Uphill versus Against the Wind

[gxaustin]

I hate headwinds so it would be hills for me.

[ossie]

Likewise. I don't mind spinning up a hill but a head wind is just miserable, especially when touring with panniers. My absolute worst case was beating into a north westerly gale from Rotterdam up to the ferry at the Hook. Absolutely no shelter and pretty bleak with the wind howling off the sea / river and a ferry to catch.

When planning a day ride from home on the road bike I always look at wind direction and plan accordingly.

[simonineaston]

There's something deeply depressing about cycling into a headwind... Hills on the other hand nearly always have a crest and another side.

[Jamesh]

I've done many century rides and enjoyed them all....

Except one Doncaster to Newmarket in a SW gale, to pick up a van what a nightmare - mile after mile after mile of relentless wind, only when I had a few short easterly tacks did it relent....

Give me hills any day.

To add insult to injury the van turned out to be a dud!!

[Jamesh]

Likewise. I don't mind spinning up a hill but a head wind is just miserable, especially when touring with panniers. My absolute worst case was beating into a north westerly gale from Rotterdam up to the ferry at the Hook. Absolutely no shelter and pretty bleak with the wind howling off the sea / river and a ferry to catch.

When planning a day ride from home on the road bike I always look at wind direction and plan accordingly.

Always go out into the wind and return home with the wind behind you!

[Biospace]

I find the psychology of 'riding into the wind' hard to deal with as it's the ultimate inefficiency, unlike riding up hills. It's Nature's equivalent of riding with dragging brakes or under inflated tyres.

I remember not being so bothered, simply tucking down and improving my stamina, now I'll choose a circular ride so that the section directly against the wind is as sheltered as possible and the tail wind can be used to the max.

Especially when out with the two young'uns this technique is also applied to gradients, so that long gentle grades are ridden down and short, sharp ones are (walked) up. Having ridden a local circuit (about 35 miles) both ways, the difference in time and energy is considerable, especially when on the tandem.

[VinceLedge]

Having to pedal all the way downhill against the wind after slogging up the other side against it is particularly dispiriting!

[Pebble]

I find going into the wind is more dispiriting (and dangerous with less awareness of vehicles about to overtake). The wind just seems more relentless. Least with a hill you eventually get to a top and have the reward of the view. More satisfying getting to the top of a big hill than pushing 20 mile into an invisible enemy.

They're both hard work but I prefer a hill any day.

[pwa]

If you had a perfectly matched wind and hill, they could have the same effect for a particular cyclist. Or either could have a greater effect. It would have to be an extreme wind to compete with a very steep hill though.

The good thing about uphills is that they come to an end, whereas a headwind can last for hours if you continue (roughly) in one direction. I once rode an Audax in Wales that had me facing a headwind most of the way from Llanelli (south coast) to Dolgellau, and by the time I got to that turning point I was cream crackered. Hours of having to pedal even on the downhills. For me, it is that potential for headwinds to be a nuisance for hours that is the killer.

[MartinC]

Thanks Ian, I'll read that tomorrow - off for a curry now.

Although that post is from 2015, maybe hills and wind have changed by now (tee hee).

The wind will certainly have changed if you've had a curry.

[nez]

My best 10 mile result was 23mph average where riders I had trounced on the hills were averaging 27mph.

Hats off. I couldn't dream of averaging 27mph.

[mjr]

Likewise. I don't mind spinning up a hill but a head wind is just miserable, especially when touring with panniers. My absolute worst case was beating into a north westerly gale from Rotterdam up to the ferry at the Hook. Absolutely no shelter and pretty bleak with the wind howling off the sea / river and a ferry to catch.

When planning a day ride from home on the road bike I always look at wind direction and plan accordingly.

Always go out into the wind and return home with the wind behind you!

Bad idea to always go out into the wind: then the wind may turn and you have a ride with no tailwind. Look at the forecasts, like ossie wrote. I have done one legendary 100 mile ride across the fens with 85% tailwind, as it turned during the final food stop.

From Rotterdam to the Hook, I think it's a good idea to allow the extra time to do the 24-instead-of-18-mile route through Delft and the string of towns (Wateringen, Kwintsheul, Honselersdijk, Naaldwijk and s'Gravenzande), which is both tacking against a headwind wind and hiding among buildings more than the riverside routes. Or hop on the metro if off-peak.

[pq]

Unanswerable. You can do either with very little effort if you go slow enough in a very low gear. However psychology is important here, and for me that makes hills easier than wind. You can see progress up the hill and you get to freewheel down the other side.

[Psamathe]

Unanswerable. You can do either with very little effort if you go slow enough in a very low gear. However psychology is important here, and for me that makes hills easier than wind. You can see progress up the hill and you get to freewheel down the other side.

Also the hill has a top/end (normally) whereas the wind goes on and on (until you change direction normally a lot further away that the top of a climb).

Ian

[thirdcrank]

We must have had other threads on this besides that linked above.

IMO a big difference (in spite of my belief that the highwaymen jack up all hills every winter to increase their gradients) is that hills are dependable where the wind isn't. Riding up a hill is money in the bank, or at least pedalling effort converted to potential energy. Wind speed and direction are largely a matter of luck, and as has been pointed out, struggling into the wind carries no guarantee of anything helpful on the return journey. Descending hills doesn't mean getting all the investment back as the energy may be lost through braking and then greater speed = more wind resistance, especially if it's blowing a gale into your face but overall, imo climbing = achievement while riding into a headwind = annoyance at least.