4 Tips for Riding in the Wind
Destination: The Motor City! Sunday morning I awakened to brilliant blue skies as a night of furious winds, heavy down pours, and havoc, came to an end. My wife and I left Springfield, heading North on Rt. 68, past gently rolling meadows, and fields of freshly mown hay. We soon entered Amish country and bid a warm greeting to a young family, making their way to worship. In Findlay, we took I-75 North to our intended city.
We enjoyed our ride to the state where all the woman look like yeti, just kidding!
On our way home, we stopped in Toledo, for had a delightful, riverfront dinning experience, at Cousino’s Navy Bistro, if you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it.
After a delicious dinner, a stroll along the river, and a very good cigar, it was time to return home. We jumped on I-75, and headed South. The slight westerly winds I had noticed earlier in the day, were continuing to pick up velocity, and within five miles had become much more than just a nuisance, they were beginning to affect the bikes handling, and buffet my head like a pinball. Although these certainly weren’t the strongest winds I have encountered, they were enough to get, and keep my full attention. So today I decided to list my 4 tips for riding in the wind. Hope they help!
Here’s a list of 4 tips for riding in the wind…
1. Relax! it is very natural to tense your shoulders and increase your grip on the handlebars. The best remedy is to relax your upper body!
2. Anticipate! Often barriers such as trees, buildings, trucks, and RVs, block the gust of wind. Be alert of upcoming scenery changes that will allow the wind to hit you full on.
3. Watch your spacing! Try to keep some room around you in case you need to avoid debris or you are blown into another lane.
4. Stop and Wait it out! This is a worst case scenario, but one you might need to take if conditions warrant it. “Getting there later is better than not getting there at all.”
I realize this is not an exhaustive list. What tips could you add?
Your mention of Amish country reminded me that there are things that I miss about riding back east. “Real” deciduous trees and “Real” fall foliage. Things like watching the cider press do its work at the harvest festival, folk music and of course Amish country. A simple keyword like “Amish” can bring back a flood of memories.
I agree with your comments on riding in the wind, I deal with ferocious wind pretty regulary out here (45 m.p.h. gusts on the ride home last friday). I don’t know why but I’ve always kind of enjoyed the challenge of maintaining a tight lane position while taking the scenic route to “Oz”.
E.T.
35 m.p.h. gusts not 45 m.p.h. gusts (oops), big fingers and little keyboard keys I suppose.
Glad you had a good time in T-Town. Navy Bistro is awesome.
A tip for wind riding which is pretty obvious but I thought I’d mention it anyways. Slow down if you need to. If you are battling crosswinds your speed is proportional to the amount of force the wind pushes against you. This has been my experience. As you travel faster it is as if you are opening up a larger sail for the wind to catch you. You are covering a larger area quicker, and therefore catching more wind than you would had you been standing still. That’s how I think of it.
So if you’re on the expressway and getting blow around like crazy, put your blinkers on (if you got’em) and take it easy.
Thanks for the additional tips. Ride safe.
You forgot the most important one! Ride a bike that has a windshield, or if you don’t have a detachable one to put on, the next best thing is a full-face helmet.
Great tips, thanks!
This year seems to have been one of the windiest we have experienced in a long time. It is amazing how fatigued one feels after battling winds!
You’re right, riding in the wind is as much mentally fatiguing as physically.
Here’s a good tip: don’t ride an 883 Hugger!! The darn thing is so light that it gets thrashed around in cross-winds like a dinghy in a hurricane!! (LOL)
I have heard that they don’t do so well in the breeze!