Cheating the wind.....
 

I went on a nice 30mile ride today, but fought like hell for the first 15 because of a strong headwind. I was able to muscle through, but a full 2-3 clicks lower than usual.

It was pretty much head-on, so staying up wasn't much of a problem.

I tried to maintain a decent cadence, but I often find it easier to just gear up and pedal slower in the wind.

Am I alone here?

Any advice from any of you unfortunate enough to live in the great plains like I do?


Mountains and hills of any type just eat my lunch, but I think the wind is every bit as tough to negotiate..

The good news?

I made record time back home!....so much nicer than fighting your way on the return flight, IMO.

Wednesday I ran into a 25-35kph headwind when I was 50km from home as the wind came around. Being on my own made it rough but after a bit of pissing and moaning I ground my way through it by getting out of the saddle for 2 minutes and then recovered for 3 and repeated this for close to 3 hours.

My arms were so sore on Thursday and I could not ride. I kept on thinking of what a friend once told me, "the wind is only invisible hills."

Wind factor is a common accountable item for all rides in Saskatchewan, except those that are planned months ahead.

We have a lot of wind here, and we always head out against the wicked head wind and then come back with the wicked tail wind. I liken it to the many times my buddies and I have climbed the snow covered mountains, expending a lot of effort only to ski the un-tracked powder. The reward is worth the effort.

Tail wind runs are much the same in that you have to focus on the reward of riding home with the tailwind. Pick your routes that allow this relationship and you'll find it a bit more bearable.

Or ride with a bigger pack that allows more time between pulls at the front.

I absolutely despise the wind. After a while of plugging along, I just get so sick of fighting it all the time, it's so frustrating going so slow against something you can't see.
I don't think you can cheat the wind. I try my best to plan my rides around it so I have the least headwind, but sometimes it has other ideas.

for flatlanders wind = a hill.

if your knees don't bother you knock yourself out.



practice practice.

And you know why it's so windy in Saskatchewan? :o

Yep, my feelings exactly. And around here, I swear, the notion of a "tailwind" is an urban myth, like alligators in the sewer system: you start your ride into the wind, hoping for a tailwind on the way back, only to find that, as the day goes on, the wind has shifted and is still in your face. The only thing I can do is ride in the drops for longer stretches to lessen the aerodynamic drag.

Increased cadence does cause increased aerodynamic drag, albeit the effect b/t pedaling at 75 and 100 rpms is so minute that it's practically negligible.

Yea with hills, you can mentally register why it is difficult but the wind just screws with your head.

My strategy has always been to yell lividly at the Man upstairs but it hasn't proven benficial. Instead, there seems to be a very timely wind shift with lots of dust included.

I did my first Century this weekend and we hit a 16 mile strech with a hard head wind. That sucked worse then any of the big hills.

Think of it this way...it could be worse. You could stop riding and gain 500lbs and sit inside all day watching sportscenter and eating KFC.

Wind makes you strong like bull.

you're not alone, I live by the ocean, it tends to get really windy. This morning ride was just awful. The worst for me is when the winds hit sideways, Im all over the place! :)

When it gets windy, you just have to pedal harder. Fact of life.

because North Dakota sucks.

No. The reason it's so effin windy here in North Dakota, and possibly the reason why in Saskatchewan, is that Montana blows and Minnesota sucks. ;)

Wind is just an opportunity to master your aerodynamic position.

Yep. Same here. Looking at the NOAA site for my city, the wind shifts direction at lunch time, so I get it both ways, so to speak.

Fighting the wind is absolutely futile -- you need to come to terms with it since it is strong and you can't do anything about it. If you insist on fighting it, you'll eventually lose unless you don't have far to go. Just as pedaling too hard with no wind burns your legs up, the same thing happens with a headwind, only faster.

BTW, the sensation that cyclists have that the wind is against them most of the time isn't just a perception. It is reality. Most people think the wind should be against you half the time and with you the other half. However, when the wind comes from the side (even from slight angles behind you), it also slows you down. Because the wind gusts and changes direction, it makes fighting it that much more difficult.

Unless you have a short way to go, the best way to deal with wind is to accept that you're going nowhere fast, drop a bunch of gears, and spin.

from the 'burbs of Philadelphia and you're complaining about wind? :rolleyes:

sorry dude (or dudette), but you have to live in flat, boring, exposed (not to mention unattractive) landscapes to whine about the wind.

:D

ymmv

I do that too. I never swear more at the universe then when I hit a strong headwind.

At least you got a tailwind. I was in hilly southern Indiana this weekend instead of flat central Indiana. I had a stiff headwind going out, we crossed the Ohio River and rode on the Kentucky side, and then hit hills on after we crossed back over to the Indiana side coming back. No tailwind. It was a long ride. I actually walked one hill because I did not want to risk having to clip out on a hard climb. I still had 20 of 79 miles total left and did not want to fatigue myself and not complete the ride. The whole time I was heading out I was thinking what a great ride it was going to be coming back. Wrong! I should have turned around and road back on the Kentucky side!

Hitting the wind hard is a mental challenge every bit as much as a physical one. I do better lowering my cadence in a heavy wind too, just like for a climb.

I try not to get too caught up in the aerodynamics. I find it to be more beneficial to find my rhythm than to concentrate on staying out of the wind. Just like on still days, I'll get in the drops for descents, dops or hoods for climbs or flats. If a particularly stiff gust hits, I'll lower my shoulders and try not to let it take too big of a bite out of me.

My first century was this weekend also. The first 56 miles were through the city and more heavily wooded areas, hillier (to the extent we have hills here) and generally just more variable terrain. A lot of fun and I felt pretty good as we stopped for lunch.

The remaining 44 miles was pretty much due south along the Mississippi river. Flat and straight into an increasing headwind for the entire return to the city. Worse than any hill I've ever encountered. At least when you go up hill you eventually get to coast down and recover. 40+ miles of constant pedaling to fight the wind flat out sucks.

Tips from a flatlander:
1) Go aero in position and in attire. Wear very tight-fitting clothes and learn to stay in a tucked position as much as possible.
2) Check forecasted wind direction and plan your route accordingly; it is preferable to have the wind behind you on the way home.
3) Plan loop rides, so that a strong headwind is only against you for, at most, 1/3 of the time.
4) Ride with a friend or friends, and take turns pulling. Try to not call it "breaking wind."
5) Treat the wind like a long hill and make it your workout.
6) Suffer into the wind, and know that when it one day lets up, you will be fast as hell without it.

I live in S. Jersey...a burb of Philly and yes there is plenty of wind.