head wind {omg}

[jimboalee]

Rode a 100 km DIY today.

Due south out to Broadway via Wootton Wawen.
Wind was in the south at about 18mph.
Averaged 19 kmh for the outward half.

Ride home via Alcester was a doddle.
Dropped the bike in 92" and lazily kept 20 mph ish.

Even had time to stop in Studley for an ice cream.

 

[cyberknight]

Yes a killer yesterday i went out on my new bike and even though its lighter etc i was struggling to give it the beans.

 

[jimboalee]

If one is riding at 10 mph into a 15 mph headwind, the rider's airspeed is 25 mph.
This means the rider is having to put in the equivalent power for 25mph to do 10mph.

This situation ( a dead headwind ) rarely happens. The wind is most likely vectoring across the rider and the resultant wind effect can be taken for all intents and purposes as the SIN of the vector angle.
A 30 degree wind direction away from dead ahead will be 0.87 of the windspeed published on the Met Office's website.

Of course, to get reality, you need to assess your direction of travel and compare it with the wind direction.

On a circular route, it nullifies. Nope. Your rearward Cd is less than your forward Cd; and yesterday, I had the wind over my shoulders from behind on much of the return trip home. Therefore, I could ( and I did ) sit up and let my body become a sail.

If the rider is confident enough to ride without holding the handlebars, unzip your full length jersey and hold it open to increase the area of your sail.
You can even trim it to take full advantage of a sidewind.

 

[Chrisc]

On a circular route, it nullifies. Nope. Your rearward Cd is less than your forward Cd; and yesterday, I had the wind over my shoulders from behind on much of the return trip home. Therefore, I could ( and I did ) sit up and let my body become a sail.

If the rider is confident enough to ride without holding the handlebars, unzip your full length jersey and hold it open to increase the area of your sail.
You can even trim it to take full advantage of a sidewind.

I angle my back like I would a dinghy sail if the wind is of one off the rear quarters to try and get a push!
Yesterdays ride saw me miss a turning and inadvertantly add five miles dead into the wind to my trip, decided to pay myself back by cutting across a lane and riding the parallel route back to where I should have been with the wind at my back, flying along in my biggest gear no effort at all! Felt sorry for the guys I saw just setting off the other way tho...

 

[gbb]

Wind has the same effect on me as the hills discussion...my average speed stays the same (i never go steady...always at 80% if you know what i mean)
Heavy headwind makes for hard hard work...but you get (hopefully) the tailwind back. Slow out, fast in. My average is more or less the same, windy or still.
Same with hills, slower up, faster down.
Ive noted the fact before, over my usual 35 mile loop, the average (or time) stays the same, whatever the weather.

Mind, i remember as a kid (a lonnng time ago) i was riding such a headwind, gritting my teeth...i could have happily chucked the bike in the dyke

 

[jimboalee]

Wind has the same effect on me as the hills discussion...my average speed stays the same (i never go steady...always at 80% if you know what i mean)
Heavy headwind makes for hard hard work...but you get (hopefully) the tailwind back. Slow out, fast in. My average is more or less the same, windy or still.
Same with hills, slower up, faster down.
Ive noted the fact before, over my usual 35 mile loop, the average (or time) stays the same, whatever the weather.

Mind, i remember as a kid (a lonnng time ago) i was riding such a headwind, gritting my teeth...i could have happily chucked the bike in the dyke

Did you see that chart of Watts vs Ride Duration? It described a curve where Average Wattage output diminishes with ride length ( in minutes ).

Have a good meal the evening before the ride, go riding off AGAINST the wind direction; therefore getting a high Wattage for the first half of the trip. One can 'lay it on thick' for the first two and half hours.
Turn to ride in the same direction as the wind and you can relax your Wattage output; or as many do, make some incredible speeds with a semi-reduced Wattage output.

Most riders who organise their DIY rides like this have a speedier and easier time than riding off with the wind and having to heave it home against the wind.

 

[Hont]

+1. Always try and set off into the wind. On more than one occasion I've thought I was going really well only to find out, on the way back, that it was the wind pushing me along and I'd ended up dead on the way back as I'd not kept enough in reserve.

(Went out yesterday in 15-20mph winds. Should have left it until today -'tis lovely out :-( )