ShooterK2

I normally pride myself in not letting the weather dictate whether I ride to work or not, but today's forecast calls for 68 degrees with 25-35 mph winds with GUSTS TO OVER 55 MPH!! That's high, even for western Oklahoma. I'll take 25 degrees and calm over this any day.................and part of my commute is on a busy divided 4 lane with traffic whizzing by at 50 mph. That kind of wind makes it absolutely dangerous: hard to stay on the shoulder without weaving into the lane of traffic. I guess I'm taking the car....
I'm a fairly new commuter (been riding to work for about six months), but I have to say, honestly, that this is the first time I've let the WEATHER stop me from riding. I can deal with cold, rain, even a little snow (we don't usually get a lot here), and usually even the wind. But this is just too much.

Ricekilla

Wonder what that feels like, must be a PITA. Had some strong headwind today, in the direction that I commute in for 90 percent of the time. I yelled out, " Please somebody stop the wing!!!".
Yeah yeah, but I do understand it's making me stronger, especially on a fixed.

spock

The other night I was going downhill and the wind almost knocked me over because I was moving too fast. I don't know if it was 25 to 35 mph, but I guess, you gotta go slow to increase your chances of staying on the bike with a tight grip. I'd rather be in the rain then high winds.

InfiniteRegress

Yeah, I have trouble riding in wind. I don't know if it's because I'm smallish (about 115 lbs) but I get blown around considerably in the wind. I had a wipe out once that was caused by a wind gust. Ever since then, I avoid bike commuting in really high winds. Gusts over 55mph is WAY too much for me to handle. Maybe I should tie some bricks to my bike or something?

ghettocruiser

A massive tailwind on the way to work is often a buy-now-pay-later deal.

Jtgyk

It's not fun when you have to pedal on the downhills!

frankenmike 

Here in NM, we get massive winds. I just try to think of them as a substitute for long climbs, which we don't have. There's a limit, though... once on a MTB ride, I topped a ridge to be greeted by 50+ mph winds, which not only blew me over, but also picked up my bike like a kite! I had to lay down, holding the bike on top of me until the wind lulled just enough to be able to walk across the ridge. (we call the spot wind ridge)

GV27

Yup!

Funny story remotely related: I grew up in Boulder, CO and we'd get these massive wind storms in the winter called "Chinooks" ("snow-eater" in some Indian language). The wind would fall down the mountain, compress and get faster. So they'd be very strong but very warm as well. Go from 10deg and snowing one day to 50+ deg the next day. Gusts commonly over 100mph. I went out one morning and wore a jacket and opened it up, spread it out with my arms and "sailed" for miles down wind. Turned around and tried to ride. Made it a little way but really couldn't. Started pushing. After awhile came to a pay phone. Called home - "MOM! Come and get me!!!!". LOL

huhenio

Hills are an excersise in willpower, but winds build character.

coldfeet

Yup, here too, big time. No word of a lie, I have seen the temperature go up 15C in under 2 minutes.

One morning started out with about 6 inches of snow, packed down well on the yard we were working, by lunch, there was a river running through, by home time, the yard was close to bare. When it's really blowing a Chinook, it can be really freaky at times, the snow pretty much evaporates rather than melting, the air is so dry, it just sucks it up.

ShooterK2

I can handle the OCCASIONAL gust of wind, but days like this with just nothing BUT high wind all day, these days stink. I feel like I didn't do something right if I go all day without riding, but I just don't see how to make it happen today. Maybe I should invest in one of those fancy-schmancy trainer thingys so I can pedal indoors...........

Scheherezade 

We get some pretty decent winds in central Minnesota as well (along with snow and cold, =).

I can pretty vividly remember cussing out the wind several times during extra windy days. I wonder what cagers think when they pass a cyclist screaming,

"#$&# you wind! JUST GO AWAY!"

yrrej

Maybe my memory has started to go but i thought coming in to Albuquerque there where
pretty good 'hills' (Sandia?)

Jerry

Bat22

Once upon a time, I did an 80 mile trip. The 40 mile return was into a 45 mph headwind.
It felt like every muscle in my body was sore for a week.
Ever since, heavy wind rides don't really bother me as much as other
riders. I learned how to deal with it I guess.

I_bRAD

But a massive headwind on the way out is a sweet payout on the way home. Unless of course the storm arrives and the wind switches direction at the turn around point!

huhenio

Yup

Santa Fe ski area is worse ... or better

crhilton

I just finished a 22 mile ride in 25mph winds with 35mph gusts. The first half was straight into the wind and uphill (which cuts the wind) on open highways. It was finally over 50 degrees here in Nebraska .

The second half was a blast. It's a little disconcerting to hear your bearings so clearly.

It's rough, you go slow, and it's a little depressing. It's workable though. 55mph gusts I think I dealt with once but I was in the city (so they're maybe half as bad). If I had to ride highways I'd be tempted to call a taxi or find a ride on a day like that. I'm not sure if I could keep the bike up with a 55mph cross gust!

iflyskyhawks

On my commute home this past Tuesday, I was traveling into a direct headwind with gusts between 25-30mph. It was brutal. Every once in awhile I'd get hit by a gust that knocked me off balance. The blowing sand/dust didn't help, either. My eyes were watery and irritated and my legs burning.

BUT, I made it. And I always remind myself that no one said bicycle commuting was EASY. It is what it is and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Winds are not always evil. I did a ride the weekend before and after 6-9mph headwind pain we zoomed back to the start with a tailwind that got me up to 40mph. Weee!

ShooterK2

I know what you mean about hearing your bearings with a good tailwind. It happens to me on a regular basis either on my way to work, or on my way home. I guess I need to take a long ride like that on a really windy (45+ mph) day to get more acclimated to the wind. Like I said, today was the first time I have let weather decide whether I ride or not, and safety in traffic was the main issue. I have a friend in the hospital here and needed to be flown to Amarillo, TX to a bigger medical center today, but Air-Evac refused to fly him, citing the wind as being to high. They had to drive him.

ghettocruiser

There have been a few rides I've thought about the subway or GO Train on the return trip into a gale.

Kind of a road riding equivalent of lift-access mountain biking.

dclaryjr

Roger that! My worst case ever was riding some 45 miles into a headwind from Las Vegas to Indian Springs, only to have the wind reverse shortly after starting back. I ended up bonking with with about five miles to go, and spent 30 minutes sitting outside a 7-11 stuffing Twinkies in my mouth and washing 'em down with Coke. What a gawd-awful experience!

krater

When it's blowing in my face on the morning commute, the thing I say to myself is, "I want winds just as strong on the way home tonight, okay?"

Sonoma76

50 mph is a tough one.

We get these every fall, it's called the Santa Ana winds, and it's a hot, dry wind that predictably blows from the north east. They are usually between 25-35, and gust up to 70 in the canyons around here.

So my ride into work is an ABSOLUTE MONSTER, while my ride home is usually record breaking.

JMRobertson

What? No HTFU comment yet?

Jtgyk

< What? No HTFU comment yet? >



"Waaah! It's blowing TOOO HAaaaard! I wanna stay home and be comfy & waaarm!"

Well Boo Eff'in Hoo! Everyone here should quitcher' bichin' an get out there!
Buncha' Pansys!

(...of course you know this excludes me....I've got this condition....an...and...um...STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!..........I really need to drink hot liquids while surfing the web with the cat on my lap......really....no really!.....um...................................oh poopy...)

There is that better?