Wind weenie

[Catrin]

Now the temps are warming up, very slowly, I can ride more often :D It is, however, March, and that means wind.

I suspect that many of you would not quibble at the 18-20 mph winds forecast tomorrow, especially since the temps will be around 57 :D

As a relatively new rider, however, I find my body willing to ride with those winds, but my brain says no. I really want to ride tomorrow though, and it is time to start ramping things up a bit. I have certainly ridden in wind before, though perhaps my protracted recovery period in the fall is contributing to my trepidation or, should I say, almost a fear. This is something of a surprise to me...

I am preparing myself by reciting the "wind makes you stronger" mantra. I guess that I am looking for encouragement here, and just checking to make certain that my assumption that 18-20 mph winds aren't actually that bad is correct...

[Becky]

I may not quibble about wind, but I certainly will grumble about it :D

If you're feeling anxious about it, maybe riding a very familiar route would help? Some place that you know well and are comfortable with....the fewer variables, the better.

Sometimes, when I'm balking at a workout (for whatever reason), I'll tell myself, "Just 5 minutes." I just have to ride or run or swim for 5 minutes, and then I can pack it in. More often than not, that gets me over the hump and I have a great workout. (I do the same thing with housecleaning too- no one will ever compare me to Martha Stewart :o)

[WindingRoad]

Catrin I don't think some understand just how FLAT Indiana really is in the Indy area, LOL. 18 - 20 MPH wind there has NOTHING to stop it except you. I found since I moved that 20 MPH wind is doable but no WAY would I do that in IN :eek: I remember riding out on Nebo Ridge's training route once and I nearly got my wheels blown out from under me AND a dust tornado attacked me and I couldn't see crap! Yeah it doesn't make you weak it makes you smart :)

[indysteel]

Sometimes I'll talk myself into riding in 20 mph or more winds; sometimes I won't. If it's just going to be a headwind, I can deal with it. Crosswinds not so much. Now that it's mostly just DH and I, I missing riding in larger groups on days like that. Staying in more sheltered areas--like your park--can help, too. I will say that when I have forced myself to just gut it out, I've seen almost an immediate return on the effort. It does make you stronger for sure.

[Catrin]

I hear you Winding Road! I really want to ride in Boone County tomorrow, I am so TIRED of Eagle Creek Park - it is a beautiful treadmill that I can't tolerate for more than 17 miles and I really want to get in at least 25 miles tomorrow. Of course, Boone County is the flattest of the flat, and with nothing growing yet there isn't even corn yet to break the wind...sure there is the occasional very steep "bump" in the road that comes out of nowhere, but that is different :)

What I am really hoping will happen is the rain won't come tonight as forecast and I can get my ride in after rush hour...but we will see. I will likely still do it tomorrow, and this is once case where I think my 35-pound bike helps me - in the cross-wind!

Indy, we were posting at the same time :) I seem to find myself more comfortable with cross-winds than head-winds - I think the weight of my bike helps me in the first but not the latter. It will be interesting to see how the Gunnar will feel in these conditions...

[Jiffer]

Well, if it's any consolation, I have wind issues where I live as well. In fact, one of the reasons (just one of many, actually) that I didn't ride the last two days was because of wind. However, I have other perfectly acceptable excuses, the primary one being I am anemic right now. Last time I was anemic a coach told me not to ride at all until I was feeling better for two weeks. However, upon other research, I believe it's fine for me to ride, as long as I don't push myself too hard or long. I'm seeing a doc today, who also happens to be a cyclist, so I'll get the official word from him. But, suffice it to say, I DID plan to ride the past two days and the wind made me say NOPE!

When I am in full training mode (like just a week ago) ... it's easier to conquer the wind. In fact, my last fast ride was a club ride in the wind on a gloomy, cold, windy night (5:00 start time). As I was headed out the door into the cloudy windiness, my husband (also a cyclist) says, "You're brave!" But I was determined to get that ride in. And I did. And after the second half didn't go so good ... and I came home ... alone, against the cold wind, very slowly ... I finally figured out I was anemic. Whoa is me. :(

So get yourself hyped up and it will be easier to face the wind. When I went out the door a week ago into the windy gloominess, I was thinking about the time trial I wanted to do soon. I had a goal in mind. It helps to have a goal. A reason to get out there when it's not so fun.

SO FIND YOUR RIDING IN THE WIND MOJO AND GO GET 'ER DONE!!! :D

[indysteel]

Indy, we were posting at the same time :) I seem to find myself more comfortable with cross-winds than head-winds - I think the weight of my bike helps me in the first but not the latter. It will be interesting to see how the Gunnar will feel in these conditions...

One advantage I have in headwinds over you is that I can (and do) get down in my drops.

[Mr. Bloom]

No, it's APRIL!;)

[emily_in_nc]

We have a wind advisory in NC tomorrow from 9 am to 6 pm. They are saying sustained 25-30 mph winds with gusts to 40-45! Of course my DH will want to ride, and I'm thinking... really? Couldn't we get blown into a car? I'm just not sure...as much as I want to ride, I'm hesitant.

I guess we'll see how things go.

[indysteel]

We have a wind advisory in NC tomorrow from 9 am to 6 pm. They are saying sustained 25-30 mph winds with gusts to 40-45! Of course my DH will want to ride, and I'm thinking... really? Couldn't we get blown into a car? I'm just not sure...as much as I want to ride, I'm hesitant.

I guess we'll see how things go.

No offense, but your DH is nuts! Of course, I mean that in the nicest of ways! :)

[Catrin]

No offense, but your DH is nuts! Of course, I mean that in the nicest of ways! :)

I agree with Indy on this one, wind gusts that high would mean my bike stays home :eek:

I will ride tomorrow, it looks like the winds will "only" be around 17-18 and I know that I can handle that. If the winds, or wind gusts =>25mph I stay at home or go hiking....

[emily_in_nc]

No offense, but your DH is nuts! Of course, I mean that in the nicest of ways! :)

LOL! But you are right, of course. I am hoping that it will be gusting high enough in the morning that he will realize the error of his ways. I really don't want to leave home and get out there and THEN have the gusting commence!

Assuming we don't ride, we'll do a combo walk/bus ride to do our Farmer's market & food co-op shopping. We always do this on Saturday mornings that are too cold or rainy to ride to the markets.

[marni]

put your riding clothes where you can see them as you wake up. Put all your breakfast fixngs out the night before. Pick a route with a couple of cop out points where you can either take a break and get a snack, or change directions, or call the ride. Promise yourself that you will do 10 miles at least. Ignore speed, spin easy and do it, you will probably find that you have another 10 or 15 miles in you or that you are enjoying the route and the day and the other people. I know you said it was flat and had no trees, but maybe consider changing your route to one which has a few trees or buildings as wind breaks? Pick a route that makes you ride into the wind on the way out, that way if you do an out and back, the wind can waft you home. ;)

Once you are out, get the bit in your teeth (figuratively) and decide you aren't going to let the wind beat you.

I ride the Texas prairies which are also flat, treeless and windy. These are coping mechanisms that seem to work for me.

If you decide not to ride, do something else and don't beat yourself up about.

[Catrin]

Thanks everyone! I've decided to ride, but to wait for the cooler evening. The winds, they say, will drop like a rock around 6pm, so that is when I will ride. It won't be as warm & will have to break out tights and wool layers, but I won't have to deal with 22mph winds (they raised them). Tomorrow will be the same, so will just head out at 8am and be a little late for church...

As much as I would love to ride in the 67 temps tomorrow afternoon, I just don't want to deal with the 22 mph winds...but we will see if the forecasters change their mind - which they seem to do every 3.5 nanoseconds this time of the year.

[TrekTheKaty]

We also have a wind advisory for "25-35 gust 40-50--secure you lawn furniture!" tomorrow. It's a bummer because it's supposed to be 80!

We did a leisurely 20 today (on the new section of the Katy Trail--had to elbow our way through the ribbon cutting--ON YOUR LEFT!) When we got home, my new Louis Garneau shorts were in the mailbox.

DH says, "Oh good. You can wear them on the Trailnet ride tomorrow." :eek: I should also point out it is in the river flats where it's windy even when it's not supposed to be windy!

As a pilot, I have to ask: it's possible to go backwards in an airplane. Can you go backwards on a bicycle?

[Catrin]

Have fun tomorrow if you do go!

My ride today was rather....exciting :o :D I apologise in advance for the book, but it was quite an experience!

Even though I said that I would wait until 6 this evening to ride, at 3:00 I couldn't resist the sunshine and 57 temps any longer. Changed, grabbed Camelbak, bike, and headed for the country! This was my first country ride for the season.

It lasted an entire 30 minutes :o Tail wind was awesome, cross-wind was so wicked that at one point I was literally praying to not get blown over - and on one downhill I was pushed into the other lane :eek: Going up hill I needed the granny gears like I never have in my entire 2,000 miles of cycling! I know that isn't much, just work with me :cool:

My heart rate in those 27.35 minutes averaged 147 and maxed at 175 and rode an entire 4.5 miles! I actually was a little nauseous by the time I made it back to my car... I've no idea what the wind gusts were, but I suspect they were a lot higher than 22 mph!

That wasn't the end of things though, 27 minutes just wasn't enough. So...I drove to the large park across from my apartment and put in close to 10 more miles. This is a nature preserve type of park with lots of hills, so the trees and topography both serve as great windbreaks. I still felt the wind a little, but not like out in the country. In the end I rode an entire 14.5 miles and am quite happy with that! Not the long ride I had wanted to do today - but I will take what I can get :)

[Jiffer]

I rode today. Weather report says 21 mph winds. I didn't quite realize how windy it was until I got out there and then I decided to change my route. I was going to do a route that forced me into the headwind for a long period, then turn around and come back. Instead, I did a loop near my house twice. So I only had the headwind off and on for relatively short periods. Plus I think there are more trees, etc. to block the wind on the loop. Wasn't too bad and I wasn't out there to kill it anyway or ride a lot of miles. I haven't ridden since Monday, haven't been feeling well and just needed to get out there and move. So mission accomplished. ;)

[Kerry1976]

My main sport is running and I'm knee deep in half marathon training. But Sunday is a great xtrain day where a morning ride would be perfect. I was all gung-ho about going tomorrow....but just saw we are supposed to have sustained winds of 24 mph with gusts of 40+....along with rain and some thunderstorms.

well, might be walking and or hooping instead. :(

[emily_in_nc]

Amazingly, we rode! The weather station I checked when we got home said sustained winds in the 20-25 mph range with gusts to 35, and I believe it. It wasn't so bad when we left at 9:30 am, but built during our ride. The tailwind on the way back was AWESOME!

I wouldn't have done it if we lived in the plains or were riding in rural areas with open fields, but this was an urban, campus, and surburban ride with plenty of trees and hills and buildings to help break up the wind gusts.

The only scary moment was when we were making a left turn across busy lanes of traffic at a light, racing to get through before the light changed, and the visor on my helmet was caught by the wind and pulled the helmet as far back on my head as the straps would let it go (which wasn't very far). It was just a strange feeling as it felt like a sail catching the wind. I've never had that happen before, and I kept my head down for the rest of the ride when we were heading into the wind!

We ended up with 21.4 miles at a utilitarian pace, with stops at the farmer's market, food co-op, and Trader Joe's, and full panniers coming home. That's when tailwinds are much appreciated!

Tomorrow is supposed to have much lighter winds (5-10 mph), so I'm looking forward to a longer and less 'exciting' ride! :D

[Julietiede]

Well, here is one answer for you. My husband did the 508 a couple of years ago (48 hours, 508 miles) and winds through Death Valley were 50 mph. The only bikes that were blown over were the recumbent bikes. So as long as you are holding on-no time to take your hands off the handle bars you should be good. We rode yesterday in 30 mph winds and it was miserable and we loved it (when it was over with!) We get wind a lot so refuse to change our plans. We always say it makes riding on flats like climbing so it is great training and will power you up! Happy Trails,
Julie

[mariacycle]

How do you handle the wind on your ears? My ears feel like they're being boxed if I ride in extreme cold, wind, or both. Ear warmers? Ear plugs?

[redrhodie]

How do you handle the wind on your ears? My ears feel like they're being boxed if I ride in extreme cold, wind, or both. Ear warmers? Ear plugs?

I wear a headband over my ears.

[nscrbug]

My name is Linda, and I am a wind weenie. There...I said it. I hate the wind...no more like, despise it. That being said, we get a lot of windy days in "the Windy City"...so, I try and not let if affect my decision to ride. The past 2 days have been extremely windy here. My cycling buddy and I headed out at 7am, both today and yesterday. Even at that early hour, the sustained winds were at least 15-18mph, with gusts around 25+mph. And as the morning wore on, the winds only got worse. It was brutal...I literally felt battered and beaten down by the end of the rides. Yesterday was 63 miles, today was 57...and tomorrow doesn't look to be any less windy either, with forecasted winds of 15-25mph out of the N-NW...lovely. I'm secretly kind of hoping that it is still raining in the morning (severe storms forecasted for overnight), so that we can bag the ride for tomorrow and I can recuperate from such a tough riding weekend.

[withm]

25 miles today, winds 20-25mph sustained, and mostly cloudy, so it was downright chilly unless the sun came out from the clouds. Flags sticking straight out everywhere. Still it felt good to finally have a good ride.

If I didn't ride in 20mph winds, I'd never get to ride. I'm a flatlander for sure. No hills but we make up for it with the wind.

[indysteel]

You gals are my heroes. I need to have one of you play devil's advocate the next time I want to bail. Linda, doing 25 miles in high winds is awesome, doing 63 is totally impressive. You rock!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Today the winds were down a bit, though they picked up in the afternoon to 12-15 mph. Tomorrow they're calling for sustained 15-25 with gusts to 35, and of course it's my work at home day (so I could slip out for a lunchtime ride or after I'm done for the day), and forecast to be 83 degrees!! So I'd love to ride again, but I surely wish it weren't going to be so darn windy. I guess we'll make the call when the time comes.

[Chicken Little]

63 mph gust at the airport, and half my states on fire. I'm not trying this.

[redrhodie]

63 mph gust at the airport, and half my states on fire. I'm not trying this.

That makes you a wise wind weenie. ;) Seriously, the danger from breathing in the smoke alone makes staying inside a great decision.

[Dogmama]

"Spin, spin, spin in the wind"

[Catrin]

Question - in my little 30 minute very windy ride Saturday afternoon, my stomach became upset. Not to the point of having to pull over, but I did become nauseous and it took some time for that to dissipate.

My heart rate DID reach almost 180 in fighting the wind, and it pretty much stayed there for much of that 30 minute ride - could this have caused that? This is my assumption - my normal average HR on a ride without strong wind is around 125 - my average HR for THAT ride was 145... Interestingly enough my legs weren't burning or anything from the effort of pedaling in that headwind, but I was so focused on staying vertical that I may not have noticed it.

[emily_in_nc]

I did end up going for an hour-long bike ride today during my lunch break (I work at home on Mondays). It was nearly 80 out there with sunshine and Carolina blue skies, so I couldn't resist, wind be damned!

Well, it was GUSTY out there. And the pollen was visibly blowing around, which bothered my eyes at times, even with sunglasses on. There were times when the wind would gust, and I had to really fight to hold a line. But in between gusts, it wasn't bad at all. Overall I was a little slower than my usual slow speed, but nothing that significant thanks to the sections on which I had a tailwind!

When I got home, I checked the current wind speed/gusts for Chapel Hill, and it said 9 mph for speed (which seemed low) and 30 mph gusts (that's more like it). It's supposed to get even crazier later today into tonight and tomorrow morning, with tornado watches, possible thunderstorms, and a high only in the 50s tomorrow, so I am glad I rode when I did!

[jenniferh]

The wind keeps me home. I'm in flat, flat, flat Texas and there have been several rides where the wind at my side has cause me trouble staying straight up on my bike. Once I was very close to being blown over. It's frustrating. I really want to ride. Not fight the wind to keep going forward when it is pushing me sideways.

[Tri Girl]

Rode 40 miles today- winds were sustained at 30 today with gusts up to 45. I almost got blown over a couple times. If I didn't ride in the wind I'd never ride from December through November. :rolleyes:

[Catrin]

Rode 40 miles today- winds were sustained at 30 today with gusts up to 45. I almost got blown over a couple times. If I didn't ride in the wind I'd never ride from December through November. :rolleyes:

Wow, those are some pretty strong winds and I am in awe of you! I would ride this afternoon if'en my quads weren't complaining a tad from my 29 miles yesterday. That isn't very far, but the weather has kept me from riding consistently since I got back on the bike in March. Going for a gentle hike this afternoon with a friend, and back to my usual routine tomorrow.

It is hard to pay attention to my body as I really want to ride this afternoon, but learned my lesson last year about not allowing my legs to rest!