Headwinds and steep, long hills...
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Headwinds and steep, long hills...
This is just wrong! Twice in the last month I have hit headwinds going up a long steep hill on the morning commute to work. It is just wrong!
Just saying!
Just saying!
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Part of the game. If only twice, that's a good month for me.
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Take it up with Management.
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The SCT crosses our road, and is part of my daily commute. I only see 1 or 2 other cyclists a week this time of year, this week it was "that guy" with helmet and bike lights on high exercising no courtesy.
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In the morning the wind is coming in from the Pacific and in the evening it's "sundowners" coming off the hills...
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This time of year headwinds on hills isn't much fun, but in general I prefer a headwind while climbing to keep me cool. Nothing is worse than a gentle tailwind when you're climbing a 6-8% hill in bright sunlight at 90F. You get NO cooling from all the sweat!
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I also prefer headwinds climbing vs. descending long grades. That's because the net effect of the wind is lower at lower speeds. Drag is proportional to wind speed, so consider the difference when riding slower (climbing) vs faster in the same 15mph wind.
Riding 6mph on a steep climb the drag is proportional to 15+5 squared or 441. Now same wind but with a 20mph shallow descent. The drag is proportional to 35 squared or 1225. Almost triple.
Final analysis, at low speed a headwind cools me, at higher speeds it kills me.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
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“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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Other week: 28 mile ride: 25 mph headwind: 40 mph gusts: 43 degrees: wind shifted at turn around: rain last 30 minutes: 800 ft climbing: died: somehow averaged 15.2
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Yep, I've gone to school on a hill. Out the door of my house, and headed up the hill. Then coming home, it was out the door of the school and uphill again. I never had to worry about getting cold in the mornings as the hill was good at warming me up. Yep, there was the zipping around the loop at the top of the hill, and that brief downhill, but those uphill rides were the memorable parts.
As far as the winds, it is not uncommon for the morning and afternoon winds to be in the opposite direction. The trick is to choose a location for one's home to take advantage of the natural wind patterns.
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Maybe not possible for the whole route. But, especially on a bike... you can spend 20 minutes going uphill and 2 minutes back down (or so). So if your hill is in the middle, it sure seems like one is going uphill both ways.
Yep, I've gone to school on a hill. Out the door of my house, and headed up the hill. Then coming home, it was out the door of the school and uphill again. I never had to worry about getting cold in the mornings as the hill was good at warming me up. Yep, there was the zipping around the loop at the top of the hill, and that brief downhill, but those uphill rides were the memorable parts.
As far as the winds, it is not uncommon for the morning and afternoon winds to be in the opposite direction. The trick is to choose a location for one's home to take advantage of the natural wind patterns.
Yep, I've gone to school on a hill. Out the door of my house, and headed up the hill. Then coming home, it was out the door of the school and uphill again. I never had to worry about getting cold in the mornings as the hill was good at warming me up. Yep, there was the zipping around the loop at the top of the hill, and that brief downhill, but those uphill rides were the memorable parts.
As far as the winds, it is not uncommon for the morning and afternoon winds to be in the opposite direction. The trick is to choose a location for one's home to take advantage of the natural wind patterns.
Another common occurrence is to have a cold front come through during the day, where the temperature drops all day long (high temperature for the day happens at midnight). So in the morning I'll have a headwind from the south, and in the afternoon a colder headwind from the north. Those are the absolute worst days for me. One day it was in the 60's and raining in the morning. That afternoon it was dry, but in the 40's about to hit the 30's. Miserable. *edit* I just looked it up on Strava, it was one year ago this week actually. Morning commute I had a west wind changing to north, with rain, 60 degrees. Afternoon commute was a NE wind (the worst, headwind every way I turned), and 36!
Last edited by PatrickGSR94; 12-04-15 at 04:10 PM.
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I just mapped out a 16 mile west/east route that, if timed exactly wrong, should provide headwinds in both directions. Fortunately it's mostly downhill on the return trip. But if I leave an hour or so before sunset heading west there's usually at least a quartering wind in my face. And as the temperature cools near sunset it'll switch directions. So, double the workout? Trying to think positive here.
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I just mapped out a 16 mile west/east route that, if timed exactly wrong, should provide headwinds in both directions. Fortunately it's mostly downhill on the return trip. But if I leave an hour or so before sunset heading west there's usually at least a quartering wind in my face. And as the temperature cools near sunset it'll switch directions. So, double the workout? Trying to think positive here.
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That's a very glass-is-half-full kind of attitude, and I really wished that I could feel lucky to be facing a stiff headwind on both trips...but I always feel like if I fought the wind in the morning then I should be paid back in kind on the way home, or if I got a free ride in the morning I don't mind paying back in the afternoon. Fair is fair, right?
Yet, some people have too many tailwinds, but that is a completely different topic!
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