Return of the wind...

briantrumpet

Dang - holidays here, ready to ride, and there's a week of strong winds forecast, gusting up to 30mph most days. Ho hum, time to be creative with route planning to avoid 40 mile homeward slogs directly into the wind.

Looking at the wind for today, it looks like anyone cycling in Norfolk will end up in the North Sea.

danowat

Pffftt, it's only a bit of wind, if you aren't used to it now, you might aswell jack cycling in!!!.

On the same subject, I was watching a program about weather, and it stated we are the windiest country in Europe, with a yearly average wind speed of 12mph.....

Secteur

danowat wrote:

we are the windiest country in Europe, with a yearly average wind speed of 12mph.....

So why don't Brits keep winning Le Tour??!!!

Pross

Did it ever go away? I have done time trials pretty much every other Thursday night for the past 2 summers and only had one night without a stiff breeze (typically the first one this year when I was driving off on holiday).

Did my longest ride in 15 years on Saturday, not a breathe of wind when I set out then after about 20 miles I had a slight tail wind. By time I turned around it had got stronger and the last 25 miles, with my knees in agony and having hauled by 'big boned' body up Symonds Yat Rock it was blowing hard. Factor in the huge downpour on the steepest part of the climb and it was one of the most miserable rides of my life :oops:

briantrumpet

danowat wrote:

Pffftt, it's only a bit of wind

Probably enough to power a medium-sized town for a couple of days, or Jeremy Clarkson's mouth for a couple of hours.

danowat

Use it as an excuse to try and get more aero!

briantrumpet

danowat wrote:

Use it as an excuse to try and get more aero!

If I get much more aero, I'll be holding the handlebars with my teeth.

danowat

Hmmm.......aero.............

gavbarron

briantrumpet wrote:

Looking at the wind for today, it looks like anyone cycling in Norfolk will end up in the North Sea.

You're not wrong there! Been blown all over the place today but it only makes you stronger and to be honest, Norfolk without winds would be just too easy. It's "character building" as my old man would say

merak

If I'm ever planning to go somewhere where they are long steady climbs, and in the absence of long climbs locally to use for training, I head out to the fens and ride 20 miles into a head wind - it's the best training for climbing long hills next to climbing long hills. Riding into wind is depressing if you fight it but ok if you use it - interesting psychology.

Was windy today but really enjoyable. What's better than riding along on the flat at 27mph pretending to be a pro.

gavbarron

I agree, a long windy day is hard work and you never know if/when it'll stop. Imagine climbing a hill and not knowing where the top was!
All good fun

briantrumpet

Nice ride home from town just now: if only the cars hadn't been sticking to the speed limit I'd have been home sooner. (But of course I'm sure it was completely my power that did it, not a tailwind. The trees are normally bent over like that.)

WisePranker

If you reckon the wind's bad at the moment, wait until the ride home on Thursday if you're a London commuter. It's either going to be really hard work or a very quick commute



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keef66

I didn't go out on Saturday when it was flat calm, instead waited till Sunday by which time it was quite breezy. At one point I was blown halfway across the road as I passed a gap in the hedge. Quite exciting!

jame58rown

OMG....It was windy as fook today....you know when you feel like every peddle stroke is a battle through porridge and you just seem to go incredibly slowly?

I bailed on a 50km ride due to a combination of the wind and creaky cranks :oops: ....why do I always get creaky cranks! :evil:

Yes, not the best training day today

merak

jame58rown wrote:

Yes, not the best training day today

I would say great training day today. And all the people who didn't bail on their rides but did the hard miles are rubbing their hands with glee. When the wind is howling and the rain is coming down in stair-rods celebrate because that's when you can gain a training advantage. Rule #5 and rule #6. HTFU.

gavbarron

merak wrote:

Rule #5

Why this wasn't Rule #1 I'll never know!

merak

Oh - and rule #9. In fact, with regard to weather, above all, rule #9.

optimisticbiker

why is it always a westerly or a southerly when i ride into work and a westerly or northerly when i ride home... just once I'd like a tailwind...

I struggled tonight to keep the bike on the straight or keep moving - at one point i was down to 10mph the wind was so strong

merak

I think it was westerly all day. If you never get a tailwind, check that your brakes aren't rubbing

sloppyschleckonds

Calm today, get some miles in before it returns

optimisticbiker

merak wrote:

I think it was westerly all day. If you never get a tailwind, check that your brakes aren't rubbing

Sadly my ride is mainly north-south, the bit that is east-west in the morning rarely gets a tailwind because of the buildings in London, it just usually ends up coming from all directions, yet going home on the west-east bit its always a headwind


and no, the brakes are fine....

keef66

I take it all back. I went out last night and had a tailwind on the way out. Sufficiently warmed up I prepared for a struggle on the way back but found it a bit easier than I'd feared and recorded a slightly faster time than I usually do!

Ringo 68

I have just done my usual 15 mile route and as I came out of the country into my estate it looked as though I was going to break my best time by at least 2 minutes until the wind hit me and I was stopped dead in my tracks.

Still managed to shave off a minute but the last mile or so was a killer.

jame58rown

merak wrote:

jame58rown wrote:

Yes, not the best training day today

I would say great training day today. And all the people who didn't bail on their rides but did the hard miles are rubbing their hands with glee. When the wind is howling and the rain is coming down in stair-rods celebrate because that's when you can gain a training advantage. Rule #5 and rule #6. HTFU.

I ride through wind all the time, I bailed because my cranks where clicking and clacking, the wind just made it worse.

briantrumpet

Not nearly so lively today (more at http://www.xcweather.co.uk/):



Was actually splendid for a ride - enough to give something to push against on the outward leg (but not enough to make me go backwards), and to give a push for most of the homeward. Ended up doing 49.9 lumpy miles at 19.9mph. Happy.

Now I need to eat some Aero, I think. Isn't that right?

Dan Ingram

I managed 33 mph on the flat with a full on sea front tail wind last night then spent the rest of the ride in a head wind at about 10mph oh the joys of living by the seaside

briantrumpet

Ho hum .... forecast daytime winds gusting to 33mph, 36mph, 33mph, 32mph for the next four days. Lovely. The Tour of Britain could be interesting if this carries on...

RoadyForever

I went on a hilly ride earlier, I had a strong head wind and black cloud on the horizon going up (I got soaked on the top of the hill). Fun going back down on a B road, very fast coming back!

Looks like this summer is almost over

izzy Eviel

RoadyForever wrote:

I went on a hilly ride earlier, I had a strong head wind and black cloud on the horizon going up (I got soaked on the top of the hill). Fun going back down on a B road, very fast coming back!

Looks like this summer is almost over

Never started! :twisted:

Peddle Up!

Ye Gods! :shock:

I've been riding in the Cotswolds today and got swept up by turbulent winds that had me like a leaf in a gale. I took one right-hander and a gust almost blew me upright!