catherine96821

So...it is kicking my butt this week. How windy before you bag your ride?

Gusts just push me all over. I would say 40 mile an hour gusts, at least.

bean4158

Hi Catherine,

I don't have a specific MPH that I use to decide whether to ride or not, but I can empathize with your struggles with the wind. Where I live in Florida, we certainly have very gusty/blustery days, but we also have days with very strong and consistent winds. I was riding on St. George Island over Thanksgiving and the wind was gusting and almost blew my bike over several times. It was actually very disconcerting! The other issue throughout the winter months is the long rides into very strong winds. It isn't unusual to ride 10+ miles dead on into a very strong headwind. Other than a few bridges, it is the closest thing we have to hill training!

VegaVixen

I don't have a preset windspeed either. I just start riding, and if I feel unstable, and start weaving, or feel as if my bike will be kicked out from under me by the crosswinds, or that I'm gonna do the Mary Poppins, I head home. Last thing I need is fall out on the road and wind up lookin' flat as a 'possum!

Headwinds are ok. Just have to work harder. Tailwinds are ok. At some point, I turn around, and my effort balances out. Crosswinds, especially gusty and unpredictable, no. Not worth it.

Doesn't help that I'm a bit underweight for my height.

waterrockets 

Yeah, I used to get tossed around in Boulder with 60mph gusts in the Spring. It can be dangerous depending on where you are when you encounter one. If it doesn't feel safe, it probably isn't.

San Rensho 

Its been windy in Miami too, 25-35 mph. Today it was so bad I wimped out on the training ride/race. 30-50 riders, some better than others, and a huge cross wind is a recipe for disaster.

Cypress

When crosswinds blow me into traffic I find an alternate route. Ultra-mega crosswinds when the ground is wet is about the time that I stop.

Two months ago I was riding to a local race with a healthy tailwind. I decided the race wasn't going to be worth it when a tree snapped a 3 inch thick branch off and the branch proceeded up the road faster than I was riding.

Nachoman

I'm anti wind. I brought my bike on vacation with me last week and missed a day of riding because it was blowing so hard.

azwhelan

If I wake up and I can hear the windchimes going crazy in the backyard then I just roll over and go back to bed. I hate riding in the wind.

munkyv22

Annoying is my rule of thumb. If the wind is gusting enough to be annoying, it's an hour on the trainer and 100 push-ups/crunches.

EventServices

If things are blowing around out there, I'll find something else to do.
The risk of getting hit by a falling tree isn't worth it.

But otherwise, I rather enjoy wind.

Ride east as far as you can go. Call a friend to come and pick you up.

nobrainer440

Here in Kansas, wind is a fact of life. If it's less than a constant 15mph, it's a beautiful day.

catherine96821

I might just do that if this doesn't lay down soon. The gusts are the worst... I am bugged by the fact that I cannot hear the cars approaching behind me.

YMCA

Nothing better than a windy day, to turn a normal training ride into a fun-filled gutter fest. West Flanders, Kansas, FL coasts, these are the places big power guys flourish!

here and there

There's no escaping the wind here. On any given morning I can expect wind as low as 2 mph or winds in excess of 14 mph. No matter what there will be wind and 99% of the time I will have a headwind on the return trip. The only time I won't ride because of the wind is if it is windy and rainy or the wind is so strong it starts shaking my room.