Bike Rides : Wind :: Pop Rocks : Coke

[Bo Hart]

Neither combo mixes well.

I've started to go for nightly bike rides in an attempt to get into shape, and I've been greeted with 15-20 MPH winds. The end up of my route is uphill and I end up going at a snail's pace since the wind is blowing directly into me.

[clement]

Neither combo mixes well.

I've started to go for nightly bike rides in an attempt to get into shape, and I've been greeted with 15-20 MPH winds. The end up of my route is uphill and I end up going at a snail's pace since the wind is blowing directly into me.

Riding up that hill against the wind will probably help you achieve your goal.

[jim]

I used to ride alot along time ago, and the lesson is always go out AGAINST the wind so you have the wind at your back on the last part of your ride. The other thing to do is to find a group of riders similiar in strength, you can take turns sharing the brunt of the wind and draft off of your partners. Finding one extra rider will make a difference, riding with 8+ in a pack and you won't believe the difference it makes.

Wind sucks. Hills are great though.

[clement]

I used to ride alot along time ago, and the lesson is always go out AGAINST the wind so you have the wind at your back on the last part of your ride.

... if you have that luxury. Dammit i don't care which way the wind is blowing today. I got up at 8:30 to go riding and it's now 12:30pm. Been pouring cats & dogs all morning. Anyone know of an anti-rain dance?

[jim]

I used to ride alot along time ago, and the lesson is always go out AGAINST the wind so you have the wind at your back on the last part of your ride.

... if you have that luxury. Dammit i don't care which way the wind is blowing today. I got up at 8:30 to go riding and it's now 12:30pm. Been pouring cats & dogs all morning. Anyone know of an anti-rain dance?

If you are riding to get somewhere, then you don't have a choice. But when I was riding seriously, I don't ever remember going out with the wind and coming back against. You planned your ride based on the wind.

I worked with a women who was out of shape and in her late 40's. She bought a bike, thought she would get some exercise. She comes back to work Monday and can hardly walk. Seems that she got her shiny new bike on Sunday, and proceeded to ride a 25mph tailwind for an hour and a half. She about killed herself getting back, completely underestimating how far she had gone and just how much longer it would take against the wind.

Lesson learned.

If you are really serious about riding, I really recommend finding a club/group. Riding solo can get to be a drag, both physically and mentally. Riding a bike is different than running, even intense rides allow for some periods of short conversation, not to mention riding in the draft which makes a huge difference. When I was in good shape, I could go out solo and average 20-22 mph on a 30-40 mile ride. But that was really humping it for an hour and half, pretty much to the as hard as I could ride and I was pretty much fried after a ride like that. I did a race once where a pack of 100 riders mostly stayed together the entire race, and the average speed was over 28 mph. That was like a walk in the park, I could have ridden all day like that. You just get sucked up in the draft and pretty much coast.