Wind.

[BEHMOTH66]

I have this on the last mile home a long straight road with the wind in my face 99% of the time. Get into a rhythm head down and tap it out before you know it your nearly there.

 

[Katherine]

I tried tacking once like sailing, I seemed to be able to spin a bit faster than going straight into the wind. I was on an empty cycle path at the time. Fun!!
Even with a grass verge between the path and the road, I still feel the affect of the lorries as they pass but at least it's safer.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I once was on a bike with full camping gear in the Outer Hebrides and had to pedal downhill to do 10 mph into a strong headwind. The road did a U turn and it was like I was a cork out of a bottle, within a couple of hundred yards I was doing 44 mph! Overshot the turning I wanted to make, but the feeling was worth it and I can still feel it now.

 

[upandover]

I cycled 17 miles today into a 18-30mph coastal headwind in North wales. It was kind of fun, but mostly it was just hard! Living in Liverpool we get a lot of wind regularly, and you get used to it, or perhaps resigned to it, but I yet to find anything to do other than find a speed and keep going!

It really is just finding the right cadence and pressure (for me it's just below where my knees and back start hurting!), getting your head down where you can and keeping on going. Its never fun or easy, but you do get there in the end. It builds muscles beautifully too... It reminds me of being on the turbo trainer.



Steve

 

[G-Zero]

Isn't the serenity nice though, on those occasions when you have a steady tail wind and match your speed to it. I get a certain satisfaction of travelling at 20+ mph with no wind noise.

 

[Globalti]

It's often windy here in Lancashire as we are not far from the sea and the flat Fylde offers no shelter, so I always take the wind direction into consideration, especially when riding with my son.

1 - Plan your route so that you head out into the wind and get helped going back home.

2 - If you can't do that, plan a route where you'll be getting mostly a side wind out and back.

3 - Choose roads with hedges for shelter.

4 - Plan your route so that the wind helps you up the hilly bits and the downhills are into the wind.

5 - Ride slowly against the wind so as not to flog yourself pointlessly. Practice drafting and riding on the drops.

6 - Do as we do and take a route assisted by wind but further than you'd normally go then take the train home. It makes cycling much more fun, especially for younger, less strong riders. For example when the wind is the prevailing south-westerly we enjoy being blown up the coast from Clevelys to Fleetwood then taking the passenger ferry over the Wyre or riding from Settle to Kirkby Stephen then coming back by train, both rides are a great little adventure.

 

[iggibizzle]

Another fylde Coast dweller. The wind never seems to end these days!!

 

[ayceejay]

The advice about choosing your direction according to the wind is sound except...
yesterdays forecast warned of 'dust devils' I had never heard of this but looked it up when I got back A dust devil is a strong, well-formed, and relatively long-lived whirlwind, ranging from small to large. The primary vertical motion is upward,
What this means is that the wind comes at you from all directions, they weren't very strong but imagine struggling into a head wind and then a gust comes from the side, not a good feeling.

 

[Dommo]

The slow progress into the wind I can understand and live with, but its the having to pedal down hill just to keep moving that does me in.
There is a hill near me which is about half a mille long and virtually straight where I can top 25mph with relatively little effort on a wind free day, but when its blowing my speed drops to single figures even when giving it the beans. Its that vexing that I'll avoid going that way on a windy day.

I never have this problem. I guess the solution is to train on a beer and pizza diet. Gravity will do the rest

 

[andrewsdad]

I decided to to my regular run the opposite way round to get the wind behind me.
Damn wind changed direction it was a good plan but didn't work.

I have that problem most days lol commuting to work in the morning headwind, coming come opposite direction headwind lol damn if I know how the wind knows it's 5 o'clock .

 

[DEFENDER01]

I have that problem most days lol commuting to work in the morning headwind, coming come opposite direction headwind lol damn if I know how the wind knows it's 5 o'clock .

I dont know where the wind comes from and where it goes as i cant see it i just know its there.

 

[andrewsdad]

I dont know where the wind comes from and where it goes as i cant see it i just know its there.

 

[ianrauk]

Wind bastard wind....

 

[DEFENDER01]

Wind bastard wind....

Lay off the beans for a while.

 

[andrewsdad]

Lay off the beans for a while.

Lmfao