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Wind

Rich StanbaughRich Stanbaugh
in General Training Discussions

Coach R's presentation (along with several windy rides I have had lately) on started me thinking about the effect that wind has on a ride. The question that I was considering was this: "What is the net effect that wind will have on my time to complete a course where part of it is head wind and part of it is tail wind?"

There is a cool calculator (Bike Calculator) that allowed me to setup and mode this. I made the following assumptions:

Pavg: 200 watts

Rider Weight: 160 lbs

Bike Weight: 20 lbs

Tires: Clinchers

Position: Aero

Grade 0%

Head Wind: -15 mph to +15 mph (I did calculations for each 1 mph between 0 and 15)

Distance: 56 miles (assuming an out and back course that gives 56 miles headwind / 56 miles tailwind)

Temp: 75º

Elevation: 100'

Trans Efficience: 95%

This is a little bit hoky, because the grade is 0%, the wind is constant, it assumes your position is the same all the time, etc, etc... but I thought it was still interesting. 

  1. The net effect of any wind will be to slow you down. The reason is that you will spend less time with the wind at your back (you are going faster) than you spend in the headwind (where you are going slower).
  2. You can really see the time impact of your "air speed" increase as the wind increases... this drives home Coach's emphasis on staying as aero as possible in windy conditions (or high speed conditions).
  3. Small amounts of wind (net 5 mph) may play with your head, but they will really only cost you about 5 minutes over the course of 112 miles if you stay steady and stay aero... so don't let it bother you.

In any case - I just wanted to share.

The chart is below... 

Rich

 

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