I rode in 30 mph winds and my bike scooted over a foot. I thought phooey on this I'm going home and hitched a ride with hubby. I would rather be on a trainer than try my hand at cyclo-sailing.
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I rode in 30 mph winds and my bike scooted over a foot. I thought phooey on this I'm going home and hitched a ride with hubby. I would rather be on a trainer than try my hand at cyclo-sailing.
I am sick and tired of this wind! I have not rode much at all this year! But guess what? Right now it is calm, but I am at work. I am sure it will be windy before I get home!
It's been windy here for the last 4 days--winds of 40 mph! I hate wind. I hate it worse than hills. :rolleyes:
I like the wind at 15 mph or so. I think it makes cycling feel more like swimming :D
Into a car??!! Eeek! I was hoping for a "no way, that would NEVER happen!!" kind of response. Too bad for me. Well, I've recently moved closer to school, and my new route is less exposed, houses and medium hills, so maybe it won't be so bad.
DH says he likes when the SE winds in the morning shift around to NE by the end of the work day.
Works well on HIS commute!
Karen in Boise
TJ- I noticed from your blog you have a Townie. You bike is probably double or more the weight of this guys light racing style bike. He was also riding on a road in Austin that is notorious for strong crosswinds, the road was made by blasting through large hills ala I-10 in West Texas.
Try riding in the wind in a safe area (bike path, neighborhood?) and see how riding in the wind feels. It isn't a "No way!" but I think it is much less likely on a Townie.
BTW- Post a picture of your bike. I have complete Townie envy!
Go with your gut- if you feel unsafe don't ride. Winds can be tricky, but if it's not too strong, you should be able to ride safely if you have good bike handling skills.
Off topic: I'm SOOOO glad that you all agree that the wind is crazier this year than normal. I'm just north of you in OK, and it's been the windiest year I can remember. I'm so sick of fighting 20-30 mph winds most every day of the week. One day last week the wind was only at 10 and I hopped on my bike as soon as I could just to take advantage of a "windless and calm" day. Some people I know think it's the windiest, some say it's normal. I think something's wrong with the weather and it's accidentally turned up the wind volume here in the middle. Let's spread the love and share the wind with others in the country and turn down nature's fan here...:)
Hey! Yes, it's windy in Texas. I live in Dallas.
I have been blown off my bike once this year. It was scary and I could have gotten hurt. Luckily the fatty part of my leg took the brunt of the fall. Mind you, it took 2 months for that soft tissue to stop hurting though.
I will ride in winds up to 25 mph, but anything over that just scares me too much these days. Being out by the wind once, is enough for me.
You are so right! The winds have been killer this year. Don't they usually die out after March... or May?
It's been whipping my butt to ride in these winds. Real beat down. Last Sat. I rode a 65 mile ride... the first 35 into a 20-25 mph headwind with NO ONE to draft off of.
I swear their were gusts up to 30-35 mph though, because at times I was in my lowest gear, going 9 mph into the headwind. The last time I did that was when it was gusting 30-40 mph.
It has been downright miserable riding. Not sure how much more I can take of it.
That's my motto! With a hill you can SEE when the tortore is going to end. With wind you never know.
That's why I picked my Ironman to be in Kentucky... I'll take hills over wind anyday. Everyone says to do Ironman Florida for your first... but that's windy... so no thanks.
Someone said to me the other day "The south wind has been blowing so hard for so long there must not be any air left in the gulf".
I am hoping it will leave me stronger in the long run.
On the plus side, it was fun barreling down a hill at 34 mph with the wind at my back...too bad I had to turn around and go right back up that hill with the wind in my face!
Barbara