Okay okay. I know this is a whine, but I am cold, tired & frustrated and I blame the wind.

Freaking invisible tourturer was gusting 10-15 mph over the steady wind today - all but literally stopping me in my rolling "tracks". Gear down and spin you say! Yeah, right. 5 above granny and spinning like crazy - which I hate - and I still felt like I was going nowhere. Momma didn't raise me to be a masochist and I have hated the last two days of riding, cutting both rides short by half. Every ache, pain and niggling aggravation I experienced over the summer returned in force and I blame it on 'Mariah' Riding the levee in a crosswind, levee changed directions and while avoiding bikepath debris went down tearing the saddle covering! Aaaaaaaaaaargh! The fall also ripped my brand new knee warmers (yeah, I know, I'm a wimp - knee warmers in Louisiana?!?!?!). Damn Mariah!

Local cycling club is having a 200k brevet tomorrow that I'd considered trying (after saying randonneuring really isn't something I wanted to try, my recent bike tour experience caused me to reconsider and maybe give it a try) but it's an out-&-back route and that would mean fighting the wind all the way back based on the predicted direction. Pfffft. Like I said, Momma didn't raise no fools.

I'm basically an unemployed/retired, cash-strapped foolish old fart so I don't have real athletic-specific clothing for "bad" weather. My rain & wind gear is what I'd wear on the street - wrong thing to do on a bike I know. Arrrgh Mariah! So I layered up a bit and tried that - wrong thing to do as it didn't cut the wind much and left me cold, damp and stinking. Mariah!

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For those who didn't catch it: They call the wind, Mariah! is a song from the musical film, Paint Your Wagon.

Dunno, I rather like the wind when it's at my back. Layering clothing against the wind isn't very effective, you need a windproof layer. If you don't have a windbreaker jacket and/or pants, rain gear works as well (I assume that, living in New Orleans, you have rain gear). Doesn't have to be cycling specific, just pick up the cheap stuff from Walmart if you're on a budget, it'll be better than nothing.

Two Decembers ago, Anchorage got hit by a massive wind storm. Hurricane force up on the Hillside, steady 30-40 mph along the coast with crazy 60 mph gusts. This came at the end of a weeklong freakishly warm spell, with midday temps hitting 50F and steady rain that froze solid every night. The streets looked like someone had run a Zamboni over them. I rode to work through the December "Hurricane", and even with 300 studs per tire, cross winds were pushing me straight sideways half a foot at a time. One of my co-workers rode his studless trike, and reported being blow from one side of the street to the other, and clear through one intersection. Good times.

Wind is a force of nature and I know better than to argue with mother nature so while I hear you I choose not to ride when it's to windy.

exactly!!!!!!!!!!

It is amusing when you are inadequately dressed below freezing.

I'm not much fond of wind either.

It's now starting to feel like winter here in Louisville. Colder, windy, and overcast. Blah.

The difference between hating the wind and liking the wind is all (only) in your head. Same goes for hills.

^ +1

If you think of it as "training", it's not so bad. I live near foothills, so it's often quite windy. I used to hate it, now I just drop down a gear, and convince myself it's making me stronger. Still sucks if I'm in a hurry though. Don't let "Mariah" get you down!

perhaps Hillcliming like in Holland .. will be a reframing the Idea,

I found, even Summer, the onshore winds off the North Atlantic can push back.



... at least this time, the hurricane has not hit shore there, yet...

That only works if you think "training" is worthwhile in and of itself. If I bought into that, I would be spending more time working out and would consequently be in better shape.

True, but then you can go faster when it's not windy, and future winds are less horrible.

10-15 mph (16-24 km/h) almost stopped you in your tracks??? You need to get out and ride in the wind a lot more!! 10-15 mph (16-24 km/h) isn't much of a wind at all. When it gets over 30 km/h it is a bit breezy, but still managable ... when it gets over 50 km/h that can be a struggle.

On our 200K randonnee last weekend, it was 30 km/h gusting 60 km/h along one stretch.

Personally, I prefer wind to hills ... given the choice between one and the other. Only twice have I had to get off and walk because of wind (one was up around 80 km/h, the other was clocked at 160 km/h). But I have had to get off and walk many, many times on hills. When it comes to wind, I figure if I can maintain 15-18 km/h into the wind ... which I can do in a 10-15 mph (16-24 km/h), then I'm good. That's so much better than getting down to 5-7 km/h going up a hill.

As for warmer cycling clothing ... go to your local thrift shop and look for wool tops, preferably merino wool, but any wool will do. Wear the wool over a thinner polypro top ($20 at general sporting goods place, possibly less at places like Sierra Trading Post). That might be all you need, or you might want to pick up a decent windbreaker, or at least a vest. If you look around a bit, you can probably find one for $25 or so.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/SubCate..._200275_200338

They say hills make you strong, and headwinds make you mean.

Seems to be working for you, OP.

Lovely Paragraphing!

Don't feel too bad about the knee warmers. My rule of thumb is, if it doesn't get to 60F during the ride, it's OK to wear tights. Oh, and the wind? I like wind! Sure, it slows me down, but it slows everyone else down MORE. Makes me look like Superman(tm).

I actually love riding into a headwind. It's fun watching other riders struggle with a look of pain on their faces.

i'm with you, i hate the wind. the whole "you are just training harder" thing doesn't work for me, because i'm not training, i'm riding my damn bicycle. if it's wet, i can put on clothes to stay dry, if it's cold, i can put on clothes to stay warm, but if it's windy, i can't do anything about it, except turn around and go home and not ride my bike. i hate the wind.

I prefer hills to wind, I can see the end, and it's fun to race up as fast as possible.

Hey, a rant's a rant. Doesn't have to make sense to anyone but the ranter! Lol!
Context- short timer on bike (only since July, longest ride ever 125 miles (50 miles longer than any previous ride), longest tour 3.7 weeks avging 50 mile days, worst winds ever ridden in 45mph gusting to 60)...yesterday and today- just bad days)

sixty fiver - great comic! Much appreciated

(Machka, reread what I wrote. You misread the numbers. While they may not be significant to you, obviously they were to me over the last 2 days - but you did misread "gusting 10-15 mph over the steady wind today").

So ... what was the steady wind?

Wind- rain and cold are just a few of the problems you will have to put up with. I know you say you can't afford better clothing but look around in the charity shops for some windproof and rainproof clothing that can be better used for cycling.

Wind is a problem in that it will take away any warmth the body may have. Just think of wind chill. Rain will also cool things down a bit. Wind and rain together in the cold months and I will think about whether to ride or not. I have been out on aride in 40F temps and the wind took the temp down a bit and when the rain came I called it a day and went home. That was only after 10 miles but by that time I could not feel my hands or feet. Next week was at the LBS buying better gloves and overshoes for the Feet.

But I have done rides winds in excess of 50mph. As a headwind it was hard- as a sidewind it was dangerous.

Well, you don't have mountains and you don't really have cold, so I'd have to say, come back when you have a strong headwind and rain, then you'll have something worth complaining about.

Wind itself is just something we all have to deal with.

BTW 30-40 mph wind with 60 mph gusts isn't category 1 hurricane, just a tropical storm strength wind. Cat 1 is 1 minute sustained at 74-95 mph.

I just quit looking at the speedometer when it's too windy. It's like how I play golf -- I don't keep score there, either.