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The Psychology of Wind
Posted: 23rd November 2009 | Eddie Allen
More: Daily Commuting Tips Archive
Windy weather can turn any ride into a pretty miserable affair. Many regular riders would cite rain as the most fearsome foe. I can take the rain. It doesn't slow me down too much and getting to my destination after enduring a downpour can be an invigorating and empowering experience.
However, wind is a different enemy altogether. Wind is the invisible enemy. Riding into the wind is like riding through porridge. It's not even like riding up a hill. You get none of the satisfaction of reaching the top, none of the self adulation of standing on the top and looking down.
You look stupid riding in the wind, especially from a motorist's point of view. Your legs are spinning away disproportionally to your rate of forward motion. Your face is set like stone. Your body is tucked down, racer style. You're doing 5mph in bottom gear.
When you eventually arrive at work you don't get the praise from non-cycling co-workers that you'd get if you arrived dripping wet or covered in mud. You'll make a point of saying ‘Boy it's windy out there' and they'll say, "Uh, is it?"
In many of these daily commuting posts I try to give advice on how to crack cycling commuting's many conundrums. However, there's very little help I can give on the subject of wind.
One piece of advice I do have is ‘don't fight it.' Let's look at the science of wind resistance. In still air, if you double your speed of travel, wind resistance is squared (this is known as a geometric rather than linear scale). Now that's just what happens in still air. Factor in a 20mph headwind and all of the sudden the maths is doing you no favours at all.
So you're better off gearing down and taking it easy, adopting the ‘faster than walking' philosophy. Even crawling along at 5mph will get you to work twice as fast as walking.
One other piece of advice is to minimise your losses in other areas. There's nothing you can do about the wind, but you can minimise the weight that you're carrying, keep your tyre pressures up and make sure that your riding position is comfortable and efficient.
However, unlike so many things in life, there is a payback. Just remember when you're battling into that 20mph headwind on the way to work, thanks to meteorological karma, you'll get a free ride on the way home.
