Wind.

[Jenn]

How bad does it have to be before you say, I'll just not go there today.

[IFjane]

wow Jenn, I can't believe no one has posted a response to this! For me it depends on air temperature. I have exercise induced asthma that is made worse by cold air, so if the temps are below 45 & the wind is at, say 10 or above, I don't ride.

However, this time of year, I will go out if the wind is blowing 13 - 16 mph with gusts to 25. It's not necessarily fun, but I will go. The only thing to worry about around here this time of year is the thick clouds of pollen! aaaaaaaachooooooooooo!

[Jenn]

Yea, I'm kind of surprised to....maybe everybody is out riding!!
I just got back and OMG...I knew it was windy because we have this balloon windsock and it was going pretty good when I left. Dh was like are you sure I was, so off I went. WELL, it was coming DIRECTLY out of the east so it was a you know what going that way. I passed like 5 male cyclist flying west and thought, ahaha but they have to ride back in it to. Well, about an hour and a half later they passed me, not very fast and the leader of the pack yelled at me..."Wind doesn't suck it BLOWS." ......so I kicked it down and hung with them until I turned. I got home and turned our news, and we have a 25 mph wind out of the east gusting to 35....No wonder I'm BEAT!!
Thanks for the response though, I thought I was just a big puss because I don't like wind.

[weathergal]

Like IFJane, it also depends on temperature. In the summer though, I'm a lot less likely to wimp out because of the wind. A day with 13-16 mph and gusts to 25 is pretty average out here. We rarely get a day with the winds below 10 mph, so if I waited for that I would never ride. In fact, 25 with gusts to 35 mph is pretty common also (last year's Biking Across Kansas had its longest day with headwinds that strong). I just buckle down and resign myself to going slow, with "I hate western Kansas" repeating in my head.

[Zen]

If the grass is moving I'm not.

Not really quite that lazy but almost.

[Jenn]

If the grass is moving I'm not.

Not really quite that lazy but almost.

HAHA, AWESOME love it!! That is how I think but living her there is ALWAYS wind it seems. I think it's really making me stronger though. Before they men came up I just had my head down and was just SLOWLY counting the rocks as I went by while my legs were going 100 mph.

[DarcyInOregon]

I look outside. I grow Douglas Fir trees on my land, and if the tall, strong, sturdy trees are moving about vigorously, then it is too windy for my bike. If it is just regular movement or no movement, then I bike.

Oregon can get real strong wind storms, the kind of strong winds that blow down trees and bring down electrical lines, so I am always careful to check the wind conditions every day.

Pretty much I bike in the wind everyday. I am used to it and no longer give it much of a thought. The wind makes me a stronger cyclist.

Darcy

[aicabsolut]

I've been out in gusts over 40mph. That was not fun. I don't want to do that again. Wind should not be strong enough to make you slow down if you coast down a fairly steep hill.

[DarcyInOregon]

The worse wind is when you are pedaling up a steep hill and the wind is blowing you back down.

What makes it even worse is you get a line of idling vehicles behind you because it is a narrow road and a hill, and the vehicles can't see around you to pass in the other lane, but it is taking you forever to get up the hill because of the strong wind and so you can sense the frustration of the drivers.

The absolute worse situation is the above conditions, but add heavy rain to the mix.

Darcy

[Python]

I just came back from a short trip to the shop (about a 1 and a 1/2 mile round trip). There was a fairly strong head-wind going but it was behind me on the way back.

What did annoy me more than the wind was there were quite a few "boy racers" showing off in their cars They all seem to come out on a Saturday night. I had one twit think it was a good idea to sit about 6 inches from my back wheel. I held steady and just carried on until he got fed up and finally overtook. I wonder about their mentallity

Don't fancy riding the bike in a gale force wind though.

[Thorn]

Today...20mph with gusts to 26. No problem. I just look at the wind as a training partner. A very mean training partner.

We've biked in worse while on a tour--it wasn't van supported and we had to get from one town to the next. 25 with gusts to 40. That was scary getting hit with cross gusts while in traffic.

But, in general, I just find a happy gear and enjoy it. I take it easy on the backroads and save the strength for the busy roads so I can push the pace can get off them as quickly as possible.

But, if the temp is under 40. Nope. I'm a wimp.

[Running Mommy]

25 gusting to 35?? Yeah that was me two weeks ago! Try riding 112 miles in that!
After that race I just have no desire to ride in anything over 10-15 mph. I know I need to, but I've lost that loving feeling...
Oh and it's heating up here, so when it's windy it feels like your riding into a blow dryer!

[teigyr]

Despise the wind. If I see tree branches moving, I go to the gym. Hills, you see, have an end. Wind? You'd THINK if you had a headwind and turned around, you would then have a tailwind. NO! It follows me. Honestly, I've been known to raise my fist to the sky and curse the powers that be.

[withm]

Being at sea level we get LOTS of wind. If I ride to work, it's 13 miles due north. The prevailing wind is usually out of the north, so it's 13 miles of headwinds and no where to get out of the wind since I have the ocean on one side and the bay on the other. Typically the wind shifts in the afternoon, so somedays I am treated to headwinds in both directions. Oh joy. Up to 25 mph is ok I guess, but slow. Very slow.

Somebody famous said: "Hills make you strong, but the wind makes you mean." I don't know who said it, but I believe it wholeheartedly.

[Deanna]

If I need to get some miles in, I'll ride as long as I can move forward and not stand still or go backwards. I figure, I'll eventually get the tailwind. It seems like it's always windy these days, if it ever stops I'll probably feel really strong and fast!