RideLoop
Should you ride into the wind first?
Every rider has had the ride where the wind was "behind" them on the way out and in their face for the last hour home. Planning a ride around the wind takes a minute and saves that hour.
Short answer: yes, usually. Head out into the wind while you're fresh and let it push you home. Winds are named for where they come from, so on a north wind, ride north first. The one exception: if the forecast says the wind will swing around or pick up from another direction later, plan for the wind you'll have on the way home.
Which way should I start?
Why into the wind first
- Fresh legs for the hard part. Pushing into the wind is easier at mile 5 than at mile 35.
- Wind often picks up during the day. On many days, especially sunny ones, the wind builds from morning into the afternoon. The way home is the part of the ride to protect.
- You stay warmer. A headwind on the way home blows through damp, sweaty kit when you're already tired. On a cool day that's how a ride turns cold.
- A bad day is easier to fix. If you get tired or have a mechanical, the ride home has help, not a fight.
How much wind slows you down
Air resistance grows with the square of the speed of the air hitting you. Into a headwind, the air comes at you faster than you're riding; with a tailwind, slower. So the headwind costs far more than the tailwind gives back, and you spend longer in the headwind because you're slower in it.
| A rider who holds 17 mph on a calm day | Speed | 10 miles takes |
|---|---|---|
| Calm | 17 mph | 35 min |
| Into a 10 mph headwind | about 12 mph | about 51 min |
| With a 10 mph tailwind | about 23 mph | about 26 min |
Same effort the whole way, from a simple model of a rider on a road bike. Ride 10 miles out and 10 back in that wind and it takes about 77 minutes instead of 71: the wind always wins on an out-and-back. It just hurts less when it's behind you at the end.
Reading the wind forecast
- Direction is where it comes from. A west wind blows from the west, toward the east. Arrows on weather maps usually point the way the wind is going, so a west wind's arrow points east.
- Look at the hours you'll ride, not the morning number. Check whether the direction changes during your ride.
- Gusts matter more than the average for safety. A 12 mph wind gusting to 30 pushes you sideways on open roads and bridges.
- Near the coast, warm afternoons often bring a sea breeze off the water. At the Jersey Shore that usually means a south or southeast wind building after midday, whatever the morning wind did.
How windy is too windy?
| Steady wind | What to do |
|---|---|
| Under 10 mph | Ride any way round. You'll barely notice. |
| 10–15 mph | You'll feel it. Start into it. |
| 15–20 mph | Hard work. Start into it, choose roads lined with trees, and consider a shorter loop. |
| Over 20 mph, or gusts over 30 | Sheltered roads only, or another day. Gusty crosswinds on exposed roads and bridges can push a bike sideways, deep wheels most of all. |
The shape of a windy-day ride
An out-and-back makes it simple: into the wind out, with it home. On a loop, aim for the far half of the loop to lie upwind of your start. Crosswind stretches are fine; it's a long straight run home into the wind you want to avoid. Trees, hedgerows, valleys and towns all cut the wind. Open farmland, causeways and the coast don't.
Let RideLoop do the wind for you
RideLoop checks the forecast for when you ride. From about 10 mph, it favors loops whose far half lies upwind, so you go out into the wind and come home with it, and the ride card says "Tailwind home". If a loop would put the headwind on the way home, the card says that too, so you can press Build again. Loops go on roads riders have graded for pavement, shoulder and traffic, and straight to your Garmin.
Questions
Should you ride into the wind first on a bike?
Usually yes. You face the wind while you're fresh, and it helps you home when you're tired. Wind also often picks up during the day, so the way home is the part to protect. The exception is a forecast that says the wind will turn around before you head home.
Which way does a west wind blow?
A west wind blows from the west toward the east. Winds are named for where they come from, so on a west wind you ride west to face it.
How much does wind slow you down on a bike?
A lot more than it gives back. A typical rider who holds 17 mph on a calm day slows to about 12 mph into a 10 mph headwind and speeds up to about 23 mph with it behind. Over a 20-mile out-and-back that's still about 6 minutes slower than a calm day.
What wind speed is too windy for cycling?
Under 10 mph barely matters. 10 to 20 mph is hard work into it. Above about 20 mph steady, or gusts above about 30 mph, many riders shorten the ride, stick to sheltered roads, or ride another day, because gusty crosswinds can push a bike sideways.
Tailwind home, every windy day
Pick a start and a distance. RideLoop checks the wind and builds the loop the right way round.
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