How do you deal with the wind?

[FunSize]

I too feel that pushing a harder gear makes me feel a little more stable. Also, It just takes time to get used to the bike and understanding that it won't just fly out from under you. I'm still learning that. I'm also very petite so when the wind comes i move all over the place because of it. It's just kind of a fact that crosswinds always suck.

On one of my first couple of rides me, my bf, and his friend got caught in a crazy storm. we were on a busy road with NO shoulder and the rain was so hard that we couldn't see. The wind was pushing me all over the road and I'm just panicking thinking that these dumbass drivers are going to hit me because they're passing us on a double yellow line, single lane per side road! It was NOT a fun introduction to cycling. However, now normal wind doesn't scare me as much. rainy, lightning, slippery road, and stupid drivers, with wind still does.

[PamNY]

For straight on headwind, I usually drop a gear because I find it less annoying. But that's personal preference, not a rule with universal validity.

For gusts, I agree momentum helps keep you upright. In gusty winds, be careful when starting or stopping. I feel more vulnerable if I'm not moving or if I am moving slowly.

If it's too windy or gusty, I stay home -- usually over 35-40 keeps me in.

[ame]

I drop down and forward over the front wheel, which I think gives me a bit more stability on it, and I move up a gear like the other ladies, dropping my cadence from about 85-90 to around 78-82. That seems to be the golden zone for me - stability without bothering the knee.

[SheFly]

the other thing to remember is to NOT have a death grip on the bike. Try to keep a more relaxed grip/hold. Too much tension and you are fighting the wind, and actually making it easier to be pushed around.

SheFly (caught in 40+ mph gust on TT bike with disc wheel traveling downhill this summer, and survived to tell the tale!)

[PscyclePath]

Good advice from all of the above... Just keep repeating to yourself, "The wind is my friend... it makes me stronger."

(brought to you by the same coach who keeps telling you that pain is only a sign of weakness leaving your body) ;-)

[DarcyInOregon]

I got blown off my bike last November by a strong side gust and ended up with a fractured rib cage, a punctured deflated lung and a serious concussion. The lesson I learned is that the wind can be dangerous, and when it is too gusty, I do my workout at the gym. I don't even pay any attention to the weather reports; I look at how the tree limbs are whipping about, and if there is a lot of whip and to-and-fro motions, I stay off the bike.

I also know of cyclists who were blown off their bikes by a combination of the strong wind and the wind blast from a passing semi.

It isn't the strong steady wind that comes from a consistent direction that is difficult and dangerous, but the unpredictable varying winds that blow gusts of varying speeds from multiple directions, depending upon the contours of the land, incoming storm systems, and overhead air pressures.

Even with the strong steady winds, going into a strong headwind doesn't give me a quality of ride. I have to gear down just to keep up a momentum, and my heart rate goes down, and I am going so slow I figure I might as well be at the gym, or out walking, hiking or jogging at the college track.

However, sometimes going into a strong headwind does have a reward, and that is when I am out solo and I pass a male cyclist or two who are even slower than I am.

[sundial]

Where I ride the flats, it's very open with big skies and few trees to block the wind. (Think Kansas!) When it gets really gusty I lower my center of gravity and shift to a slightly easier gear and just keep going. By the 3rd cycling season you will probably be used to the windy conditions.

If it's windier than what you are comfortable riding in, look for a quiet country road that is lined with trees. That will cut down on the wind tunnel effect.

[malkin]

I agree that wind makes me stronger, but only up to the point where it makes me miserable or puts me in danger. Then I just don't ride.

We have those microburst-tornado conditions and sometimes I've been scared when I'm in my house! If I were out on a bike in that kind of wind, I'd get off and hide out for a while.