Alarming wind

BUICK

No, not flatulence. Have had two weeks off the bike after a bad cold and had my first ride out today. I've been feeling a bit 'wrong' and have noticeably put on weight even in this short space of time! I set off on a semi-regular short route with some steep hills intending to just take it slow and steady to start getting back into it - I knew I wasn't in for a 'good' ride - but the wind made it even harder. I started off with it in my face and feeling very heavy-legged but about halfway into the ride felt a bit sharper and on the section of road I was on it was an advantage to have a burst of speed, so speed up I did and was busy loving it, when a wall on my left came to an end and so did the wind-protection it offered; a gust hit me from that side and moved my front wheel about 6 inches to the right. I don't know if there was a greasy patch or whether I was pulling on the bars and there wasn't much weight on the front end, but it happened in an instant - don't know how I stayed upright! I mention it only because I've been riding bikes since childhood and for many years it's been a daily thing for me and it's never happened before! I've felt that same sensation of the wind's power when driving a car, and also on the motorbike - but the car had always seemed worse. I assumed the greater surface area on the side of the car was what made it feel as bad and that it wasn't really an issue out on the bicycle... I appear to have been wrong!

hugo15

Had exactly the same thing happen to me today. Was going along at about 20 mph when I went passed a gate into a field. I must have been getting shelter from the hedge, because as soon as I passed the gate the wind just hit me. The front wheel lifted off the floor and I thought for a split second a skin/tarmac interface was inevitable. This has never happened to me before and if it never does again that will be OK.

Lagavulin

I hate the wind with a passion. I didn't go out today. Sat in and watched the women’s road race instead (then played Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts). Yesterdays sodden ride in the rain was more to my liking.

I'm bang on the north east coast and we get some nasty winds straight off the sea. Wasn't much fun on my old bike, even less so with the lightweight carbon job with semi-aero rims. It's one of the factors that is dissuading me from deeper rims i.e. I'm not sure how much use they'd get.

A constant wind I can deal with, it is the gusts that bother me. These coupled with the freight traffic from the nearby limestone quarry (fair play to the Owen Pugh drivers, they tend to be generous with the room they give ) are elements I could do without.

attica

It's definitely been a windy few days, had a similar "sudden sideways shift" across the Clifton Suspension bridge on Friday night.

Visited St David's in Wales over the weekend and was glad for once I didn't have my bike, the wind off the Atlantic was seriously fierce, a really strong and steady wind punctuated by huge gusts that would have you on the other side of the road in the blink of an eye. Sadly it meant that my Sea Kayaking trip was confined to the more sheltered bits of the bay.

a_n_t

the cat and fiddle was not a fun place to be today!