Battling the wind......

[CyclingRN]

Hi everyone! Hope the Labor Day weekend was good for all. First and foremost, let me put this out there.... I've only been riding less than 6 months, I'm riding a Trek Lexa WSD, and im riding clipped in. The most distance I've ever covered in any single non-stop ride was 24 miles. I average 14-16 mph, depending on the day! Lately I've been pushing 17 mph on the flats. I decided to take on my first club ride and do 50 miles yesterday. I'm in the south and we've got rolling hills and an abundance of "false flats"! The 25 miles out were good, speed averaged 16-17 at times 18 mph, the wind was at our back. How nice that was!!! Now....need I even detail the return trip?

I gave out at 40 miles....needed a new engine! I could not fight that wind any longer. It had slowed me to a crawl, spinning just to keep from falling over. I was riding with my friend who's a stronger rider but even he couldn't pull me in. We rode back into a headwind that occasionally switched to a crosswind, depending on tree cover. It was brutal!!!

I try to ride hills often, but how do I battle wind? Do I just develop a Love/Hate relationship and deal with it? Positioning on the bike? I need some advice here because I plan to ride through the Fall and maybe some this Winter. The wind will only get worse. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks!

[indysteel]

Hi everyone! Hope the Labor Day weekend was good for all. First and foremost, let me put this out there.... I've only been riding less than 6 months, I'm riding a Trek Lexa WSD, and im riding clipped in. The most distance I've ever covered in any single non-stop ride was 24 miles. I average 14-16 mph, depending on the day! Lately I've been pushing 17 mph on the flats. I decided to take on my first club ride and do 50 miles yesterday. I'm in the south and we've got rolling hills and an abundance of "false flats"! The 25 miles out were good, speed averaged 16-17 at times 18 mph, the wind was at our back. How nice that was!!! Now....need I even detail the return trip?

I gave out at 40 miles....needed a new engine! I could not fight that wind any longer. It had slowed me to a crawl, spinning just to keep from falling over. I was riding with my friend who's a stronger rider but even he couldn't pull me in. We rode back into a headwind that occasionally switched to a crosswind, depending on tree cover. It was brutal!!!

I try to ride hills often, but how do I battle wind? Do I just develop a Love/Hate relationship and deal with it? Positioning on the bike? I need some advice here because I plan to ride through the Fall and maybe some this Winter. The wind will only get worse. I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Thanks!

Yes, you sort of do have to develop a love/hate relationship with the wind. Body position can help if you can tolerate riding in your drops. Riding with other people helps, too. The bigger the group the better. But ultimately adapting to the wind is as much mental as it is physical. It takes a degree of patience that can be really hard at times, especially if you've just enjoyed a good tailwind.

As for your ride yesterday, while wind played a role in you pooping out at 40 miles, I'd also suggest that the overall length of the ride did, too. Going from 24 miles to 50 miles was a big jump for your body. Even in the best of conditions, you might have found yourself running out of steam, especially if you didn't eat or drink enough. I would suggest easing into that mileage. Increase your mileage by smaller increments. That will ulitimately help you ride in the wind, too., as your legs will be better adapted to longer hours in the saddle.

[Eden]

My thinking was along the same lines as Indy - while the wind may have played a role, from your description, it is also likely that you bonked (didn't eat/drink enough).

[indysteel]

I'd add that even when I'm adapted to doing long rides, I do make sure to take an extra break or two (stretch during those breaks as your body will be taking a beating) and to eat and drink a bit more on windy rides. It easy to underestimate your energy output when you're riding at a snail's pace, but the reality is that you're using some extra energy not just to pedal but to brace your body against the wind, too.

[Owlie]

Conditioning as well as the wind--going from 24 to 50 miles is a huge jump, never mind the wind.

[Tri Girl]

The wind can zap you, that's for sure. I agree with everyone else, tho- could have been a combination of lots of factors (not eating/drinking enough/jumping to twice the distance/wind/duration in the saddle).

Try to think about what you ate before and during the ride. Was it enough? How much did you drink? What kind of nutrition were you taking in during the ride (most people can only tolerate 200-300 calories an hour with both liquid and solid foods).

The wind is terrible. Living in Oklahoma, the wind does NOTHING but blow. There are very few trees to block it. I have a love/hate (more of a hate/hate, but whatever ) relationship with the wind. I tolerate it. I will change routes depending on how the wind is blowing (going east/west if it's a strong north or south wind, or going north/south if it's a east/west wind).

[Catrin]

+100 on what the others said. Wind can certainly be not-fun, and we are getting on the verge of a winder season. That being said, congratulations on your longer ride this weekend! That is a big leap for your body to, basically, double your mileage in one ride - but you did it and that was pretty darn cool

Windy rides DO take more out of the body. What I do on windy days is to cut back my mileage a bit - it just takes more energy and effort. I am also more likely to keep track of my time in the saddle rather than the overall mileage - that helps as well.

[Jiffer]

I haven't read the rest of the replies, so I may repeat some of what has been said.

I live in a windy area and have dealt with this often.

Getting down in the drops can help a lot. Anything you can do to be more aerodynamic. Keep your elbows in. Wear tight fitting clothing. Drafting is HUGE! Any time you can do that is wonderful in wind. You said you did that and were still struggling. I think in that instance, the fact that it was your first 50 miler, having only done 24. That's a big leap all by itself, and the wind only compounded it . . . by a ton.

If ever you can draft behind two or more people, and if those people are side by side, that creates a bigger draft. Make sure you are close enough to the wheel in front of you to get the best benefit of the draft. Also, try to find that sweet spot. If the wind is coming at an angle slightly from the left, then being slightly to the right of rider in front of you will be the better draft.

However, sometimes you have to ride in the wind alone and sometimes no matter what you do, even with a group, it just plain sucks!!! That's when you remember that while your speed is slower than you'd like and it hurts and is frustrating . . . it's making you stronger. Some day when you are doing a ride with zero wind resistance and you are flying even faster than you used to, you can thank some of those nasty windy rides for your especially great ride.