I've Picked Up A Couple MPH!
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I've Picked Up A Couple MPH!
I'm not great about going out on longer rides on weekend mornings: that's for a casual, leisurely breakfast. It takes me a while to get warmed up during the day but I look forward to a good ride at some point in the afternoon or late evenings.
I changed that up recently and went out for some road riding in the mornings. My average MPH shot up a couple mph. I was amazed at the pickup in speed but realized after the ride was over that it was due to the very low wind speed in the mornings, well under 5 MPH.
Afternoon wind speeds are typically 10-15 mph which is certainly tolerable but definitely less than ideal for achieving higher speeds. No wonder roadies love to ride in the mornings!
I changed that up recently and went out for some road riding in the mornings. My average MPH shot up a couple mph. I was amazed at the pickup in speed but realized after the ride was over that it was due to the very low wind speed in the mornings, well under 5 MPH.
Afternoon wind speeds are typically 10-15 mph which is certainly tolerable but definitely less than ideal for achieving higher speeds. No wonder roadies love to ride in the mornings!
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As WhyFi knows, we've had more very hot days than usual in the Twin Cities. I've been setting my alarm for 5:15 AM, and am on the road by 6. A 2 1/2 hour ride gets me home, showered, and ready to work by 9. A great way to start the day.
I have friends that are on the road much earlier- the most ardent morning rider is usually on the road by 4:40 AM
I used to do mainly group rides around dinner time. Now I only do that about once a week, or not at all. Group rides weekend mornings, solo mornings during the week.
This will all change when we lose the early morning dayllight.
I have friends that are on the road much earlier- the most ardent morning rider is usually on the road by 4:40 AM
I used to do mainly group rides around dinner time. Now I only do that about once a week, or not at all. Group rides weekend mornings, solo mornings during the week.
This will all change when we lose the early morning dayllight.
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I'm not entirely convinced 4 am really happens.
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Aw, come on. You must have seen it from the other side.......when you were young.
I well remember as a youngster, moving from the east coast the west, and being offended by the 2 AM closing time of bars in California. In NY they stayed open til 4, and after that, there were after-hours clubs.
I well remember as a youngster, moving from the east coast the west, and being offended by the 2 AM closing time of bars in California. In NY they stayed open til 4, and after that, there were after-hours clubs.
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Aw, come on. You must have seen it from the other side.......when you were young.
I well remember as a youngster, moving from the east coast the west, and being offended by the 2 AM closing time of bars in California. In NY they stayed open til 4, and after that, there were after-hours clubs.
I well remember as a youngster, moving from the east coast the west, and being offended by the 2 AM closing time of bars in California. In NY they stayed open til 4, and after that, there were after-hours clubs.
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One of my toughest half century rides was a morning ride to the Albany Swap Meet.
The fastest half century ride was the afternoon ride coming back from the Swap Meet, with quite a few miles averaging around 20 MPH or greater.
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I see you're in Eugene. I've read Portland has turned into an absolute hellhole with homeless encampments and antifa rioters everywhere.
Last edited by partytimeroadie; 08-02-21 at 04:22 PM.
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I like to get going at the crack of lunchtime.
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Aw, come on. You must have seen it from the other side.......when you were young.
I well remember as a youngster, moving from the east coast the west, and being offended by the 2 AM closing time of bars in California. In NY they stayed open til 4, and after that, there were after-hours clubs.
I well remember as a youngster, moving from the east coast the west, and being offended by the 2 AM closing time of bars in California. In NY they stayed open til 4, and after that, there were after-hours clubs.
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MinnMan You would have loved Hong Kong then. Up all night drinking and partying and then straight to morning dim sum. Not conducive to biking though.
Now I go to bed early so I can get up at dawn and ride.
I'm glad to have lived both lives.
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I am still at the transition point: too old to be carousing all night, but too young to wake up at the crack of dawn. Plus I generally prefer to start my ride in the late afternoon so that the temperature is dropping during my ride. For my most recent ride during this current heat wave I tried to wake up at the crack of dawn, failed, and started mid-morning when all the other roadies were just about finishing up. It was tough to do the return leg during rising temperatures.
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BTW, it's not normal to gain a couple of miles per hour just because the wind is low. Assuming you ride equal distances with a head wind and a tail wind (i.e., no change in wind direction or speed during your ride), the speed should be faster under low wind conditions (this is related to that same old math problem - you'll arrive sooner if you do both halves of a ride at 15 mph than if you do half the distance at 10 and the other half at 20, though not exactly so because the effects of air speed on effort/speed are non-linear)
But even so, general experience says that average speed under low win conditions (3-5 mph) is not several MPH greater than during moderate (10-15 mph) winds. Maybe 1 MPH, I'd guess.
But even so, general experience says that average speed under low win conditions (3-5 mph) is not several MPH greater than during moderate (10-15 mph) winds. Maybe 1 MPH, I'd guess.
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BTW, it's not normal to gain a couple of miles per hour just because the wind is low. Assuming you ride equal distances with a head wind and a tail wind (i.e., no change in wind direction or speed during your ride), the speed should be faster under low wind conditions (this is related to that same old math problem - you'll arrive sooner if you do both halves of a ride at 15 mph than if you do half the distance at 10 and the other half at 20, though not exactly so because the effects of air speed on effort/speed are non-linear)
But even so, general experience says that average speed under low win conditions (3-5 mph) is not several MPH greater than during moderate (10-15 mph) winds. Maybe 1 MPH, I'd guess.
But even so, general experience says that average speed under low win conditions (3-5 mph) is not several MPH greater than during moderate (10-15 mph) winds. Maybe 1 MPH, I'd guess.
-the wind blows in one direction only
-the course is completely straight and exactly parallel to the direction of the wind
-the wind blows at one speed continuously
You fail to factor in swirling winds, variable speed and direction and gusts, the latter of which is far more likely mid day to early evenings.
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So many bizarre assumptions in your post such as:
-the wind blows in one direction only
-the course is completely straight and exactly parallel to the direction of the wind
-the wind blows at one speed continuously
You fail to factor in swirling winds, variable speed and direction and gusts, the latter of which is far more likely mid day to early evenings.
-the wind blows in one direction only
-the course is completely straight and exactly parallel to the direction of the wind
-the wind blows at one speed continuously
You fail to factor in swirling winds, variable speed and direction and gusts, the latter of which is far more likely mid day to early evenings.
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So, if I am reading the OP correctly, he/she has discovered that a tailwind helps in riding faster.
Have I got that right?
Have I got that right?
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I tend to appreciate wind because a headwind turns a boring flat stretch into a workout. 😊 Definitely more of a hindrance than a help as this graph shows:
This shows the power requirement for riding with a wind equal to the speed you would ride in still air. So if you would ride 15 mph at power level of 1.0, this shows the power requirement to pedal 15 mph with a 15 mph wind at all angles. Notice that it take a fair bit more than 1.0 to go 15 mph with a straight side wind. Wind needs to be about 15 degrees behind just to be neutral.
If you weight all 18 of his values of angle around a full circle and average, you get about 1.33, meaning you need an extra third more power (on the average) to keep up your still air speed with a wind of that speed.
From Jobst Brandt’s article:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/wind.html
Otto
This shows the power requirement for riding with a wind equal to the speed you would ride in still air. So if you would ride 15 mph at power level of 1.0, this shows the power requirement to pedal 15 mph with a 15 mph wind at all angles. Notice that it take a fair bit more than 1.0 to go 15 mph with a straight side wind. Wind needs to be about 15 degrees behind just to be neutral.
If you weight all 18 of his values of angle around a full circle and average, you get about 1.33, meaning you need an extra third more power (on the average) to keep up your still air speed with a wind of that speed.
From Jobst Brandt’s article:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/wind.html
Otto
Last edited by ofajen; 08-03-21 at 02:15 PM.
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