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Good GAWD but I hate windy days

Started by the black rose · · Last activity · 17 posts · 754 views

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Road Cycling
Published
28 August 2005
Last activity
5 September 2005
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the black rose
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  1. Hi guys, long time no see.

    My DH and I grabbed our bikes this morning and headed off into parts
    unknown, exploring the next county. We were planning on a 70 or 80 mile
    ride. We got about 18 miles out and turned onto another road to head
    off in another direction. That's when we realized our average speed was
    about 1 mph higher than usual because we'd been getting a pretty decent
    tailwind -- which tailwind was now blowing in our faces at gusts up to
    18 mph (according to the airport radar, which I checked later).

    Well heck.

    Don't ask me why you can turn 90 degrees and a tailwind turns into a
    headwind. I live in a hilly area, and the winds swirl around the hills
    in a very capricious fashion. Last week we battled a headwind, got to
    our objective, turned around, and it was a tailwind for exactly 3 miles
    before it turned around and smacked us in the face. We spent 50 miles
    of a 65 mile ride in a headwind, even though the second half of it was
    in the opposite direction as the first half. Go figure.

    Anyways, we soldiered on, but man, it was exhausting. Last week's wind
    wasn't half as bad as this week's. We ended up only making about 45
    miles before we were totally used up. I can ride 80 miles *easily* on a
    calm day. I do 50 mile training rides. But a 45 mile ride with only
    about 27 of them in a brutal headwind and I was completely exhausted.
    And it was a flat ride, too -- well, about as flat as you can get around
    here (which means rolling, I suppose). Good hydration, good nutrition,
    all that essential stuff, no changes there.

    I liked the heat wave better. :-P

    --

    the black rose
    Research Associate in the Field of Child Development and Human
    Relations
    http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
    2005 BOMs: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blackrosequilts/my_photos

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  2. the black rose said:

    Hi guys, long time no see.

    My DH and I grabbed our bikes this morning

    DH = ... Dumb Husband? (Isn't that redundant?)

    Slow night.

    Sorni

  3. "the black rose" wrote: (clip) Don't ask me why you can turn 90 degrees and
    a tailwind turns into a headwind. (clip)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    It has to do with vectors. Almost any wind that is not a tailwind will
    combine with your speed to increase your drag. It's not fair.

  4. I can understand this, because I'm like Joe Bltsplk in Li'l Abner, who
    always had his own little raincloud over his head-----even indoors. I
    always have a headwind, no matter which direction I go-----it will shift
    just the second it sees I'm heading back the other way. It also does
    this when I'm running or paddling a Kayak. It's a burden, but it does
    give me a better workout. Imagine if this personal curse were reversed
    during races and gave me and only me, a perpetual tailwind.

    Steve McDonald

  5. Bill Sornson said:
    the black rose said:

    Hi guys, long time no see.

    My DH and I grabbed our bikes this morning

    DH = ... Dumb Husband? (Isn't that redundant?)

    *sigh*

    DH = Dear Husband.

    *bonks Sorni*

    --

    the black rose
    Research Associate in the Field of Child Development and Human
    Relations
    http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
    2005 BOMs: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blackrosequilts/my_photos

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  6. the black rose said:
    Bill Sornson said:
    the black rose said:

    Hi guys, long time no see.

    My DH and I grabbed our bikes this morning

    DH = ... Dumb Husband? (Isn't that redundant?)

    *sigh*

    DH = Dear Husband.

    *bonks Sorni*

    Ah. Well that's better than Damned Husband, too!

    Bonked Bill

  7. the black rose said:

    I liked the heat wave better. :-P

    Man, do I understand where you're coming from. When I first got back
    into cycling I was riding downtown to traffic court (haha, I know). It
    was a fairly windy day, but once I got among all the tall buildings, the
    wind really started to swirl and pick up. On a couple occasions the
    wind either blew me further into my lane (bad news if a car was trying
    to pass) or got *really* close to blowing me into the curb (just plain bad).

    the only good wind is a tail wind.
    \\paul
    --
    Paul M. Hobson
    Georgia Institute of Technology
    ..:change the words numbers
    if you want to reply to me:.

  8. the black rose said:

    Don't ask me why you can turn 90 degrees and a tailwind turns into a
    headwind.

    I feel your pain, Rose. Door County, WI is a narrow peninsula that juts
    out into Lake Michigan. It's a great place to ride once you get out
    into the country *except* for reasons I don't really understand, in the
    morning and early afternoon the wind always seems to be coming from the
    north. In the early afternoon it reverses itself and blows from the
    south. That would be okay if my LAW (Attn: Sorni. That's an acronym for
    "Lovely, Adorable Wife".) ever wanted to stay on the *north* end of the
    peninsula but all of her favorite inns are on the southern end.

    Regards,
    Bob Hunt

  9. Steve McDonald said:


    I can understand this, because I'm like Joe Bltsplk in Li'l Abner, who
    always had his own little raincloud over his head-----even indoors. I
    always have a headwind, no matter which direction I go-----it will shift
    just the second it sees I'm heading back the other way. It also does
    this when I'm running or paddling a Kayak. It's a burden, but it does
    give me a better workout. Imagine if this personal curse were reversed
    during races and gave me and only me, a perpetual tailwind.

    Steve McDonald

    You have that curse too? I notice that the wind can be nice and calm-
    until i set out on my bike and then suddenly, i'm in a wind tunnel!

    Yesterday it wasn't too bad- the wind was coming from the south and so
    it was a crosswind, only when I was near the open water. But it
    increased on my way home and switched to the Southeast and then east, so
    it was in my face. And it was also humid and warm. It got even more
    windy after I got home, though and then rained heavily overnight.

    Of course, prevailing winds are form the West and usually, around here,
    we tend to go westward on our rides- either that or it's in your face on
    the way home. And in the spring- don't ask!

  10. Bob said:
    the black rose said:

    Don't ask me why you can turn 90 degrees and a tailwind turns into a
    headwind.

    I feel your pain, Rose. Door County, WI is a narrow peninsula that juts
    out into Lake Michigan. It's a great place to ride once you get out
    into the country *except* for reasons I don't really understand, in the
    morning and early afternoon the wind always seems to be coming from the
    north. In the early afternoon it reverses itself and blows from the
    south.

    Are the great lakes large enough to have the sea/land breeze wind
    patterns? That's what this sounds like.

    \\paul
    --
    Paul M. Hobson
    Georgia Institute of Technology
    ..:change the words numbers
    if you want to reply to me:.

  11. Ah yes, that famous cyclists' wind known as The Againsterly ;-) Now if you'd
    have been on a recumbent, you'd not have had as much of a struggle in a
    headwind. It's one of the first things I noticed when I got a 'bent -
    headwind is nowhere near as vicious as when on the upright. I think the
    adverse effect of a head/crosswind is often forgotten. Where I live we don't
    have huge hills, but we have many exposed roads and strong winds. Such winds
    can be extremely draining of the strength, as, unlike a hill, which you
    *know* has a top where from that point it's going to get easier, with a
    wind, it can be unremitting and gusty hour... after hour... all day...

    Cheers, helen s

  12. wafflycat said:

    Ah yes, that famous cyclists' wind known as The Againsterly ;-) Now if
    you'd have been on a recumbent, you'd not have had as much of a struggle
    in a headwind. It's one of the first things I noticed when I got a 'bent
    - headwind is nowhere near as vicious as when on the upright. I think
    the adverse effect of a head/crosswind is often forgotten. Where I live
    we don't have huge hills, but we have many exposed roads and strong
    winds. Such winds can be extremely draining of the strength, as, unlike
    a hill, which you *know* has a top where from that point it's going to
    get easier, with a wind, it can be unremitting and gusty hour... after
    hour... all day...

    Cheers, helen s

    *snorfle* "Againsterly", hehe, that's good.

    I feel a bit odd today having complained about wind, what with Hurricane
    Katrina blowing ashore and all. Up here in upstate NY, all we're going
    to see of Katrina is a blustery day and some rain.

    Hoping for the safety of the folks in the way of the 'cane.

    --

    the black rose
    Research Associate in the Field of Child Development and Human
    Relations
    http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
    2005 BOMs: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blackrosequilts/my_photos

    -------- __o
    ----- -\<. -------- __o
    --- ( )/ ( ) ---- -\<.
    -------------------- ( )/ ( )
    -----------------------------------------

  13. Paul Hobson said:
    Bob said:
    the black rose said:

    Don't ask me why you can turn 90 degrees and a tailwind turns into a
    headwind.

    I feel your pain, Rose. Door County, WI is a narrow peninsula that juts
    out into Lake Michigan. It's a great place to ride once you get out
    into the country *except* for reasons I don't really understand, in the
    morning and early afternoon the wind always seems to be coming from the
    north. In the early afternoon it reverses itself and blows from the
    south.

    Are the great lakes large enough to have the sea/land breeze wind
    patterns? That's what this sounds like.

    Yes. The real problem with riding in Door County
    is all the FIBs there.

    Scott

  14. wafflycat said:

    Ah yes, that famous cyclists' wind known as The Againsterly ;-) Now if
    you'd have been on a recumbent, you'd not have had as much of a struggle
    in a headwind. It's one of the first things I noticed when I got a 'bent
    - headwind is nowhere near as vicious as when on the upright. I think
    the adverse effect of a head/crosswind is often forgotten. Where I live
    we don't have huge hills, but we have many exposed roads and strong
    winds. Such winds can be extremely draining of the strength, as, unlike
    a hill, which you *know* has a top where from that point it's going to
    get easier, with a wind, it can be unremitting and gusty hour... after
    hour... all day...

    Wind structure in the boundary layer is exponential with
    height. So of course if you're sitting on the ground,
    invisible to all cars around you except the one passing
    you, you will feel lighter winds than if you are on a
    *proper* bike 🙂, sitting upright in a higher saddle.

    Scott

  15. Paul Hobson said:
    Bob said:
    the black rose said:

    Don't ask me why you can turn 90 degrees and a tailwind turns into a
    headwind.

    I feel your pain, Rose. Door County, WI is a narrow peninsula that juts
    out into Lake Michigan. It's a great place to ride once you get out
    into the country *except* for reasons I don't really understand, in the
    morning and early afternoon the wind always seems to be coming from the
    north. In the early afternoon it reverses itself and blows from the
    south.

    Are the great lakes large enough to have the sea/land breeze wind
    patterns? That's what this sounds like.

    \\paul
    --
    Paul M. Hobson

    Lake Michigan by itself is large enough to generate its own weather
    system. It's easy to forget just how big the Great Lakes are until
    stopping to consider things like Chicago having a bona fide
    international seaport or how the Lakes hold one fifth of all of the
    world's freshwater. I know the wind pattern I mentioned is caused by
    the lake. Not being a meteorologist, I can't explain exactly how
    though.

    Regards,
    Bob Hunt

  16. Paul Hobson said:
    Bob said:
    the black rose said:

    Don't ask me why you can turn 90 degrees and a tailwind turns into a
    headwind.

    I feel your pain, Rose. Door County, WI is a narrow peninsula that juts
    out into Lake Michigan. It's a great place to ride once you get out
    into the country *except* for reasons I don't really understand, in the
    morning and early afternoon the wind always seems to be coming from the
    north. In the early afternoon it reverses itself and blows from the
    south.

    Are the great lakes large enough to have the sea/land breeze wind
    patterns? That's what this sounds like.

    \\paul
    --
    Paul M. Hobson

    Lake Michigan by itself is large enough to generate its own weather
    system. It's easy to forget just how big the Great Lakes are until
    stopping to consider things like Chicago being a bona fide
    international seaport or how the Lakes hold one fifth of all of the
    world's freshwater. I know the wind pattern I mentioned is caused by
    the lake. Not being a meteorologist, I can't explain exactly how
    though.

    Regards,
    Bob Hunt

  17. Scott said:

    Yes. The real problem with riding in Door County
    is all the FIBs there.

    Wisconsin: Illinois's State Park. 😉

    --
    Sock Puppet

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