25mph winds ...

...sure make a ride more interesting. Only added about 10 minutes to a normally 3 hr loop, but it sure seemed like I was working a lot harder. To top it off, a squall went through about a half hour before the end. Little droplets of water can sure sting when you're riding into a strong headwind.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you - after all, a ride is a ride.

[jpw]

70% of total drag is aerodynamic wind resistance and the plot on the graph isn't linear. It is indeed hard work and as the wind picks up it becomes disproportionately harder and harder. A great sense of achievement though when you've battled through.

I remember once having to take refuge by the side of a house because the wind had increased to such an extent that it was quite literally impossible to make forward progress.

Of course, a gusting wind is always the most annoying for a cyclist, and potentially very dangerous. Being past by high sided vehicles in strong winds is always 'fun'. It's that 'dam' effect, sudden, severe, and short. An almost instantaneous pulling and pushing instability through the wind. Not good.

Very windy at the moment. Hard going out, but nice coming back.

[TimD]

Monday we had some gusty winds in and around Boston. The weather report said 20 sustained gusting to 30.

Our lunchtime route included a 40 MPH descent (past the Nashoba Valley Winery for those of you in the 'hood). A crosswind blew me sideways about 10 feet at peak speed going down, that was exciting

[jpw]

10 feet. Noooooooo. Really? That's quite a lot. Disc wheels? Parachute?

[ChamUK]

One of the biggest advantages of riding my recumbent is that I feel like I literally slice through the headwinds. I have a fairly low bent. Although I also enjoy the extra effort, and challenge of riding hard through a headwind when I'm on my road bike.

[TimD]

Actually it was 11.1148776 feet.

TimD

[victoryfactory]

Wind? WIND? I laugh at the wind! 20mph 30mph HA! Bring it on. No puny wind can defeat me. I go the same speed no matter what the wind is. (11 mph)
VF

I remember reading that the most dangerous wind is that coming from the rider's left. We tend to lean into it, and, if it suddenly weakens, we might move to our left, possibly right into a passing car.

[vaxn8r]

My wife and I sometimes take our tandem to Utah and there's a canyon we head into where there is always a morning headwind of between 30-40mph. We ride into it until we almost can't take it anymore, 17-16-14-11-9 mph. Then we turn around. We hit over 30 before we feel the slightest head wind and can hit 40-45 mph on the flat with the wind at our backs. Exhilarating!

[jpw]

'Actually'.

I later found out that it was hailing, not just raining, which is why the water droplets seemed to sting so much.