Blown over by the wind?
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Blown over by the wind?
It’s been a very windy spring over here. A couple of times at higher elevations I thought that I was going to get blown over by the wind. I was wondering if this has ever actuall happened to anyone. Also, what’s the best way to deal with strong, gusty situations? On fast descents, is it better to brake or try to maintain one’s speed (i.e. keep pedaling) when a gust strikes? My guess is that it's a case-by-case kind of thing, but maybe there are some techniques for staying upright.
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Denver has been very windy the past few days. I experienced the same thing. A gust of wind near Cherry Creek SP almost blew me over (at least felt that way). Just glad I was not riding a disc wheel.
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I was riding with my wife and she had just defeated a 10% grade hill (her biggest ever) into the wind when we turned 90 degrees and she was blown over by the wind a few hundred yards over the top. It was bizaar....We were riding along at about 10 MPH letting her recover from the ride. The road was flat and straight but over she went. She was pretty embarressed!
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What are you riding, dual disc wheels? I didn't think it was possible to be blown over, and I've ridden in some pretty bad wind on cold tires.
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Strange ... I feel like I just answered a question like this:
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/289747-knocked-over-wind.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/289747-knocked-over-wind.html
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I've read through the posts on the link that Machka cited. (I usually search the forums before starting a new thread. I don't know how I missed that one.) Anyway, one thing I'm still wondering about is the best way to deal with a gust or a sudden steady burst of wind. I instinctively straighten up. If I'm in the drops, I'll switch my hands to the hoods. Obviously, this doesn't seem like a very logical approach as it increases the area exposed to the wind, right? Slowing down is also instinctive, but is it the best thing to do? Are we better off "powering through" or easing off?
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I had a close call yesterday, a big gust came just as I was checking behind me for cars, so I was compensating a bit, nearly fell over. One of the guys at the shop got blown into a ditch on a ride once.