Century Rides And Wind Forecasts
 

I've not done a century ride but was rather looking forward to doing one tomorrow. Everything weatherwise was cooperating except the wind. I'm in very good condition, have riddent 60's and 80's all summer with personal TT's on the hilly 20mi course at 1:10:00.

Tomorrow's forecast is showing WSW at 10-20mph. And no, I dont buy into the "tailwind is great on the ride back" theory. The course is an out and back but no way am I pitching the dice on the wind holding from that direction all day. Temps will be 60's-low 70's...sunny and perfect except for that wind.

What is your wind threshold on a day for a century ride?

Don't remember ever cancelling a ride because of wind. Sometimes it takes the fun out of it but you can get through it.
Earlier this year I did a century where in one flat section the wind was so strong that people were walking, for miles! It was kinda fun passing people on foot and they must have been picked up by cars, too far to walk.

I have a Metric in October that I enjoy doing but I do look at the forecast before travelling the 100 miles to it now. Did it in 2001 and it was raining. Circular route so the high wind strength would be a problem somewhere on the course. Did I say it was raining? It did not stop all day and the high wind always seemed to be in our face for the whole ride. Last 5 miles were over open moors and the wind got up to gale strength blowing the by now Torrential rain horizontal. We were told that the wind strength was up to 70 mph in the gusts on that high open flat moor and I believe it. Pace lines were the only way to progress and can you believe that as soon as you hit the front of that pace line- you stopped dead. A Pace line at 5mph was not enjoyable if you were leading but what a joy to know you were at the back and had a minute or so of rest before you were going have some work to do.

I now get a forecast for that area before attempting that ride. But the same can be said for any time of the year. Done rides in June that were just as bad and they are not enjoyable. Problem is that you have trained for it- looked forward to it and you do it. You only regret it during the ride. Afterwards you realise that however hard that ride may have been- You did it.

I hate winds to be honest. Part of riding I guess. Some would rather ride mountians than into a good headwind all day. Much easier with a partner to pull and swap. I live on the coast of maine, so wind is there. ALWAYS

I just ride. Wind and flats are part of riding.

Go for it. Wind = bragging rights.

My first century this year, in April, featured 30 miles directly into a 20-30 mph headwind. I've enjoyed talking about it much more than doing it, but it wasn't THAT bad.

I don't much like riding in winds above 30 MPH but my real dislike is for a tailwind that equals my speed and kills the breeze.

Are the famous famous Black Flies out and about? If so, strong winds could be your friend.

This, it's all part of the ride.

A 10-20 mph wind is hardly worth worrying about.

Live in the Delta. Wind can be a killer here. Takes ALL the fun out of riding for me. And I agree with your assessment about NOT counting on that tailwind. Happened to me once. Rode LONG way into wind, counting on that tailwind for return trip. And guess what? Bout mile on return trip wind changed 180 degrees and blew even harder! Got off and walked for awhile that day. FIRM beliver in checking forecast before riding now-a-days.

First, which one are you going on? Whereat? What towns?

Second, this is why I want a triple. Sometimes I want to just slow down and work through it, and for those times I want cadence, not slogging. Same for hills.

I don't know my wind threshold, but the toughest wind was one afternoon several years ago coming south on the west shore of the Old Mission Peninsula. The cross-wind was horrible, making propulsion tough and blowing me and my wife all over the road. Low trail would not have helped, it just pushed the bike over. The hard work was to countersteer the wind so we didn't get toppled -- we didn't!

I'm in Boyne City and do the long distance rides by myself. I chart the ride to suit my tastes and training needs typically.

Solo because I set my pace at 14.5 and hold steady like cruise control.

Now there is someone that is speaking my lingo :D

The other day I needed that tailwind and the wind had shifted to "in my face" for the rest of the ride home. And like few others here I call a 20mph headwind STIFF. Turned in 50mi and quit. No I didnt feel any sense of satisfaction, either. That was the day where I said, "wind is for training" and I train for this century. Training=fun all other rides. Love hills, hate wind. But when the wind becomes an issue I grab my lower chainring and stay there until better times. No probs. No probs if the wind hits during the ride....I can deal with that. However, the wind forecast is my friend before starting the ride :D

Any other day it would be fine...I ride in winds like this but this day is special and I want to get it over with. This is not a training day for a double century in the fall.

I have a motto, I'll ride in the rain, I'll ride in the cold, and I'll ride in the wind. But I will stay home when there is any combination of rain, wind and cold.

If the weather is otherwise ideal, forget about the wind and ride.

Back when I was doing centuries, I met my fellow club riders at the starting point on a particularly windy day. One of our riders, who was new at the century game, was hesitant at starting out in such brutal wind. He told our ride leader, a strong and experienced woman who was known for not mincing her words, that the morning news advised small vehicles to stay off the roads.
She replied, "did they say anything about bicycles?".
"N-No", he stuttered.
"Well get on your g-damn bike and stop your whimpering." she growled.

The ride was tough and we did a lot of drafting but the new guy proved to be equal to the task.

It's just wind. It makes you stronger. If I need to use low gears, and go slow I just do it.

The wind affects everyone the same, the same as hills. The difference is at the top of the hill is usually a down hill and a rest-bit. With the wind, your mind can't see an end in sight and it starts to work on your mind. I agree with having a triple at those times and being able to keep the cadence higher and grind on through it. It's not fun for sure but bragging rights are coming.

Most of my training rides are fairly sheltered, so I really don't care about wind so much as high temperatures and the possibility of thunderstorms. And the only century I ride is the annual event called the "Seagull" down in Salisbury, MD. Some times the winds are light....but more often, they can be brutal. About half the course is sheltered by forests, but the other half is open farmland. I love the event, but I must admit it can be discouraging to be peddling in a long line (since the ride attracts 5K-6K participants) and watch the front end visibly slow as the wind hits, knowing you're about to get it. The worst, however, is trying to make it across the pedestrian overpass to the barrier island and rest stop at about the 65 mile mark. The overpass is high off the water (so no shelter from the land), has wide-spaced metal railings (to let plenty of wind through), and frequently contains a few slow wobbly riders...I've encountered cross winds at 30+ miles an hour on that bridge and wondered if I was about to be picked up and thrown into the drink. The ride back is MUCH more forgiving, as the riders can use the low vehicular bridge with it's high concrete sides.

Impressive, man!

Hey Thanx! Go Blue.

I just get in the drops and keep grinding away.

One aspect of long-distance riding that I hadn't figured on was that with longer rides, you can also get stuck riding into the wind for longer times. On my 1200k this spring, I rode solo into a headwind for about the first 115 miles. On one of my 300k's, I had almost a 100 miles of headwind coming back in. There's no magic solution, just keep riding and work your way in.

(Oh, draft a tandem if possible, but not always feasible!)

One other thing, if it's an out-and-back as you say, just ride out, if you get too pooped too early, just turn around early, no law that says you have to go the whole way just because you start out.

It's great training and makes you stronger. Go for it.

A 20 MPH tailwind? I'll take that.

Twenty is okay for me but make it a hot day with slightly harder tailwind or a gentle upgrade and the cooking begins.

No tandems, I ride solo.

The wind was terrible. But I did it anyway. 100mi on the button. At the 83mi mark I was on the small chainring and on the second lowest gear that I use for hillclimbing. It was a howling kind of wind. So here I was in a racing tuck going a stinking 9mph. I looked at the ground creeping by, my cadence spinning like crazy and thought to myself, "I better start hammering or I could get dropped by a frickin' jogger".

Oh well. It's done.