Damn You Wind - You Will Not Beat Me!!!!

Secteur

Just about recovered from a horrible 35 miler - 3000ft ascent - winds 25-30mph according to accuweather.

Bonked the last 5 miles home, felt like death until got some fluid & carbs into me.

Anyway, there's a stretch of about a mile which undulates between 8% and 20% incline - it's a horror - it's quite bendy, with hidden bends - just as you peak and turn a corner, you see the peak of the next hill rising almost (seemingly) vertically infront of you - very demorilising!

Anyway, the wind was perfectly head-on, and gusting.

My garmin has "auto-pause" set at 5mph - if I drop to 5mph or less, it pauses as if i've stopped (useful for slowly approaching red lights without spoiling timings) -anyway, it autopaused at least 4 times whilst I was battling that hill!!!! Which is a testament to the strength of the headwind!

I think I'm moving to somewhere flat and calm - any suggestions?? Death Valley, USA??

unixnerd

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger :twisted:

A week of this and you'll be a new man!

meanredspider

I can empathise a bit - blowing 30mph this evening and did the hilly version of my route home (nearly 1400ft in 15 miles according to Garmin) - 6500ft this week already in silly wind. HR was low because my thighs are tired. But as Unixnerd says, it'll make me a better rider.

ThatBikeGuy

unixnerd wrote:

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger :twisted:

A week of this and you'll be a new man!

+1 Nothing like a really strong headwind to give you a good workout!

gkerr4

unixnerd wrote:

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger :twisted:

A week of this and you'll be a new man!

or dead?

could go either way!

seriously, i hate the wind - not a lot fun in it, but it does make you stronger.

rolf_f

Given a choice of hilly with headwinds or flat with headwinds, I'd take hilly any day! Nothing worse than slogging mile after mile into a constant headwind on the flat.

meanredspider

Rolf F wrote:

Given a choice of hilly with headwinds or flat with headwinds, I'd take hilly any day! Nothing worse than slogging mile after mile into a constant headwind on the flat.

Normally you don't get a headwind up a hill much - the ascents I hate are the ones where you're climbing at an angle to the slope and there's a wind whipping around the corner.

mattshrops

no a downhill headwind is definitely the worst. the descent is the only thing that makes climbing worthwhile, then you have to pedal to go downhill grrr :twisted:

rolf_f

mattshrops wrote:

no a downhill headwind is definitely the worst. the descent is the only thing that makes climbing worthwhile, then you have to pedal to go downhill grrr :twisted:

I'm guessing you live in a fairly flat part of the country. Hills are what it is all about

Zachariah

Time to buy that fully-faired recumbent.

Bobbinogs

Zachariah wrote:

Time to buy that fully-faired recumbent.

...and give it to someone you don't like

rick_chasey

Wind is the flatlander's gradient.

rake

it must have been behind at some point?

StillGoing

From where I am, to get out into the countryside and safe decent roads, the wind is always behind me. Trouble is when I'm knackered and on the way home it's in my face. Now if I was north of the county I'd have the reverse and be a lot lot happier. Often changes mid day too to give a false sense of security.. Go out thinking I'm into a head wind only to find the direction changes and I come home into a head wind too.

defy3man

Came home in near gale force head wind last night, 6.95 mls with 2 long steady climbs of approx a mile each. Took me 48 mins, I was doing it in approx 33-36 mins on my mountain bike before the snow came last November. Yesterday was my first day cycling to work since and on my Giant Defy road bike. Better day today though. Up where I am, strong winds & rain are the norm, our ave summer temp is prob around 13-15 deg C.