head winds as invisible hills!

ho hum

All I do is watch my HRM and set my speedometer so that it shows only time. No need to focus on numbers that will psyche me out. I have noticed that my heart rate when riding into the wind will not be as high as when I am riding into a tail wind and really pushing it. It seems like I cannot push any harder than about 75% of MHR. When I am in going with a tailwind, my speed is up and I can push my heartrate to 85% of MHR. It is like I somehow psyche myself into conserving energy while facing wind. psychological.

cyclezealot

When I got trapped by those 90 KHM side-gusts, I felt so sure I was going over, I rode with one foot out of the clips- before I started walking. It was like three miles before I got to an urban area with enough buildings to break the wind.

BikingCT

Speaking of headwinds...like others, I always think of a headwind as climbing a hill. However, does anyone know an approximation for headwind speed versus grade? I know it will vary but is there an approximation out there (e.g., a 10 mph headwind = 2% grade hill)?

rufvelo

Best advice against wind.

GuitarWizard

The awesome part is climbing hills while battling the wind. I absolutely LOVE (not) the days here in CT where the wind swirls around and you never seem to get a tailwind....but plenty of head and sidewinds. It's good stuff.

I just want a day with like 0-5 mph winds. That would be great.

BikingCT

I know all about those swirling winds. The sidewinds can be especailly brutal along the shoreline. They've certainly been gusty the last couple of weeks.

rule

One thing that commuting has done for me...I don't spend much time any more fighting the wind. The more you ride in a particular condition, the better you adapt.

zonatandem

Sit more upright with a tailwind; hunker down over the bars with a headwind.
A windless day is really bad: due to your cycling speed you create wind resistance, so you'll feel the wind in the face going in any direction.
Have had strong enough winds to be pushed sideways on our tandem while doing an event in Indiana . . . wind was strong enough to make the telephone wires 'sing!'
Have also been blown over/crashed due to unexpected wind gusting through a saddle (the 'depression' between 2 mountains) in Arizona. Result: 6 broken ribs, one punctured lung and was lucky to miss a 50 foot dropoff!
You can see the top of a hill, but wind is invisible!

texascyclist

Unless you are taking a break or climbing a hill, you are going faster than the tail wind so you net a head wind.

Those who are interested: Cervelo has a page on their site that details the drag and weight issues that hold you back. They say that rider position is a huge variable that we have in control of with respect to riding efficiency. It's amazing that we spend a lot effort on things that have a huge cost to performance ratio and we ignore changing our riding position. Riding postion changes are free folks.

https://www.cervelo.com/content.aspx?...i=Aerodynamics

cyclezealot

So does no one have a problem with side gusts taking you down? Seems one definition of winds , used to describe hurricanes, 60 mph makes it dificult to walk, was a base line?