Just how windy is too windy?

portuguese mike

I rode in to work this morning an a 25mph wind gusting to 35mph. In the lashing rain it wasn't fun but i made it (in fact it was probably the least enjoyable ride i can ever remember).

Tomorrow it's meant to be gusting up to 50mph, is that too windy to be safe? I'm thinking that i might just give riding to work a miss till it calms down a bit but am i just being a big girl's blouse?

ut_och_cykla

For my part it depends on the route and the traffic. Exposed and / or heavy traffic heavy wind - less likely to cycle, and vice versa. I have a route past an aerodrome which nearly always has a grim sidewind - I'd give it a miss if its more than 35 mph!

cee

I suppose youv'e gotta guess how string the wind will be at its worst point in your ride....

Wouldn't want to chance the byebye kansas scenario!

noggincp

the worst was when I turned right at a busy busy roundabout to go face into wind
I swear I actaully came to a stop! had to mouth to oncoming drivers "STOP" please :oops:

that was fun

Gussio

Wind can be your friend if it is blowing in the right direction!

PS Yes, you are being a big girl's blouse

ColinJ

The wind described in this blog entry would be too much for me :shock: !

I got physically blown off my bike on the Costa Blanca a few years ago. I was riding along the coast road from Benidorm to Calpe and there was a fierce headwind. I was having to stand in a very low gear just to move. The wind must have been at least 40-50 kph. The road goes up a gorge through a couple of tunnels and the funneling effect on the wind in them made it impossible to go forwards. I ended up getting blown back off my bike which then took off and nearly disappeared over the railings. I managed to wrestle it down to the road and at that point decided to go back to the hotel. It's slightly downhill most of the way and the by-then tailwind was so strong that I wasn't able to pedal fast enough in top gear a lot of the time. It got pretty scary because sometimes the wind would swirl round and I'd end up heading straight across the road. That was what I call too windy.

Cyrenne

October 1987. After seeing caravans being washed down the Swale. Getting blown off the road over Greets Moss. That was windy.

Steve I

No you're not being a big girl's blouse. When I was a kid, I was riding my motorbike along an elevated road in Liverpool called Netherfield road. Alongside some high rise flats I got blown completely onto the opposite side of the road by a terrific gust. There was nothing coming the other way fortunately. Having seen the forecast, I wouldn't go out on a bike tomorrow either.

oldwelshman

Personally I would not cycle in built up area when wind is ghusting as you never know how much it will blow and you can easily get blown into car, and sometimes its worse when being past by a lorry, then get a huge ghust when hes passed.

I will ride in country if not too bad, but try to keep to a shelterred route.
LAst year I was cycling over Beacons and I was pedalling down hill into a wind and got blown to a standstill

Tom Butcher

Looking it up on the Beaufort Scale (who says my education was wasted) 50mph is a Severe Gale and will result in minor structural damage such as chimney pots and slates being removed - so I'd leave the bike at home.

portuguese mike

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Part of my route is through an urban area and the rest is fairly rural. The worst are the cross winds on a couple of very exposed stretches with a fair amount of traffic which i'd quite like to not veer into.

i think i'll pop to the gym instead.

Mark Alexander

wise words from a wise man :shock:

dsmiff

What's one day of not cycling? I always check the weather forecasts these days, don't care about rain, but it's just not worth it if it's really windy.

Will check the forecast tonight, if it's still windy (and in the wrong direction!), will take the car (will give me a bit of a lie in as well!!)

Lagavulin

I'll go out in rain but I do hate the wind with a passion.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

It made me re-check the 24-hour forcast for tomorrow and the the winds could be upto 40 mph... Not good when cycling on 50mph carriageways!

chrisw12

I'm going to get in trouble for this one... but aren't the wind speeds exagerated?

When it says 50mph, where does it mean 50mph, is this at ground level or a certain height. Isn't there a big difference between wind speed at ground level and wind speed at (is it?) 10m where measurements are taken?

Also do the forecaster er on the side of caution when prediciting wind speed to stop the 'Fish' effect?

the ferry

......Ive gone down fron 2 cars to 1 which wife uses to get to work so basically i havent a choice in the matter.
Been fine up to now on my 25 mile commute in fact really enjoying it.
Not worried about rain but if anything it'll be the wind that does for me.

Pretre

chrisw12 - I agree that the wind speed at ground level & the forecast speed can be different but, for me, if the forecast says 50mph then I get the train to work - I was getting blown sideways on Monday evening when it was nowhere near that speed - not to mention that it isn't my idea of a laugh having to pedal hard to go downhill.

songwriter

portuguese mike wrote:

I rode in to work this morning an a 25mph wind gusting to 35mph. In the lashing rain it wasn't fun but i made it (in fact it was probably the least enjoyable ride i can ever remember).

Tomorrow it's meant to be gusting up to 50mph, is that too windy to be safe? I'm thinking that i might just give riding to work a miss till it calms down a bit but am i just being a big girl's blouse?

wow. that sounds like a shit time

giant_man

I can do rain, snow or sleet. I won't do wind. Worse thing when out on your bike.

sloboy

You can get some feel for how stromng a following wind is by seeing at what speed you have no impression of wind on your face. This approximates the case where your speed relative to the air is zero.

On Saturday I was having a pretty miserable time riding outbound into what had been forecast as about 14-15mph. Turning for home I was feeling still air at more like 19-20mph. Those cheating forecasting fiends !