Pleasure Ride +20 MPH Wind
 

It's a nice Sunday, temps 73F, except the winds gusting 20 - 23 mph. It's just you and the bike.

Do you....

1. Wait till later hoping the wind calms down?
2. HTFU and go anyway?
3. Bag it for another day?
4. Go running?
5. Fill in the blank __________________________

#2

2.

Forecast for gusts to 20 mph from the east here. Went out for a 20 mile north south out and back ride, beautiful day.

Look at the forecast on wind direction and ride out into the wind. If it is a straight out and back then the wind will change at your turnround point:eek: and you will moan at the forecast.

I try to get a circular route and still ride into the wind for the start. Couple of crosswinds could be awkward but the final run home is great,

#2

Unless the wind changes. I was out for a ride yesterday. Bucked the wind as long as I could so I turned around. Hadn't gone 2 miles and the wind shifted and I had to buck it again. Great therapy though. :)

The lawn needs mowing . . .

#2 for me too. Out INTO the wind, tailwind back home!

Decided on option 2, the sun looked to inviting. A 28 mile loop starting into an northeast wind, moving north and then south with a great tailwind, almost felt like flying up a hill. It was good to get out.

An ex-racer at work said he loved riding into strong headwinds. Said it made for a better workout by making him stronger in less time. Embrace the wind he said. Guess you really got to love the pain to love wind.

Ditto if that's the direction that fits your plans for the day.
Buck that headwind home if not. Heck in the Panhandle of Texas they get 30 to 50 mph gusts that will darn near stall you out. That served me well when I rode windy centuries around Waco later on. Keep those water bottles full.

Did the #2 thing again today, 3-4 weeks of gusty winds for NW Florida, at least I got to ride each day, only 4 days missed in April and 1 this week.

Bill

I go anyway. The headwind one way usually is the tailwind on the other, though I once had the bad luck of getting a 10-15 mph headwind on both outbound and inbound legs of my ride. That was a bummer. Double bummer, since I didn't get to see one horse or cow in the fields during that ride either. And a dog barked at me.

There is wind and there is WIND.

20 MPH is the real deal. But it depends on whether there is any cover (even a little bit helps a lot) and whether and for how long you will be heading into it.

If it were me, I'd go. And I'd reassess my route accordingly after I felt for my self how bad it was.

5. Always make sure I'm riding in the direction the wind is blowing at all times...

Out here in the "high desert", we have a prevailing west wind. However, before heading out, I check usairnet.com to see which way, and at what intensity the wind is blowing. This determines my route that day. As others have said, out into the wind, back with the wind.

(It is not all unusual to have 20-25 knot winds around here. That really helps one move up on a Strava segment.)

- - -

With usairnet.com, select "Weather" on the top menu bar, then "Aviation Weather", then select your state and GO, then "Select a Location" and GO. Scroll down the page to get all kinds of neat weather information. Data seems to come from airport and/or other weather stations, so if your location is not listed, choose something close.

2. Downshift and go anyway

Intellicast has some good wind data too, including forecasts:

http://www.intellicast.com/National/...spx?region=lax

I try to do #2 but if I head out and it's just too much, I change my route and ride some loops in town where it's more sheltered rather than going out on the more exposed rural roads.

I've done 2 rides recently where I started with the tailwind and came home in the headwind. It was great heading out, and since I knew I'd be fighting the wind on the way back I went all out. When I turned around I knew what I was in for and took it easy.

Yep! This!
Out here on the prairie waiting for the winds to die down would mean a lot of missed riding opportunities. You gotta ride in wind. We do have a lot of fields with hedge rows along the roads that can be used to shelter from the full force of the wind. So most riders will check the wind direction and velocity before leaving home and then plan the route accordingly.

Depends. On the bent, heck yeah, let's go. On the DF, I don't know. I'd limit it to an hour or so.

I have a wonderful spouse.

He drove me into the wind 30 miles and I rode (mostly) downwind home.

It actually was too windy and it was hard to maintain a line because of gusting. Fun though.

Been blown over by a gust of wind coming through a saddle (a cut between 2 mountains) as I crested a long climb.
It blew me sideways into gravel shoulder. Did my paratrooper roll over the bars and . . . that's all I remember.
Another cyclist stopped to check me out; had broken 6 ribs and punctured a lung,
Got a ride in ambulance to the hospital.
I now avoid starting in windy 20+mph days. Of course I was 10 years younger then (only 80 now).
Pedal on!
Rudy/zontandem