Coach's Corner — How Should You Ride in Strong Winds?
Our Coach’s Corner series is your chance to have your biggest cycling questions answered — right from the master, Coach Darryl MacKenzie. In these short Q&As, Coach Darryl speaks from his 35+ years of cycling and coaching experience to help you become a stronger, smarter cyclist.
Thoughtful Cyclist:
Coach, what's the best way to ride when you're facing a strong headwind or crosswind?
Coach Darryl:
I spent a long stretch of a recent ride pedaling directly into a headwind. It gave me plenty of time to think about this struggle every cyclist eventually encounters.
And the most experienced cyclists learn that fighting the wind only makes the struggle harder. Instead, you need to understand where it's coming from and adjust how you ride.
Treat a Headwind a Little Like a Hill
Cyclists who live in flat areas like Florida or the Great Plains sometimes use windy days to help prepare for rides in mountainous areas. There's a good reason for that.
Pedaling into a strong headwind requires some of the same adjustments as climbing a hill. Shift into an easier gear, settle into a comfortable cadence, and concentrate on applying smooth, consistent pressure throughout the pedal stroke. The goal isn't to maintain your normal speed at all costs, but simply to maintain a consistent, sustainable effort that keeps your bike steady as the wind changes and shifts.
Know Where the Wind Is Coming From
A crosswind requires a different strategy — and it starts with knowing where the wind is coming from. One simple way to identify its direction is to use your face as a kind of weathervane. If you're feeling more pressure on the left side of your face, for example, the wind is probably coming from the left.
Why does that matter? Because when you're riding with others, you don't necessarily want to be directly behind the cyclist in front of you. If the wind is coming from the left, the better sheltered position may be slightly behind and to that rider's right.
That's why groups of experienced cyclists sometimes form a diagonal line, or echelon, in a crosswind. Whatever the specific formation, be sure you trade positions frequently so one rider isn't doing all the work. Letting the heavier riders spend more time windward can also help the lighter riders avoid tiring out too soon.
Stay Steady When the Wind Gets Stronger
Another thing you’ll learn quickly when riding on a windy day is that strong crosswinds and sudden gusts also require more attention to bike control.
Getting lower on the bike can help reduce the amount of your body exposed to the wind and lower your center of gravity. In a steady crosswind, you may also find it helpful to lean slightly toward the wind to maintain balance.
But be prepared for that pressure to change suddenly. Buildings, trees, and other objects can temporarily block the wind, and an unexpected gust — or sudden absence of one — can move the bike quickly.
Most importantly, don't sacrifice safety just to stay out of the way of traffic. If conditions make the edge of the road unsafe, use the full lane when appropriate and permitted rather than crowding yourself into a dangerous position.
The Big Takeaway
That may seem like a lot to remember, but the basic idea is simple: wind changes the ride, so you need to change with it.
Into a headwind, forget about maintaining your usual speed and concentrate on a sustainable effort. In a crosswind, think about where the wind is coming from, where you position yourself, and how it is affecting the bike beneath you.
And when you're riding with others, work together. The wind doesn't have to be everyone's enemy at the same time.
You can't control which way the wind blows, but you can learn to work with it.
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