Originally Posted by
Jiggle
Competition long range shooting, I learned from an early age to estimate the wind. In my observation, most people will overestimate the speed of the wind. A 5mph wind will usually be called a 10mph wind. A 10mph steady wind is a serious wind. A 20mph steady wind will be highly unpleasant for any rider.
- Calm to Nice Breeze: 0 to 5 mph
- Breezy to Serious Wind: 5 to 15 mph
- Stay Home Winds: 15+ mph
I respect the background and the numbers. I probably fall under the "overestimate the speed of wind".
I think earlier this year that I raced in 30 mph gusts, steady was much lower. Lost a tent that was poorly anchored, and a folding table blew over (as well as a bunch of other stuff). Rocked the 3000+ lbs (empty) trailer. The very beginning of
this clip (my clip) shows, to me anyway, some hard wind, maybe a 30 mph gust? Same location, 5 years prior, similar kind of gust as the tent-losing gust. I'm curious what you would guess it to be (I can only guess).
Partially because I was sick, partially because of the forecast 50 mph gusts, I skipped a race over Easter weekend this year. I wasn't there so I can't vouch for the actual wind strength but a porta potty got blown over, which has never happened at a race of mine. Lots of wind-related crashes.