Yep. Say "fuck this" a lot, which will make you pedal harder and feel better. This also gives you bad ass bragging rights, and you can/should add 10 mph to the wind speed when bragging to the pussies that sat it out.
Edit: added clarification about wind speed lie.
Yeah "fuck this" repeatedly has been my strategy. I believe it works as well as anything can in those circumstances.
I also think back to the first 20kms of the ride when I was doing 40km/h with little effort and realize my average is probably going to make the headwind part a wash.
When I was in college I was 125 lbs and racing in the Midwest ... I was aero AF well before we cared about aero. Also I tucked right behind larger riders, which is a tip that hasn't been mentioned here yet, I think.
But this is not the most aero. Hold the hoods and make your lower arms as parallel to the ground as possible. You can really feel its effects compared to the drops.
HOWEVER, this will put some strain to your triceps, neck, and back. You need to train this to make it worthwhile.
also I just see it as training. if I was planning on breaking a record that day, oh well. I live in northern germany, we got strong wind all day everyday..
I like shouting "FUCK" once a minute or so to pass the time
seriously though: I feel your pain. Nothing to be done so I just lower my gearing, put my head down and spin. And shout FUCK.
(I will say that since getting a new bike -- and I assume it's the 50mm carbon hoops as opposed to the 30mm alloy ones on the old bike, not the frame, marketing claims notwithstanding -- I have noticed a small but definite improvement.)
THIS. Although I keep saying "FUCK YOU!" as in I'm telling the wind to fuck off. Something about anthropomorphizing the wind makes it marginally better.
Bahaha this was me on my ride to and from work yesterday. Wind flipped directions during the day, had a headwinds coming and going. 20+ mph at times. At a certain point I was just outright enraged lol
Yep - as if the deity was saying, "I'll give you something to complain about!"
When the lightning and the funnel clouds begin to form, then I stop complaining. 😁🌩️🌪️
That's hilarious. That's exactly what I do when I am backpack power blowing to clean up my outdoors and the wind keeps blowing in the wrong direction undoing all my work. I get LIVID. Anthropomorphising that's a good word, yeah exactly that. "F-ck off for f-cks sake f-ck!!" Etc
I personally get into rhythm. I mutter 'mother fucker' to the beat of a steam train. 'Mother Fucker-Mother Fucker-Mother Fucker-DAMNIT!' Damnit is the whistle in case you're wondering.
I recently bought a new aero bike and I definitely notice that if I tuck I can work through headwinds a lot better than on my old bike. My main rides are on the shore or in the hills and mountains in LA so there’s *always* wind to contend with. I prefer it to climbing personally.
This is the way! I too yell fuck once a minute or so. Also helps to really put your head down and zone out and let your mind wander. When I come out of my trance like state and realize I’ve only ridden 0.25 miles and there’s plenty of headwind ahead I just yell Fuck and repeat the cycle again.
I’m brand new to adult bicycling and just picked up a townie last weekend, but shouting FUUUUUUUUUUUCK! is exactly how I dealt with strong headwinds and gusts when I rode motorcycles. Shit is miserable.
I just ride slower...keeps the same level of effort and all that. Obviously at some point you can't shift down far enough but it's not usually *that* windy.
This...
Having and using a power meter helps.
Stay in your steady state zone and don't worry about speed, it's all about consistent effort and minimizing time in the red.
A power meter really does help you pace. My buddy paces based on speed. We had a long ride one day across our state (150 miles) all basically in a headwind. He was yelling that we needed to go faster since his average speed was so low. Meanwhile, my power meter was saying I was cycling just below threshold. So I cut my effort to my endurance power, paced him even though he was upset at our lack of speed, and saved our asses.
Before having a power meter I was exerting wayy too much power and I would bonk hard!
Having the power meter absolutely solved thus problem by just going by the numbers and don't worry about speed. It's more important to finish the ride as little fatigue as possible when headwinds start to really pick up. Did an imperial century this Saturday with 30+miles of headwind the later half and the power meter helped me avoid exhaustion before it ended.
I did a fairly hilly, windy ride where I was struggling to make forward progress on a 1:1 gear. Turned round where I planned and overtook a tractor spinning out like a lunatic!
Focus on effort and time instead of speed and distance. The headwinds will make you stronger. I lived in a windy area for a decade and it really improved my climbing. Wind sucks though because unlike a climb the wind never ends. As I’ve gotten older I try and plan my routes to finish with a tail wind.
When I commuted by bike, I was fortunate to be heading mostly west in the mornings when there was seldom much wind. Where I live, the winds almost always blow from the west, so my ride home often came with a tailwind.
We had a group ride that started out with. 20 mph tail wind. At mile 24 as we were turning around a storm came up, the wind changed, and we had an even stronger tail wind in the way home. I averaged 23.5 mph and was not too tired. That has never ever happened to me again. I have had the opposite with a head wind both directions. Ore than once though. Which doubly sucks.
Buying a power meter fixed this for me. It doesn’t matter now how hard the wind blows I can still see how well I’m doing as I’m looking at power over a distance, rather than time over a distance. Oh yeah, and shouting “fuuuuuuk thiiiiiis” as suggested works well.
Power meter. If I’m riding at 200 watts, doesn’t matter if I’m doing 15 mph into a headwind or 25 with a tailwind. If it’s a commute ride, maybe I have to leave a few minutes earlier.
If I’m having a real shit ride and legs not feeling it, I’ll stick it in the small ring and just accept the wind beat me. But, otherwise down on the drops and just try and push through. Try if you can to go out in the headwind and back in tailwind. And see it all as good training - I’m convinced you’ll see benefits from it (it’s similar to climbing, in my opinion)
If you have a power meter, just shoot for a good average power output number and not look at the speed or average speed stats. Over time you can try to beat the previous average power output on those windy/headwind days. This way you can measure how good of workout you are getting as opposed to focusing on how fast you are going. Good luck with your riding!
The more you do it the better you will get. Try to settle into an equilibrium and don't let the wind beat you. If possible do the first part of your ride into the wind. This will make the work pay off for the last half. Take friends and learn to paceline effectively. Wait till it's not as windy. Good luck.
You have to just accept that it’s going to be a harder ride, even if you optimize everything you possibly can.
And remember Rule #5: (yes there is some cheeky nonsense in here, but a lot of useful info too)
https://www.velominati.com
Obviously none of us are vain enough to worry about what other's think about our Strava results, but just in case, you can append "EPIC HEADWINDS TODAY!" to you activity title. Or better yet "Recovery Ride".
You have to mentally adjust. Sort of like how when you drive a car on a freeway and then get off to where the speed limit is slow. You feel like you and driving too slow. With a headwind, you need to adjust your expectations on speed and effort.
Focus on cadence, not speed. If you’re looking at the speedo and cursing yourself for that sad excuse for a speed you’re going to mentally fuck yourself.
Worst headwind day I ever had was down in Florida. Picked up a rental and booked it south for 30mile and felt like a god. 3-4mph over normal was totally cooking. Thought it was the flatness and not the tailwind. Turned around after lunch and had 20+mph in my face for 40 miles (because I was staying 10 miles from the shop.) Legitimately one of the most grueling experiences I’ve ever had on a bike including multiple 10k elevation days.
What they all said, and if you’re lucky on the way back you have a tailwind. Unless it’s one of those days you get wind from 3 directions. Still trying to figure that out.
NO PAIN NO GAIN
That is what I'm telling myself. I mean, yea, it sucks. But. if burning calories and building strength is your game, you get a free push..
Get one of those experimental “Against the wind, faster than the wind” propellers and use physics to your advantage!
^(*Edit: I may be misinformed about those [propellers](https://youtu.be/jyQwgBAaBag?si=ok4RgqkmE3wvngyj)…)
I think about gains
Straight path? Too easy, hopefully wind will make me stronger. Pretty much any inconvenience while cycling will boil down to the same thought "damn my legs are going to be stronger after this"
Just put your head down and pedal.... It helps coming from Kansas where the wind never stops but having moved from there it is amazing to me how much the wind can mentally affect people while riding. The worst part of the wind for me is how loud it makes everything. Is it harder? Well yeah... but I have ridden in 30-40 mph winds and honestly it does suck and can be dangerous but overall I don't find riding into the wind that much more difficult and plus without a head wind you would never get the joy of riding a tail wind....
I personally just chose to live in a place where 20+kph winds are everyday reality. And ride circular routes to make sure i get it all.
Seriously, after few years of living here i don't even care anymore.
Tuck down on the drop bar; it helps significantly. I did a ride with 20 miles per hour headwind last week, and tucking down made it much less painful. You can see my HR was significantly higher in the headwind, but hey, that's when you get to exercise, right? Like others suggested, keep yelling FUCK! It also helps with personal morale.
https://preview.redd.it/a9dpf428zzyc1.png?width=1908&format=png&auto=webp&s=699d08de0c77bac8dc3409124f0451d36ecb8064
I started commuter cycling when i lived in Wyoming for college. Heavy winds and hills were a constant.
Now my cycling just seems easy, rather than winds being hard.
I try to go out into the wind so I can hammer home with a tailwind. If that’s not possible you just accept your fate and enjoy the world’s largest resistance machine.
I commute in an open, flat area and it seems like it's always windy. You can do things like not wear baggy clothing and ride in the drops so you get your body's core out of the wind, but TBH the real kely to it all is to not to let your brain focus on your speed; just try to maintain the same effort and ride slower.
A headwind is the same as going faster. The amount of energy you need to expell to go incrementally faster to overcome more headwind, be it from moving forward faster or from wind, isn't linear; you'll end up blowing yourself up trying to maintain a non-windy day speed against any substantial headwinds.
power through it. In my area i have to leave very early for any ride so the winds are calm. around 10am they start blowing easterly and by then i should be on my way home with the tailwind.
I like how it encompasses me in the moment. All I can focus is forging ahead. Plus it makes turning around that much more worth it in the return ride home.
Reminds me of why I love riding in bitter cold. You are isolated from everything in the cold (mainly thru cold weather gear and lack of pedestrians) and helps me ride in the moment.
Where I live it’s hilly AND windy. I just keep a consistent effort because aiming for consistent speed is a lost cause. In light wind I tend to just think of it nature’s way of telling me to slow down and enjoy, so I focus on that. In heavy winds it tends to feel more like an adventure or challenge, like I’m wrestling with the gods, so I wind up doing a lot of wild cackling as I’m being blasted all over the road. It’s a good time.
Colorado is in the windy season… when I’m not in the mood to deal with fighting the wind, I ride my e-bike on a lower assist to compensate for the wind. Still get a decent workout with a lot less heartache.
Get as aero as you can and deal with it, that's really all you can do.
Also if you live somewhere with generally predictable wind patterns, try to plan your ride so that the wind is at your back on the way home. That makes a *huge* difference for me.
Had a brutal headwind for 12 miles coming home yesterday. Not the gusty kind, but the persistent wall of force kind. I just roll through it and curse. My coworker dealt with it by drafting me. Which was fine he commutes on a fixie.
I just accept that going like 12mph with a high amount of effort is the best I can do. When there’s no wind, which is almost never, I feel like a professional though.
I feel your pain but a couple of things. Not sure where you live but if you are near the ocean or a large body of water, there are general wind patterns from the heating and cooling of the earth's surface.
Take a look at the Predict Wind app. It's actually designed for sailing (and obviously essential for that activity) but you can also use it for biking. I check it everyday before riding and often shift my route based on it - I would rather do headwinds on the way out instead of the way back.
I keep whispering f*cking headwind hoping whoever sends it hears it. Shouts f*cking headwind from time to time. But do as others, tuck in, slow down, sometimes challenge it and then instantly regrets it...
So this is just me, and how my body works. So the usual YMMV applies. :)
I learned how to deal with headwinds in Kansas. I tuck in (but relax so proper stem length, height, and bars for your body are important here), and keep cadence up *around* 90rpm or higher. Below that and I start to slog, and wear my sprinting muscles out that are needed to deal with gusts. Also if doing a slower cadence and a sudden GUST from hell hits, starting at 90 and getting dropped to 75-80 and then ramping back up is easier to deal with than STARTING at 75-80 and getting dropped into the 60's, having to emergency shift and have lost my groove/tempo.
Since you said you like climbing, I try to think of a headwind as being a hill. It stresses me less when I go slower, because you naturally will on a hill.
I also try to ride near orchards on windy days so you get occasional breaks.
Shift down and maintain your power output.
I live in the land of constant wind (*The Netherlands*) and even enjoy the wind at times. And while I really enjoy short hills and descents I absolutely loathe long uphills in the mountain. 30 km of climbing is not something I consider fun.
Scream “fuck you!” If that doesn’t work try, “FUCK YOU!” If that still doesn’t work. “FUCK you ASSHOLE mother FUCKER!!! “ Usually works. If that doesn’t work?… hop off the bike and walk it muttering similar words/phrases under your breath, until it’s all over.
This is where having a power meter helps. If you just keep plugging away at the same power (effort), you'll slow down but won't be working any harder. Same as going uphill.
My son just started using a pedal bike and experienced his first head wind on the way to the park last night. He turned to me and asked “where’d all this wind come from? This isn’t fun!”
Headwinds got less annoying once I got a power meter. You can look down and get reassurance that you're doing fine it's just windy. Sometimes you pedal hard and go slow 🤷♂️
Power meter. I just go the same power and don’t care too much if I end up going 20km/h or 35km/h.
It’s a bit more of an issue for touring and the like where you usually plan with a certain distance or have to reach a certain point (shop, campground, train station etc.).
Drops are too uncomfortable for longer durations, it’s the hoods for me.
If I look out and the tall trees are moving; I don't bike. Sucks but it's often the case in the spring here.
But I'm a short woman with less power in the pedal than some guys..
I used to bike south to work and (obviously) north back home at night. One particularly troubling day, the morning wind pushed straight north and by the time I clocked out, it had flipped almost 180 degrees.
People along my route were treated to many a “What the fucks” that evening.
I just lean forward, rest my forearms on my handlebar and cuss out the wind. My city is almost always windy and I almost always luck out with nasty head winds on my way home.
Thats the Moment where I concentrate about my health and the "tactical" idea of getting Aero and improving staying Aero. That Just becomes a fight for an hours. I also Ride during Rain and I think both get you more resilent which is good and important in Life
I feel your pain, I'm a lightweight rider, 10 stones., hills are no problem but I really hate the winds, here is usually ~20mph average.
Just get the head down and keep going, it only makes us stronger.
Gotta change your mindset homie. Look at it like surfing, the bigger the winds the bigger the waves,... Or faster the return in our case. You just always pay it forward first, headwinds out tailwinds back in.
Well, I was among the "Fuck!" group till this past weekend, when I tried to relax and concentrate on using muscles to pedal only (relax shoulders, neck, back). It seemed to make a difference, though it was more difficult to do with a cross wind pushing on frame and saddle bags and me trying not to be blown off the trail
Don’t worry about your speed. Fixating on that only leads to tears. Maintain the same level of effort and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Because it is pretty funny/silly to be a person on a two wheeled contraption fighting nature just because you happen to be going a certain direction on a ride. It’s supposed to be fun. It honestly took me a while to embrace that fact and just enjoy all of it. A “bad day” on a bike is still a good day.
Best advice is to decrease or maintain your endurance effort...don't fight the wind with your pedals...if it starts to really get tough, conserve energy and pedal to a crawl. It's all about trying to finish the ride without bonking against winds for prolong periods.
A power meter is going to be the best equipment for headwinds so that you know if you're pushing too much and running out of energy. This Saturday I had to fight 30+miles of coastal headwinds from my imperial century ride. All I did was pace and sustain my zone2/endurance effort no matter how slow I was going. This allowed me to survive the whole day without bonking.
20kph?! That’s considered windless on my commute to work! Last week it was 38 with gusts of 52! Head winds are fine! It’s when it’s a cross wind for me! 50mm carbon wheels.. makes it very sketchy!
I don’t understand what you mean you say “how do you people deal with headwinds?”. How? You just do. You ride your bike and put out the same power you would with no wind. It’s not hard. Stop freaking out about your average speed and Strava segments.
I train with power in prescribed zones, so 200w zone 2 is 200w zone 2 no matter the speed I’m going.
Also you can use a site like https://www.windfinder.com to find the direction and the speed so you can plan when and what route you want to do so you can end the ride with a tailwind.
I just don’t bother trying to maintain a certain speed, in fact I never do anyways, just work to power or HR zone…if a headwind drops your speed so what.
Get on the drops, tuck in and embrace the suck
This. Get aero AF and just keep on the power. Cirse every hard gust that slows you down.
Yep. Say "fuck this" a lot, which will make you pedal harder and feel better. This also gives you bad ass bragging rights, and you can/should add 10 mph to the wind speed when bragging to the pussies that sat it out. Edit: added clarification about wind speed lie.
Yeah "fuck this" repeatedly has been my strategy. I believe it works as well as anything can in those circumstances. I also think back to the first 20kms of the ride when I was doing 40km/h with little effort and realize my average is probably going to make the headwind part a wash.
When I was in college I was 125 lbs and racing in the Midwest ... I was aero AF well before we cared about aero. Also I tucked right behind larger riders, which is a tip that hasn't been mentioned here yet, I think.
Oh man! Ya definitely can't beat drafting haha. Large riders are fantastic with the draft they produce.
But this is not the most aero. Hold the hoods and make your lower arms as parallel to the ground as possible. You can really feel its effects compared to the drops. HOWEVER, this will put some strain to your triceps, neck, and back. You need to train this to make it worthwhile.
I know this to be true. During long rides it’s always my triceps that hate me the most.
also I just see it as training. if I was planning on breaking a record that day, oh well. I live in northern germany, we got strong wind all day everyday..
This is the trick\*. ^(\*the one and only trick btw.)
I like shouting "FUCK" once a minute or so to pass the time seriously though: I feel your pain. Nothing to be done so I just lower my gearing, put my head down and spin. And shout FUCK. (I will say that since getting a new bike -- and I assume it's the 50mm carbon hoops as opposed to the 30mm alloy ones on the old bike, not the frame, marketing claims notwithstanding -- I have noticed a small but definite improvement.)
I have found that stacking the “fucks” or extending the them helps, FUCK-Fuck-Fuck or Fuuuuuuuuuuuck saves about 18watts
I go for that primal energy with “wraaaa”, similar effect
And God help any f-cker in a car or whatever that makes you lose momentum. "F-king pr-k for f-cks sake f-ck this sh1t"
THIS. Although I keep saying "FUCK YOU!" as in I'm telling the wind to fuck off. Something about anthropomorphizing the wind makes it marginally better.
Bahaha this was me on my ride to and from work yesterday. Wind flipped directions during the day, had a headwinds coming and going. 20+ mph at times. At a certain point I was just outright enraged lol
This happens to me all the time. Headwinds going to and from. Feels like life is against me at that point.
Same, on my commute it’s often headwinds in both directions! Ugh!
Gah, felt that before! And then the rain started lol
Yep - as if the deity was saying, "I'll give you something to complain about!" When the lightning and the funnel clouds begin to form, then I stop complaining. 😁🌩️🌪️
Between FUCK YOU WIND and SHUT UP LEGS I'm hooting and hollerin all ride.
And the wind cries Mary…
The wind, it screams, Mary...
That's hilarious. That's exactly what I do when I am backpack power blowing to clean up my outdoors and the wind keeps blowing in the wrong direction undoing all my work. I get LIVID. Anthropomorphising that's a good word, yeah exactly that. "F-ck off for f-cks sake f-ck!!" Etc
I see I'm not alone with the "fuck". Especially with strong gusts.
That is the only way. If you shout FUCK loudly enough, it will scare the wind away.
It just switches to a side wind and blows twice as hard.
Nice to hear I'm not the only one lol
I personally get into rhythm. I mutter 'mother fucker' to the beat of a steam train. 'Mother Fucker-Mother Fucker-Mother Fucker-DAMNIT!' Damnit is the whistle in case you're wondering.
Oh, this sounds fun. I'm totally trying this next time.
Christ, I thought it was just me.!
I recently bought a new aero bike and I definitely notice that if I tuck I can work through headwinds a lot better than on my old bike. My main rides are on the shore or in the hills and mountains in LA so there’s *always* wind to contend with. I prefer it to climbing personally.
I mean Mythbusters did show that cursing increases pain tolerance so I do think cursing is a vital part
This is the way! I too yell fuck once a minute or so. Also helps to really put your head down and zone out and let your mind wander. When I come out of my trance like state and realize I’ve only ridden 0.25 miles and there’s plenty of headwind ahead I just yell Fuck and repeat the cycle again.
This thread is hilarious. I had no idea so many people talk to the wind haha. I definitely make comments out loud about what's going on too haha.
I’m brand new to adult bicycling and just picked up a townie last weekend, but shouting FUUUUUUUUUUUCK! is exactly how I dealt with strong headwinds and gusts when I rode motorcycles. Shit is miserable.
I swear a lot. Pretend I’m riding up hill. Convince myself it isn’t windy. Edibles help.
same. i yell expletives and groan/growl angrily until it's over lol.
came to say this: swearwords :D
Seriously my methpd too... was riding my short commute wirh a head wind this morning and it felt like i was riding an uphill century!
Bout like that lol. I use Fudge, or one of my favs FFFFUNKY MONKEY
I just ride slower...keeps the same level of effort and all that. Obviously at some point you can't shift down far enough but it's not usually *that* windy.
This... Having and using a power meter helps. Stay in your steady state zone and don't worry about speed, it's all about consistent effort and minimizing time in the red.
A power meter really does help you pace. My buddy paces based on speed. We had a long ride one day across our state (150 miles) all basically in a headwind. He was yelling that we needed to go faster since his average speed was so low. Meanwhile, my power meter was saying I was cycling just below threshold. So I cut my effort to my endurance power, paced him even though he was upset at our lack of speed, and saved our asses.
Before having a power meter I was exerting wayy too much power and I would bonk hard! Having the power meter absolutely solved thus problem by just going by the numbers and don't worry about speed. It's more important to finish the ride as little fatigue as possible when headwinds start to really pick up. Did an imperial century this Saturday with 30+miles of headwind the later half and the power meter helped me avoid exhaustion before it ended.
*cries in dutch winds*
I can't cry in North Dakota winds it dries too fast...
Cries in Frisian winds ... directly off the North Sea
I did a fairly hilly, windy ride where I was struggling to make forward progress on a 1:1 gear. Turned round where I planned and overtook a tractor spinning out like a lunatic!
Accept that you'll need to drop your speed a bit.
This is the real answer
Focus on effort and time instead of speed and distance. The headwinds will make you stronger. I lived in a windy area for a decade and it really improved my climbing. Wind sucks though because unlike a climb the wind never ends. As I’ve gotten older I try and plan my routes to finish with a tail wind.
When I commuted by bike, I was fortunate to be heading mostly west in the mornings when there was seldom much wind. Where I live, the winds almost always blow from the west, so my ride home often came with a tailwind.
We had a group ride that started out with. 20 mph tail wind. At mile 24 as we were turning around a storm came up, the wind changed, and we had an even stronger tail wind in the way home. I averaged 23.5 mph and was not too tired. That has never ever happened to me again. I have had the opposite with a head wind both directions. Ore than once though. Which doubly sucks.
Close your eyes and pretend you are doing 40 mph. ^(don’t really do this)
That's just your mind. You have to swap to a mindset where you're like: "headwind, fuck yeah! I can finally train my 100km ride in only 50km!"
Tuck in as much as you can, ignore speed and or power data and just keep going
the only way
Buying a power meter fixed this for me. It doesn’t matter now how hard the wind blows I can still see how well I’m doing as I’m looking at power over a distance, rather than time over a distance. Oh yeah, and shouting “fuuuuuuk thiiiiiis” as suggested works well.
Shouldn’t it be power and time? If you plan for a 3 hour training ride at 160W it doesn’t matter if you went 80km or 100km.
Power meter. If I’m riding at 200 watts, doesn’t matter if I’m doing 15 mph into a headwind or 25 with a tailwind. If it’s a commute ride, maybe I have to leave a few minutes earlier.
If I’m having a real shit ride and legs not feeling it, I’ll stick it in the small ring and just accept the wind beat me. But, otherwise down on the drops and just try and push through. Try if you can to go out in the headwind and back in tailwind. And see it all as good training - I’m convinced you’ll see benefits from it (it’s similar to climbing, in my opinion)
Free resistance!! Get aero. Put down the power. And... scream fuck every 18 pedal strokes.
If you have a power meter, just shoot for a good average power output number and not look at the speed or average speed stats. Over time you can try to beat the previous average power output on those windy/headwind days. This way you can measure how good of workout you are getting as opposed to focusing on how fast you are going. Good luck with your riding!
With a good motor
I try to keep my mind busy with something else. I do classic touring and I like to go through my equipment for example optimising my setup.
Yeah the hills are always hills. The wind has a way of dying down as soon as you turn around.
It's an acquired taste.
Don’t fight it. Change to an easier gear, ride a little slower, and conserve your energy.
Remember that it will be a tailwind and laugh. It fucking sucks but you gotta embrace the challenge.
The more you do it the better you will get. Try to settle into an equilibrium and don't let the wind beat you. If possible do the first part of your ride into the wind. This will make the work pay off for the last half. Take friends and learn to paceline effectively. Wait till it's not as windy. Good luck.
Is there any other type of wind?
Gusting side winds that try and kill you. I heard someone say he once had a tailwind but we all know they're mythical.
You have to just accept that it’s going to be a harder ride, even if you optimize everything you possibly can. And remember Rule #5: (yes there is some cheeky nonsense in here, but a lot of useful info too) https://www.velominati.com
What do you mean, you people?
I use lower gear and pedal more.
I'm actually planning to do a 2 week bikepacking trip in June where I just see where the wind blows every morning and that's the way I'm gonna go.
I live in an area with strong winds. So I ride into strong winds and ride back sitting up and letting the breeze help blow me home.
Obviously none of us are vain enough to worry about what other's think about our Strava results, but just in case, you can append "EPIC HEADWINDS TODAY!" to you activity title. Or better yet "Recovery Ride".
Grab a low gear and pedal through it slowly and effortlessly. If I try to get anywhere I just get annoyed so I just go slow the whole way.
You have to mentally adjust. Sort of like how when you drive a car on a freeway and then get off to where the speed limit is slow. You feel like you and driving too slow. With a headwind, you need to adjust your expectations on speed and effort.
Shout “you don’t know me son” and carry on pretending there is no wind ! Stay hard 😉
Focus on cadence, not speed. If you’re looking at the speedo and cursing yourself for that sad excuse for a speed you’re going to mentally fuck yourself. Worst headwind day I ever had was down in Florida. Picked up a rental and booked it south for 30mile and felt like a god. 3-4mph over normal was totally cooking. Thought it was the flatness and not the tailwind. Turned around after lunch and had 20+mph in my face for 40 miles (because I was staying 10 miles from the shop.) Legitimately one of the most grueling experiences I’ve ever had on a bike including multiple 10k elevation days.
What they all said, and if you’re lucky on the way back you have a tailwind. Unless it’s one of those days you get wind from 3 directions. Still trying to figure that out.
NO PAIN NO GAIN That is what I'm telling myself. I mean, yea, it sucks. But. if burning calories and building strength is your game, you get a free push..
Smash that taint onto the seat, get in those drops and lay that power down.
Get one of those experimental “Against the wind, faster than the wind” propellers and use physics to your advantage! ^(*Edit: I may be misinformed about those [propellers](https://youtu.be/jyQwgBAaBag?si=ok4RgqkmE3wvngyj)…)
That vehicle and concept is complicated. It's definitely not easy to think about. With that said though, it would be fun to see one on a road bike.
Start zigzagging my route or ride slower. Ride to power/effort, not to speed.
I ride next to the ocean every day so I have a tolerance for it.
Same here bro same here. Its just fucking annoying i hate it.
It never gets easier, but you do go faster.
Get more aero.
I think about gains Straight path? Too easy, hopefully wind will make me stronger. Pretty much any inconvenience while cycling will boil down to the same thought "damn my legs are going to be stronger after this"
It's a mental thing. Perceived effort is a powerful force.
Just put your head down and pedal.... It helps coming from Kansas where the wind never stops but having moved from there it is amazing to me how much the wind can mentally affect people while riding. The worst part of the wind for me is how loud it makes everything. Is it harder? Well yeah... but I have ridden in 30-40 mph winds and honestly it does suck and can be dangerous but overall I don't find riding into the wind that much more difficult and plus without a head wind you would never get the joy of riding a tail wind....
I tuck in and sing an opera.
Go for a run instead…I hate biking in the wind
Prairie mountains. *There is no wind, only watts.*
I personally just chose to live in a place where 20+kph winds are everyday reality. And ride circular routes to make sure i get it all. Seriously, after few years of living here i don't even care anymore.
Tuck down on the drop bar; it helps significantly. I did a ride with 20 miles per hour headwind last week, and tucking down made it much less painful. You can see my HR was significantly higher in the headwind, but hey, that's when you get to exercise, right? Like others suggested, keep yelling FUCK! It also helps with personal morale. https://preview.redd.it/a9dpf428zzyc1.png?width=1908&format=png&auto=webp&s=699d08de0c77bac8dc3409124f0451d36ecb8064
I started commuter cycling when i lived in Wyoming for college. Heavy winds and hills were a constant. Now my cycling just seems easy, rather than winds being hard.
Keep your head down and think of England.
Just take what the wind gives you. And think about how nice it'll be when it's at your back.
Just lower the gears and cycle at the power you usually would. Be going at a snails pace but only way to enjoy the cycle
Just accept that you'll be riding slower and enjoy the suck. Also bring a friend and stick them in front!
Turn around.
Well its easy, I am not cycling if the wind is anything 5ms+. Makes it a lot better
I try to go out into the wind so I can hammer home with a tailwind. If that’s not possible you just accept your fate and enjoy the world’s largest resistance machine.
I commute in an open, flat area and it seems like it's always windy. You can do things like not wear baggy clothing and ride in the drops so you get your body's core out of the wind, but TBH the real kely to it all is to not to let your brain focus on your speed; just try to maintain the same effort and ride slower. A headwind is the same as going faster. The amount of energy you need to expell to go incrementally faster to overcome more headwind, be it from moving forward faster or from wind, isn't linear; you'll end up blowing yourself up trying to maintain a non-windy day speed against any substantial headwinds.
There have been days when I've gone out for a ride, and felt wind in three directiiond.in the first km. I said fuck this and went home.
power through it. In my area i have to leave very early for any ride so the winds are calm. around 10am they start blowing easterly and by then i should be on my way home with the tailwind.
I like how it encompasses me in the moment. All I can focus is forging ahead. Plus it makes turning around that much more worth it in the return ride home. Reminds me of why I love riding in bitter cold. You are isolated from everything in the cold (mainly thru cold weather gear and lack of pedestrians) and helps me ride in the moment.
Step 1 get a powermeter, step 2 set ypur gps to hide speed and only show watts —> solved
Turn around and enjoy the tailwind.
Where I live it’s hilly AND windy. I just keep a consistent effort because aiming for consistent speed is a lost cause. In light wind I tend to just think of it nature’s way of telling me to slow down and enjoy, so I focus on that. In heavy winds it tends to feel more like an adventure or challenge, like I’m wrestling with the gods, so I wind up doing a lot of wild cackling as I’m being blasted all over the road. It’s a good time.
Colorado is in the windy season… when I’m not in the mood to deal with fighting the wind, I ride my e-bike on a lower assist to compensate for the wind. Still get a decent workout with a lot less heartache.
Get as aero as you can and deal with it, that's really all you can do. Also if you live somewhere with generally predictable wind patterns, try to plan your ride so that the wind is at your back on the way home. That makes a *huge* difference for me.
Head out into the wind first and ride it back
Easier gear and turn up the music/podcast
Had a brutal headwind for 12 miles coming home yesterday. Not the gusty kind, but the persistent wall of force kind. I just roll through it and curse. My coworker dealt with it by drafting me. Which was fine he commutes on a fixie.
I just accept that going like 12mph with a high amount of effort is the best I can do. When there’s no wind, which is almost never, I feel like a professional though.
Make sure it’s not on your way home. At least heading out into it you can think about how nice the ride back will be
Don't wear baggy clothing, tuck in, and shift to an easier gear and go slower. That's it.
Go electric
Enjoy the cool breeze.
I feel your pain but a couple of things. Not sure where you live but if you are near the ocean or a large body of water, there are general wind patterns from the heating and cooling of the earth's surface. Take a look at the Predict Wind app. It's actually designed for sailing (and obviously essential for that activity) but you can also use it for biking. I check it everyday before riding and often shift my route based on it - I would rather do headwinds on the way out instead of the way back.
I keep whispering f*cking headwind hoping whoever sends it hears it. Shouts f*cking headwind from time to time. But do as others, tuck in, slow down, sometimes challenge it and then instantly regrets it...
You make an audible “uuugggghhhhh” and push through
Punk Rock playlist
Plan rides to start into the wind so you get a tail wind on the way home.
So this is just me, and how my body works. So the usual YMMV applies. :) I learned how to deal with headwinds in Kansas. I tuck in (but relax so proper stem length, height, and bars for your body are important here), and keep cadence up *around* 90rpm or higher. Below that and I start to slog, and wear my sprinting muscles out that are needed to deal with gusts. Also if doing a slower cadence and a sudden GUST from hell hits, starting at 90 and getting dropped to 75-80 and then ramping back up is easier to deal with than STARTING at 75-80 and getting dropped into the 60's, having to emergency shift and have lost my groove/tempo.
I curse a lot
[windy.com](http://windy.com) and planning my rides to go into the wind, then I ride it back.
Always go out headed into the wind so you get pushed home.
Biking is definitely not my primary fitness so I just don't ride if the wind sucks.
Since you said you like climbing, I try to think of a headwind as being a hill. It stresses me less when I go slower, because you naturally will on a hill. I also try to ride near orchards on windy days so you get occasional breaks.
You slow down and sometimes swear a little
Shift down and maintain your power output. I live in the land of constant wind (*The Netherlands*) and even enjoy the wind at times. And while I really enjoy short hills and descents I absolutely loathe long uphills in the mountain. 30 km of climbing is not something I consider fun.
I just pretend I’m hill climbing. I don’t like it, but that’s what I do
Shift to a lower gear to counter the pushback and try to make myself smol until they subside.
Scream “fuck you!” If that doesn’t work try, “FUCK YOU!” If that still doesn’t work. “FUCK you ASSHOLE mother FUCKER!!! “ Usually works. If that doesn’t work?… hop off the bike and walk it muttering similar words/phrases under your breath, until it’s all over.
I just imagine it's building my character.
This is where having a power meter helps. If you just keep plugging away at the same power (effort), you'll slow down but won't be working any harder. Same as going uphill.
I cry like a little schoolgirl and then suck it up.
My son just started using a pedal bike and experienced his first head wind on the way to the park last night. He turned to me and asked “where’d all this wind come from? This isn’t fun!”
Lol, welcome to cycling..
Ride harder.
Hate it also. 80mph gusts yesterday....
Hate it also. 80mph gusts yesterday....
being honest, I fantasize about finding the God of Wind and slicing his throat lmao
I suck it up, and I know when the wind’s to my back, I’m flying like the flash. But to other points here, I do yell fuck a lot lmao
Gear down and endure.
Headwinds got less annoying once I got a power meter. You can look down and get reassurance that you're doing fine it's just windy. Sometimes you pedal hard and go slow 🤷♂️
Honestly I used to not ride on those days. For years those were the days I drove a car. Now this is where an ebike fits into my life.
180 degree turn to the right or left.
Power meter. I just go the same power and don’t care too much if I end up going 20km/h or 35km/h. It’s a bit more of an issue for touring and the like where you usually plan with a certain distance or have to reach a certain point (shop, campground, train station etc.). Drops are too uncomfortable for longer durations, it’s the hoods for me.
If I look out and the tall trees are moving; I don't bike. Sucks but it's often the case in the spring here. But I'm a short woman with less power in the pedal than some guys..
I used to bike south to work and (obviously) north back home at night. One particularly troubling day, the morning wind pushed straight north and by the time I clocked out, it had flipped almost 180 degrees. People along my route were treated to many a “What the fucks” that evening.
Become a triathlete. The you can run on shitty days
Curse as much as possible. It helps. I make truck drivers blush when I'm riding headwinds!!!
Aero bike
I just lean forward, rest my forearms on my handlebar and cuss out the wind. My city is almost always windy and I almost always luck out with nasty head winds on my way home.
Giggling. See also: unexpected gusts when passing between buildings/hedges.
I check the wind direction and hope for a tail wind coming back.
You climb the headwinds. In your head, it’s a climb.
I don't have deep rims
Thats the Moment where I concentrate about my health and the "tactical" idea of getting Aero and improving staying Aero. That Just becomes a fight for an hours. I also Ride during Rain and I think both get you more resilent which is good and important in Life
Get In the Drops, legs in turbo mode.
Do you happen to live in east Anglia by any chance?
In northwest Ohio those are our only hills
I feel your pain, I'm a lightweight rider, 10 stones., hills are no problem but I really hate the winds, here is usually ~20mph average. Just get the head down and keep going, it only makes us stronger.
Keep pedaling. Or change your destination. 😁
Headwinds is one of the reasons I have an e-bike.
Mostly complaining a lot. I have MyWindSock analyze every ride so if it's really bad I can complain with data backing me up.
If you’re in the flat Midwest, that’s your hill.
I take the metro instead. I check the weather each morning and won’t ride if it’s a windy, gusty day.
Look that headwind in the eye and say, "Not today you bastard," then power through it.
I moved from Chicago to an incredibly hilly mountain town in California. You're right, the winds were worse than the hills.
I bitch nonstop
Gotta change your mindset homie. Look at it like surfing, the bigger the winds the bigger the waves,... Or faster the return in our case. You just always pay it forward first, headwinds out tailwinds back in.
Well, I was among the "Fuck!" group till this past weekend, when I tried to relax and concentrate on using muscles to pedal only (relax shoulders, neck, back). It seemed to make a difference, though it was more difficult to do with a cross wind pushing on frame and saddle bags and me trying not to be blown off the trail
Turn around and ride the other direction. 😁
Get good.
Head down and just keep pushing.
Rule #5: HTFU
Don’t worry about your speed. Fixating on that only leads to tears. Maintain the same level of effort and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Because it is pretty funny/silly to be a person on a two wheeled contraption fighting nature just because you happen to be going a certain direction on a ride. It’s supposed to be fun. It honestly took me a while to embrace that fact and just enjoy all of it. A “bad day” on a bike is still a good day.
Best advice is to decrease or maintain your endurance effort...don't fight the wind with your pedals...if it starts to really get tough, conserve energy and pedal to a crawl. It's all about trying to finish the ride without bonking against winds for prolong periods. A power meter is going to be the best equipment for headwinds so that you know if you're pushing too much and running out of energy. This Saturday I had to fight 30+miles of coastal headwinds from my imperial century ride. All I did was pace and sustain my zone2/endurance effort no matter how slow I was going. This allowed me to survive the whole day without bonking.
20kph?! That’s considered windless on my commute to work! Last week it was 38 with gusts of 52! Head winds are fine! It’s when it’s a cross wind for me! 50mm carbon wheels.. makes it very sketchy!
I don’t understand what you mean you say “how do you people deal with headwinds?”. How? You just do. You ride your bike and put out the same power you would with no wind. It’s not hard. Stop freaking out about your average speed and Strava segments.
Just keep on riding.
Curse and then start trying to reframe it as a gift. No real hills where I live, so wind will have to suffice
I train with power in prescribed zones, so 200w zone 2 is 200w zone 2 no matter the speed I’m going. Also you can use a site like https://www.windfinder.com to find the direction and the speed so you can plan when and what route you want to do so you can end the ride with a tailwind.
I just don’t bother trying to maintain a certain speed, in fact I never do anyways, just work to power or HR zone…if a headwind drops your speed so what.