Catrin, never feel wimpy about cutting a ride short due to wind conditions. Cycle smart. Move a little more out into the traffic lane so that you don't get blown onto the rough part of the shoulder by a wind gust or a passing semi.

Whenever you start a ride, think about how you can loop back and cut the ride short in case the wind does get real strong. Or know the roads so that the first part of the ride can be into the headwind and the last part can be with a tailwind. It rarely works that way for me, because the wind shifts as soon as I turn direction, but it is the advice of the experts. However, you can change your route if you know the roads, and turn away from the wind if it gets real strong.

Last year I was blown off my bike by a side gust and ended up spending the weekend in the trauma center, with a fractured rib cage, a punctured deflated right lung, and a concussion. It was a freaky gust that got me, that was more to do with the contours of the land at that point, than the strength of the overall wind.

So cycle smart, because the wind can be dangerous. Cycling with strong wind conditions also zaps the energy levels, and that creates another concern to the cyclist who is out on a long ride.