Riding in 23 mph wind with 38 mph gusts.....



64Paramount

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Jul 25, 2009
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....really blows. :D


I only rode 24 miles today in those conditions, but I feel like I rode in a century.

When I got off the bike I just felt beat up. :eek:
 
Seems like normal South Florida conditions, we have no hills to brag about climbing, but wind...sheeez unless your out at 5am, there is no way to get around it. I wonder what's worse a long climb or wind like you had today? I gotta hand it to you though, I'd of been turning around about halfway through that and catching a nice tail wind on the way home:D
 
campbellj said:
I gotta hand it to you though, I'd of been turning around about halfway through that and catching a nice tail wind on the way home:D
He did...don't you always turn around halfway through your ride? ;)
 
64Paramount said:
When I got off the bike I just felt beat up.
Nothing sucks the life out of me like a brutal headwind. I'm a bigger guy and sort of relish the challenge of a hill, but when those blasts hit me head-on it's just soul-killing.
 
I had very similar conditions today. But also decided to head out for the challenge. Decided to do some wind lap training. 1km loop in my hood. Full on headwind down one straight and a tailwind going back the other way. Each straightaway is about 400m (1/4mile). Wow. Did I ever get beaten up! But in a good way. Felt like a ln excellent workout. Decided from the start to NOT hate the wind. Even smiled a few times while it bashed me in the face.

Best part was.....I had a few kids and adults out---sitting on their porches watching and staring at me lap after lap! They'd all stop and freeze as I rode by.....Wonder what they were thinking!!? Haha. I lasted 50mins.

Hopefully I'll 'like' the wind next time we meet!
 
I started out last Sunday for a 30 mile ride. It was a nice day. About 8 miles out I felt a tailwind. I rode two more miles and turned around cutting my ride short. The cold front that was promised was starting to come in. This is the one that caused all the flooding in middle Tennessee. Metal flag poles were now bending in the wind.
It is hell riding uphill with that kind of headwind.
 
CdnRider > I do the same thing...I approach really windy days as a great workout, and usually end up laughing when it gets ridiculously gusty out there. ("Did I just see a small house fly by?")
 
I really really hate wind... at 6' 2" i act as a wall. But after you ride through wind and you check your averages out, it makes you feel good.

Worst windy ride I have ever had... was the 2010 Homestead, Florida Snowbird century.... gusts of c35-38mph... and for about 40 miles it was head on wind sustained at 18-20mph... BRUTAL.

it really kills you.
 
campbellj said:
Seems like normal South Florida conditions, we have no hills to brag about climbing, but wind...sheeez unless your out at 5am, there is no way to get around it. I wonder what's worse a long climb or wind like you had today? I gotta hand it to you though, I'd of been turning around about halfway through that and catching a nice tail wind on the way home:D

Chavez said:
He did...don't you always turn around halfway through your ride? ;)

Normally I do try to plan my rides so that I have the headwind on the way out and a tailwind on the way back. It evens thing out pretty well. This wind to strong for me to do one of my normal routes.

This wind was supposed to be out of the west, so I thought I'd try to ride mostly North and South. But, I swear it felt like I was getting mostly headwind riding South and then when I turned around it still felt like a headwind.

I only averaged 14 mph on the ride.

I'd rather climb long hills myself than have that kind of wind, and as it was, right when I'd get about 3/4 of the way to the top of a hill is when the wind would get the worst.

I don't know how you all down in Florida put up with that all the time.
 
64Paramount said:
I don't know how you all down in Florida put up with that all the time.

We have no hills down here where I'm at, so I guess we have to put up with something.
 
campbellj said:
We have no hills down here where I'm at, so I guess we have to put up with something.
I figured obnoxious humidity was your cross to bear.
 
I live in a narrow mountain valley where the winds come howling sometimes from the north, other times from the south. I have found a reliable (mostly) weather forecast that gives hour by hour temperatures and wind direction. I plan my rides accordingly.
 
We're getting a bit of every weather this week.

Almost 80 degrees F on Tuesday, then 2 days of gale force winds, it's rained all day here today and it's supposed to drop near freezing tonight with 1 to 2 inches of snow accumulation. :eek:

Chavez, this is probably heading your way.....
 
I try to plan to ride according to the wind, hoping for none, but the breeze always turns into gail force. At least if feels like that on the way home. If it don't kill me it'll make me stronger... I think.
 
I know how you feel, i've being caught in the wind a few times. I've been in some real blusters where I've had to get up on the peddles in a low gear just to keep moving. my most frightning experience with the wind on my bike was one day on my way to work in gale force winds. I was going down the road when a gust of wind hit me on the back and literally pushed me down the road, I was going so fast I couldn't make my turn and just carried on until it let me go a mile or so down the road.
I then had to turn around and fight against it to get to my turning. Now I'm older and wiser i try to avoid going out if it's windy.
 
What I really hate are the cross winds with gusting. I'm riding along fighting the wind then all of a sudden I'm being pushed into traffic! I don't mind it when I'm out on country roads.
 
concord said:
What I really hate are the cross winds with gusting. I'm riding along fighting the wind then all of a sudden I'm being pushed into traffic! I don't mind it when I'm out on country roads.

Yeah, those sudden gusts from the side can really be dangerous.
 

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