40-80km winds every day this week. Man, am I beat after a five day stretch of commuting. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. I love a good tail wind. Being able to maintain top speeds all the way to work makes the commute thrilling and exciting. Unfortunately, and more often than not, you face a headwind the entire way home. I have to admit, a strong headwind is always a reminder aerodynamics…
Cycling Commuter Wind Fighter Techniques!
- Bringing your head closer to your handlebars will reduce your drag surface area.
- Take a backpack or messenger bag instead of panniers when the winds are howling. Panniers catch a lot of wind. On blustery days I’ll leave the panniers at home.
- Bringing your hands and elbows closer together, at least to between your shoulders, will decrease wind resistance significantly. Tuck in your your knees as you pedal so you can cut through the wind.
- Make sure you are spinning at a higher cadence for more torque, you wont get bogged down in gusting winds.
- Take an alternate route. Cut across the wind, and avoid open areas.
- Flapping clothing, hoods, open zippers and the like are all a major drag. Choose wisely.