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Cycling on windy days

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  • October 10, 2011 at 9:16 pm #14344
    londonplayer

    Have you ever noticed how when you cycle on a windy day, whatever direction you’re heading in, you always feel as if you’re cycling into the wind?

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  • December 31, 2012 at 10:12 am #656113
    0
    dave atkinson

    Simon_MacMichael

    Simon_MacMichael wrote:
    londonplayer wrote:
    surely you should be able to go much faster when the wind is behind you? but I have never actually experienced this. anybody?

    Hell yeah. Took a ride out to Moreton last year, got there in super quick time. When it took twice as long to get home straight into a headwind, I realised why :”(

    went out round the north of Bath yesterday in ‘mixed’ conditions. got hit by a big shower and associated wind as we were heading east on an exposed flat stretch, got blown along at 50km/h+ for about four miles. it was *ace*

    it was quite a lot less ace when we turned for home though 😕

    December 30, 2012 at 11:57 pm #656111
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    Simon_MacMichael

    londonplayer wrote:surely you

    londonplayer wrote:
    surely you should be able to go much faster when the wind is behind you? but I have never actually experienced this. anybody?

    Hell yeah. Took a ride out to Moreton last year, got there in super quick time. When it took twice as long to get home straight into a headwind, I realised why :”(

    December 30, 2012 at 11:48 pm #656109
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    londonplayer

    Amazed that this thread has
    Amazed that this thread has been resurrected. We need a similar discussion about rain.

    December 30, 2012 at 10:29 pm #656107
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    Raleigh

    OHMIGOD
    S’been soo windy
    OHMIGOD 😀

    S’been soo windy in Suffolk this entire week.

    I normally work hard in headers and recover in tails, but THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN HEADWINDS

    :”(

    December 30, 2012 at 10:17 pm #656105
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    SideBurn

    Raleigh mentioned this thread
    Raleigh mentioned this thread on another forum; so thought I would resurrect it…again! Somewhat appropriate especially round here; more gale force wind and heavy rain tonight….. Will either get to work in 5 mins or 5 hours!

    December 13, 2011 at 8:45 pm #656103
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    giff77

    Went to get my bike to go to
    Went to get my bike to go to work – gone bar two skewers 🙁 flat mates thought that in light of the ‘stronger’ winds it was a ‘good’ idea to hide the bike. They also hid the wheels. The single speed was there though, minus wheels as well I should add.

    December 13, 2011 at 3:52 pm #656101
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    cat1commuter

    Wherever I ride I feel like
    Wherever I ride I feel like there’s a 30 kph headwind.

    December 13, 2011 at 2:15 pm #656099
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    bashthebox

    Strong winds in London
    Strong winds in London terrify me. Feel like I’m going to be swept under a lorry all the time – guess the big rucksack makes me all the more blowable.

    I just came up with a theory about winds in your face all the time. Tall buildings funnel the strong winds straight down from above, and when they hit the ground they’ll spread out in all directions. So that’s why the big gusts come from front, back and sides.

    I eagerly await someone to tell me I’m talking nonsense.

    December 13, 2011 at 10:48 am #656097
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    SideBurn

    I feel the need to resurrect
    I feel the need to resurrect this posting. Just cycled home from work; I feel like I have been assaulted by an industrial hairdryer. Thats without mentioning the lightning, rain, sleet and hail. I actually quite enjoyed it! No such thing as bad weather; just the wrong clothes! If I say it enough I might believe it myself.

    December 2, 2011 at 1:26 pm #656095
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    arrieredupeleton

    I’ve a theory for this
    I’ve a theory for this thesis. You are far less aerodynamic on a bike at going into the wind i.e. the position of the torso, head and arms effectively ‘scoop’ the air and slow you down. But look at a cyclist from behind and its a far more sleeker position (even if I say so myself). Therefore a tailwind just blows over you and doesn’t give you that added assistance we all crave.

    The answer is to create a sail (which the UCI ban under the ‘fairing’ rule) or to sit on the bike backwards like a rower would. I can just see Cancellara and Martin’s revised TT positions.

    December 1, 2011 at 8:46 pm #656093
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    shollin

    @giff77, think of it as good
    @giff77, think of it as good training 😉

    December 1, 2011 at 8:16 pm #656091
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    giff77

    Huge mistake, took the fixie
    Huge mistake, took the fixie to work. Head wind for five miles both ways. At one stage the gusts were so strong I was down to 2mph. Llegs are still burning

    December 1, 2011 at 6:36 pm #656089
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    phy2sll

    So: warmer, drier and
    So: warmer, drier and windier.

    Also, wind direction was much more focussed this year:

    2010
    Most frequent wind direction: SW (11%)
    2nd most frequent: WSW (10%)

    2011
    Most frequent wind direction: SW (18%)
    2nd most frequent: SSW (14%)

    Fascinating stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree! :B

    December 1, 2011 at 6:01 pm #656087
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    phy2sll

    Geeky stats for
    Geeky stats for y’all:

    http://road.cc/sites/default/files/weather stats.JPG

    I think these measurements are from Gatwick, so slightly Londoncentric, sorry. :B

    First eleven months of both years BTW. Trying to be as consistent as possible.

    December 1, 2011 at 5:49 pm #656085
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    shollin

    If you can’t get your bike to
    If you can’t get your bike to stay on the ground so you can actually get on the thing then you know it’s windy! :”(

    http://www.cyclingbrussels.be/?p=387

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