CyclePig

How many times has this happened to you? You are out on a bike ride, feeling strong and going at speeds a few miles faster than what you normally do. You reach the half-way point, then turn and head for home…..and….SLAM!. You find yourself riding into a strong head-wind and struggle the rest of the way home wondering why you ever thought that cycling was fun.

Photo by Larry Page

Planning Your Route

The impact of the wind can be greatly reduced by adopting an aerodynamic position and drafting behind other cyclists. I will cover each of these topics in future posts.

However, you can make a big difference to the enjoyment of your ride just through the planning of your route. When out on the road, you may not notice that you have a tail-wind and the situation mentioned above can easily arise. The best way to avoid this is to check the weather forecast and see which way the wind is blowing prior to getting out on your bike.

You should then plan your route so you cycle into the wind on the first half of your ride and with the wind behind you on the way back home. I find this is the best way to manage the amount of effort I use over the whole ride and has the added benefit of a mental boost - as you are looking forward to blasting the second half of the ride with the wind at your back.

If you do find yourself cycling into the wind and don’t want to burn yourself out the approach is actually very similar to cycling up hills. Don’t try and go the same speed as you would in still conditions and use an easier gear.

How Much Difference Does The Wind Really Make

Caution: Science Alert

I was curious about how much impact the wind actually has on your cycling so I searched and found this calculator that determines the Aerodynamic Drag and Propulsive Power of a Cyclist.

Using this calculator I found that cycling at 15mph into a 10mph head-wind requires the same effort as cycling 15mph up a slope with a gradient of 3.5% (approx 1.5 degrees). No wonder riding into the wind is tough!

For the purposes of this calculation I compared the following:

• 180 pound cyclist riding at 15mph into a 10mph headwind on the flat requires a power output of 183 watts
• 180 pound cyclist riding at 15mph up a slope of 1.5 degrees (approx 3.5%) with no wind requires a power output of 180 watts

I decided to write this after reading a post called ‘Earth, WIND & Fire’ over over on Biking to Live. This a new blog, written by Bryan, and is about his journey of improving his health by cycling. Check it out.

Just in case you were thinking of going for a ride without your helmet, here is a quick reminder of why you should never leave it at home.

This is the first time I have ever heard of someone putting their foot into their own spokes…..not a great cycling technique to aspire to. Has anyone else seen or heard of this happening?

Do you feel like going for a ride surrounded by some fantastic scenery? Why not set your sites on the Giro d’Italia?

Ok, maybe that’s not quite realistic for the following reasons - firstly you need to be a professional cyclist, secondly you need to be able to ride 100’s miles over many consecutive days, and thirdly you would need to be in Italy right now as the Giro starts today.

Photo by luiginter

But just because the Giro is a race for professionals it doesn’t mean there isn’t something to be gained by the average cyclist. I don’t normally follow professional cycling but I do make an exception when it comes to the grand tours of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. For me both of these awesome races provide great inspiration to get out on my bike and discover new places - I also quite like cycling in the Alps and Pyrenees.

About the Giro d’Italia

The 2008 version of the Giro d’Italia runs from May 10th - 1st June. It will see 198 riders compete in 21 stages and cover a massive 2,150 miles - more than many of us ride in a year. For details of the route, the teams and the TV options for many countries check out the Giro d’Italia 2008 Live Dashboard. If you are keen to watch it but it is not broadcast in your area there is an online option at Cycling TV.

If this is your first time watching I would suggest to try and watch a highlights program rather than the live coverage. Also, I find the mountain stages can be the most interesting as the scenery is fantastic and you get to see the professional cyclists at their absolute limit - pushing uphill at speeds that most of us dream of doing on the flat.