Different riding styles to match conditions–Part 3, Wind

More than hills, rain, rough road or anything else, wind can make a huge difference in what kind of ride you have.  If it’s at your back, you can enjoy high speeds with minimal effort.  When it’s in your face or at your side, it can make an ordinarily fun ride miserable, feeling like you’re grinding your life force away and making barely any forward progress.  The only way to eliminate wind effects entirely is to ride indoors, but there are some things you can do to at least partially mitigate these effects outdoors.

1. Drop-handlebar riding (into the wind).  Drop bars (the curly handlebars often seen on road bikes) are great…I only use them by riding with my hands in the lower or drop position on two occasions, but on these occasions they are a godsend.  One such occasion is descending a steep hill, and the other is riding into the wind.  Riding with your hands in drop forces your head, shoulders and back to follow suit, thus lowering your profile and your wind resistance, making you more aerodynamic.  It isn’t terribly comfortable but it does help you maintain speed into a headwind.  Practice riding with your hands in drop position occasionally, so that when you have to do it it doesn’t feel so weird.
2. Gear adjustments.  When you suddenly find yourself riding into the wind, often you’ll be pedaling with great difficulty, at a much slower cadence.  The opposite is true when suddenly you have the wind at your back (your cranks starting spinning wildly with little resistance).  Shift gears so that you’re maximizing your pedaling efficiency and not wearing yourself out needlessly.  I’ve been told that an optimum cadence is around 70-75 RPM.
3. Sitting upright (wind-assisted).  On those occasions (it seems like they’re all too rare) when you have the wind at your back assisting you, make the most of it.  Expose as much of your back to that wind as possible so that you’re like a sail.  You can do this by moving your hands back closer to your body and using a more upright, broad-shouldered body posture.  Shift to a “higher” gear and maintain a good cadence.
4. Riding in formation (into the wind).  A lot of riding groups and bicycle clubs ride in a peloton, which is basically a formation where each rider takes turns “breaking trail” or serving as the windbreak of the group.  You can also do this with only two or three riders, though.  Each rider can take turns at the front of the line…this gives the riders (who should be as close in line as possible to benefit from this) a break by cutting way down on the wind resistance they encounter.
5. Dropping a shoulder (in crosswinds).  Crosswinds may not be as soul-crushing as headwinds, but they still can be difficult to ride in.  To give yourself extra stability in a heavy crosswind, lower your windward shoulder and ride just slightly “into the wind.”  It feels a little bit like pushing a tackling dummy with that windward shoulder.  When a big gust comes along, you’ll be a little more ready and a little less likely to be blown sideways.
6. Managing expectations and attitudes.  Riding in a strong wind is never what I’d call fun, but there are ways you can make it manageable.  Recognize that there are some things you can’t control (the weather for example), and other things you can control such as your attitude.  Don’t be disappointed or angry if you’re “falling behind” your target pace because of unexpected wind.  Adjust your expectations to match the conditions and unforeseen changes.  Realize that everyone else on the ride is going through this, too.  Above all, be safe…if tree limbs or tops (or entire trees) are snapping out of the canopy due to the wind, you probably need to get off the road and into a safe place.