How do you deal with the wind?

[lklarsen]

I'm a relatively small woman, new to cycling. I generally do long rides on the weekends, but lately we have had a ton of wind. It really makes me nervous when a gust of wind catches my bike and actually moves me around. (I'm nervous enough about the speed, the hills & the clipless pedals - I don't need anything else!)

My question is - how should I handle these wind gusts? Slow down, stay steady, push ahead?? Last weekend, I kept stopping and eventually gave up and went home. :( Unfortunately, the wind isn't going anywhere, so I need to learn how to better deal with it.

Thanks!!
Lisa

[aicabsolut]

It helps me to push a harder gear. That chain tension helps me keep the bike stable. As for speed, it depends. Going a little bit slower is a natural reaction when you feel you need to brace your whole body against a crosswind, IMO, and helps with the chain tension part. But then your bike wants to stay straight and upright when you've got some forward momentum. So, if you are worried about losing your front wheel out from under you due to a big gust, then keeping a relatively normal speed will help you with that kind of stability.

This is from experience in winds of 35-40mph or higher (which is about my upper tolerance for wind gusts on a bike). Although annoying, lighter winds won't require as much speed or gearing adjustment because it's easier to just lean into the wind.

[FunSize]

I too feel that pushing a harder gear makes me feel a little more stable. Also, It just takes time to get used to the bike and understanding that it won't just fly out from under you. I'm still learning that. I'm also very petite so when the wind comes i move all over the place because of it. It's just kind of a fact that crosswinds always suck.

On one of my first couple of rides me, my bf, and his friend got caught in a crazy storm. we were on a busy road with NO shoulder and the rain was so hard that we couldn't see. The wind was pushing me all over the road and I'm just panicking thinking that these dumbass drivers are going to hit me because they're passing us on a double yellow line, single lane per side road! It was NOT a fun introduction to cycling. However, now normal wind doesn't scare me as much. rainy, lightning, slippery road, and stupid drivers, with wind still does.

[PamNY]

For straight on headwind, I usually drop a gear because I find it less annoying. But that's personal preference, not a rule with universal validity.

For gusts, I agree momentum helps keep you upright. In gusty winds, be careful when starting or stopping. I feel more vulnerable if I'm not moving or if I am moving slowly.

If it's too windy or gusty, I stay home -- usually over 35-40 keeps me in.

[ame]

I drop down and forward over the front wheel, which I think gives me a bit more stability on it, and I move up a gear like the other ladies, dropping my cadence from about 85-90 to around 78-82. That seems to be the golden zone for me - stability without bothering the knee.

[SheFly]

the other thing to remember is to NOT have a death grip on the bike. Try to keep a more relaxed grip/hold. Too much tension and you are fighting the wind, and actually making it easier to be pushed around.

SheFly (caught in 40+ mph gust on TT bike with disc wheel traveling downhill this summer, and survived to tell the tale!)

[PscyclePath]

Good advice from all of the above... Just keep repeating to yourself, "The wind is my friend... it makes me stronger."

(brought to you by the same coach who keeps telling you that pain is only a sign of weakness leaving your body) ;-)

[DarcyInOregon]

I got blown off my bike last November by a strong side gust and ended up with a fractured rib cage, a punctured deflated lung and a serious concussion. The lesson I learned is that the wind can be dangerous, and when it is too gusty, I do my workout at the gym. I don't even pay any attention to the weather reports; I look at how the tree limbs are whipping about, and if there is a lot of whip and to-and-fro motions, I stay off the bike.

I also know of cyclists who were blown off their bikes by a combination of the strong wind and the wind blast from a passing semi.

It isn't the strong steady wind that comes from a consistent direction that is difficult and dangerous, but the unpredictable varying winds that blow gusts of varying speeds from multiple directions, depending upon the contours of the land, incoming storm systems, and overhead air pressures.

Even with the strong steady winds, going into a strong headwind doesn't give me a quality of ride. I have to gear down just to keep up a momentum, and my heart rate goes down, and I am going so slow I figure I might as well be at the gym, or out walking, hiking or jogging at the college track.

However, sometimes going into a strong headwind does have a reward, and that is when I am out solo and I pass a male cyclist or two who are even slower than I am.

[sundial]

Where I ride the flats, it's very open with big skies and few trees to block the wind. (Think Kansas!) When it gets really gusty I lower my center of gravity and shift to a slightly easier gear and just keep going. By the 3rd cycling season you will probably be used to the windy conditions.

If it's windier than what you are comfortable riding in, look for a quiet country road that is lined with trees. That will cut down on the wind tunnel effect.

[malkin]

I agree that wind makes me stronger, but only up to the point where it makes me miserable or puts me in danger. Then I just don't ride.

We have those microburst-tornado conditions and sometimes I've been scared when I'm in my house! If I were out on a bike in that kind of wind, I'd get off and hide out for a while.

[Melalvai]

I give myself a little more space. I ride at least 18" (about one arm's length) from the edge of the usable roadway. I almost said I "usually" ride 18", but actually I give myself more space for all sorts of reasons, including strong gusts. So I'm probably more than 18" more often than not.

[VeloVT]

Relax, put your nose down and go. When it's really windy, I'll usually get down low in the drops, slide forward a hair on the saddle, and pull everything in (knees and elbows, and keep my torso low). Then stop looking at your speed -- pick your desired level of exertion and base your gearing on that. Don't work harder to fight the wind.

[marni]

We have those microburst-tornado conditions and sometimes I've been scared when I'm in my house! If I were out on a bike in that kind of wind, I'd get off and hide out for a while.[/QUOTE]

We get those around here only it's usually lightning and thunder then wind and then rain pouring down like a faucet turned on full hitting a plate. These can come up out of an almost cloudless sky in about five minutes. Many is the ride where I have spent a portion of it crouching in a ditch along the side of the road with my bike in a ditch on the other side.

Best piece of advice I have had recently about riding in the wind, especially in a straight head or side wind is to " ride stiff, low and narrow" meaning make yourself work just a bit harder in a comfortable pace, keep your center of gravity low in the aerobars or drops, and keep everything tucked in close to your body." Although nothing can change the actuality of having to ride in the wind, this seems to help. So does just accepting that you are going to ride in the wind and won't be making any land speed records but then I am the sort of person who isn't going to let a bit of wind stop me.marni

[nscrbug]

Heck, at 150-something pounds, I don't consider myself a small woman at all...but even I have managed to get pushed around on the bike with just a 20-25mph wind gust. I hate the wind, but since it's an almost daily occurrence here...I've learned to deal with it. I agree with the other ladies that recommend pushing a slightly harder gear for more stability. I will also go into my drops, when faced with a fierce headwind...makes me a bit more aero.

[malkin]

... " ride stiff, low and narrow"...

Hunker down!

After watching Levi Leipheimer at the Tour of Utah, Brewer said, "He rides like a component..." Think of yourself as part of the bike. A small and aerodynamic part of the bike.

[Catrin]

Hunker down!

After watching Levi Leipheimer at the Tour of Utah, Brewer said, "He rides like a component..." Think of yourself as part of the bike. A small and aerodynamic part of the bike.

hmmmm wondering how to do this in a very upright position...

[Roadtrip]

hmmmm wondering how to do this in a very upright position...

HA. I was just thinking the same thing. I'm very upright and while I have enough weight on my frame to hold the bike down, I'm still like a big sail on top the bike and the wind is brutal and wants to move me around.

Have loads of power in my legs, but the gas tank is quite small at this point-- something I'm working on tho-- working on more miles and adding hills.

Shannon

[OakLeaf]

Biciclista used to have an avatar...

You can still "hunker down" with high handlebars. It looks a little weird and isn't comfortable for long stretches, but you can come in and out of the position.

[Bike Writer]

Roadtrip..."big sail"....I know exactly what you mean because I feel the same way too.

Oakleaf, I have high handlebars and I do "hunker down" on a rare occassion when I feel the need for a burst of power, but I also crack myself up every time I do that while I am picturing what I must look like. :D