Rode home today in a heavy crosswind. Seemed like there were times when I was going to drag knee going in a straight line!
Crazy, crazy, crazy.
Still, I've ridden in heavy wind before and had no problems. I did learn something new, though. Even though I'm always relaxed and able to stay steady in the wind, I discovered that it's best to stay thoroughly connected to the bike. In other words, keep the body low, the knees and toes in close, the elbows in, etc.
What happened was, I was cruising along, bike steady, about 90 mph, the cross wind reported by the news was about 50-60 mph. A gust hit me from the side but this time, it caught me by the knee. The bike remained in position but it felt like if it had been much more intense, it could have actually taken me off the bike.
Without tensing up, I just pulled in the knees, ankles, toes, elbows and got into crouch. Didn't seem to have any more problems once I welded all my loose parts to the bike!
Also, as we all know, riding faster increases the gyroscopic force of the wheels and keeps you much more steady. Works every time. Still, the wind could conceivably blow hard enough to negate that force and make you park the bike under an overpass or something. Good judgment mandatory, of course!
Damn, I love riding, even when the weather sucks!
--Wag--
Crazy, crazy, crazy.
Still, I've ridden in heavy wind before and had no problems. I did learn something new, though. Even though I'm always relaxed and able to stay steady in the wind, I discovered that it's best to stay thoroughly connected to the bike. In other words, keep the body low, the knees and toes in close, the elbows in, etc.
What happened was, I was cruising along, bike steady, about 90 mph, the cross wind reported by the news was about 50-60 mph. A gust hit me from the side but this time, it caught me by the knee. The bike remained in position but it felt like if it had been much more intense, it could have actually taken me off the bike.
Without tensing up, I just pulled in the knees, ankles, toes, elbows and got into crouch. Didn't seem to have any more problems once I welded all my loose parts to the bike!
Also, as we all know, riding faster increases the gyroscopic force of the wheels and keeps you much more steady. Works every time. Still, the wind could conceivably blow hard enough to negate that force and make you park the bike under an overpass or something. Good judgment mandatory, of course!
Damn, I love riding, even when the weather sucks!
--Wag--
