Wind - Cross or head
 

So, on a 60 mile solo ride, do you fight the headwind for 30 miles then ride the tailwind home or fight the cross wind for 60 miles.

And let's pick a 25 mph wind.

Marc

if you got a disk wheel, it creates negative drag at high yaw angles, not sure how that affects the speed overall vs headwind then tailwind.

Ride in a circle and get a bit of everything.

Actually I think a figure-8 would be required.

I'd say first head wind and then tail wind home, but the wind would probably change direction on you.

Personally, I'd take the tailwind. I enjoy riding fast and hard with a tailwind. Cross wind and headwind are different degrees of the same thing, you just go slower.

I did exactly this as a bday ride. Into the headwind for half the ride. FLEW home.

https://www.strava.com/activities/30...b09c4ee422851f

Headwind out and tailwind home.

My luck it usually changes and I get it both ways or I get a tail wind out and try to get a really good pace going and then contemplate veering into traffic on my way home riding into the headwind all gassed out.

I'd rather take a head on wind the whole way than a cross wind where your exposure due to terrain and trees/buildings. Breaking out into the clear where the wind has a 1-2 mile shot at you after riding where your shielded can be pretty "interesting" :-).

I call a 25 mph wind day a rest day and find something else to do. There is always something mechanical to take care of. Matters not what the direction is.

Tailwinds are just a myth.

After a ride on Sat I'm pretty sure the crosswind required more power than the head wind. Riding a steel bike ( Gucioutti ) w/36 hole wheels when I turned out of the headwind into the crosswind (direct ) - it pretty much ate my lunch. At that point I was 40 miles into the ride w/20 to go - wasn't a fun 20.....

That is a common day for us in W Oklahoma....

I'd ride the tailwind out and hope the wind changes directions when it's time to turn home, like maybe a cross wind instead. If not, well, it's going to be a miserable 30 miles.

If I determine the route and it's that length, I'll always ride into the wind on the way out, and let it push me home.

Here in the Ill-inois...our roads mostly run N-S or E-W...and while we're not insanely windy like some places...we get out share (25mph is pretty common at times, especially out in the open.

if I can get my way, I'll ride dead on into it, the come back with it. Better to get the help on the return. Not too many things are worse then blasting out 30+ miles only to turn around have have to grind the second half back home. With that said, I often ride in a large circle so I'll only spend 25% of the ride with the wind and 50% getting smacked around by it.

Lately, we've had the crappy chop winds, often from the SW heading NE...so with stick straight roads, you're never really "with" or "against" the wind...you're kind of half-ass getting smacked around by it in some way or another the entire time, it kind of sucks.


I have to say though...a strong back wind will really make you feel like a superstar. I love that speed and dead silence that happens. I'm not sure if it's just my frame, but that carbon has a constant hiss to it at speed that you can only hear with a backwind...

If you live somewhere flat you're almost always going to have a cross wind or a head wind. If I waited for a calm day I'd never ride.

what kind of crazy person rides in a 25 mph wind? I would go backwards.

if you have a front quartering wind it is approximately half the value of a head wind depending on the degree of angle of the wind. If you have a side wind you have a theoretical 0 but you still have the wind resistance based on speed of the rider. Of course we all love tail winds and winds quartering from the rear.

I am a competitive shooter. All winds suck when you are shooting.

That is the sound it makes just before it asplodes. #jussayin

100%...the ONLY chance you'll have is a very early morning ride...and that's no guarantee either. I'll say that it has been very windy this season.

It's funny, if I ride out with the wind and turn around into it (as I did Sat), I'll tell myself "Well, time to get to work". If I find myself cursing the wind, I'll constantly tell myself "everyone does their time in the wind"...

It is demoralizing at times though...

Let's hope not...LOL...

If the wind is blowing 25 mph, you don't ride - it will blow you over.

I'm kinda an idiot* ... I love to fly right away, so I take the tailwind to start. Then turn around and hate myself for the 30 miles home. I do this all the time.

*or I could be doing a great job building my endurance.... but mostly, I'm an idiot.

LOL! You're funny!

as a competitive outdoor shooter I need to read wind and estimate speed and angle all the time. I think most people over estimate wind velocity. I have had fellow shooters estimate wind speed at 20 mph when in fact my Kestral wind meter calls it at 8. Remember, if you are riding at 25 mph into a 0 wind you effectively have a 25 mph wind in your face. That is not that strong. If you rode into a 25 mph wind I think the average guy would have a hard time going 2 mph for more than a mile, maybe a lot less. Try going 5 mph into that 25 mph wind. That is equivalent to riding 30 mph.

The best I can do is use weather service for wind speed (which varies, I know).

I often go off of the trees or later in the season, the corn. If the corn is bending over, it's freaking windy. When the weather channel states wind @ 15mps with gusts over 20 and see the trees outside whipping all over the place...I know it's windy...