Crosswinds can turn an easy ride into a white-knuckle adventure. But with the right techniques, you can slice through the breeze efficiently and safely. Here’s how:
First, find a safe stretch of road with a steady crosswind. Ride solo to get a feel for the wind’s effect on your bike. Notice how your front wheel wants to weathervane into the wind.
To counteract this, shift your weight slightly to the wind side of your bike. If the wind is coming from your left, move your body a bit left. This helps keep your bike tracking straight without constant steering corrections.
Next, lower your upper body. Crosswinds create significant drag on your torso. By dropping your chest closer to the top tube, you’ll reduce your profile and the wind’s effect.
Practice changing hand positions. In strong crosswinds, you may find more control with your hands on the drops. This lowers your center of gravity and gives you better leverage for steering.
Now, add some friends to the mix. In a group, echeloning is key. Form a diagonal line across the road, each rider slightly to the downwind side of the rider ahead. This allows everyone to get some draft benefit.
But remember, safety comes first. On public roads with traffic, never drift into oncoming traffic lanes or block the road so cars cannot pass. Instead, form a shortened echelon within your lane. The lead rider should stay to the right of the lane, with others forming a shortened diagonal behind. If there’s any question about whether you’re on a road with enough room, don’t do it. Echeloning is something you’ll only see on a closed road racing course for a good reason.
If your group is large, consider splitting into smaller echelons. Always designate a rider at the back to call out approaching vehicles. It’s better to sacrifice some aerodynamic advantage than to create a dangerous situation.
When it’s your turn at the front, don’t stay too long. Crosswinds make leading extra tough. Take shorter pulls to keep the group’s speed consistent.
If you’re toward the back, be alert. Gaps can open quickly in crosswinds. Be ready to accelerate smoothly to close any gaps that form.
Remember, smooth is fast – and safe. Avoid jerky movements that could surprise your riding partners. Gentle, constant adjustments are the name of the game.
With practice, you’ll find yourself confidently cruising on days that used to keep you indoors. You might even start looking forward to those breezy days as opportunities to hone your skills!
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Been doing this for years, never knew it was a “technique” It just felt like the best way to fight the crosswinds.
I am blessed with a number of weird anatomical features. For one thing, at age 73, I am still able to ride comfortably fair distances in the drops (despite doing very few stretching, etc exercises). As mentioned, riding in the drops is the first step in dealing with cross winds. Sadly and locally (I hope), too few casual riders seem to understand proper drafting and echelons…
When riding in a group with a crosswind, there are often people who don’t understand the principles. But a short call out of “move over so we can get a draft back here” works well. I haven’t had people take offense at such a request, and eventually they learn it and don’t have to be reminded.
I get this for a steady (or at least relatively steady) cross wind. Any advice for a very gusty cross wind? And any thoughts about riding alone, and being pretty small & light? I was once training for the Death Ride out of Markleeville, and we encountered “Lake Winds” – very very gusty – when one gust blew me and my sturdier companion more than a foot away from where we’d planned to be. Scary stuff. We skipped that training day.
The people i ride with do not understand an echelon formation. So instead of trying it, they just complain about the wind.
Winnie, when I ride solo into gusty wind I slightly lean into the gust, and hold the bars tightly, it puts weight up front and toward the gust to help keep the front wheel planted to the road.
Hope this helps,
A common misconception I’ve noticed on group rides where we ride on the right side of the road is that riders think they should always pull off to the right following their pull, regardless of wind direction. If the wind is from the left, this is the opposite of the correct side to pull off. We should always pull off the front into the wind, so that the slower-moving riders who are dropping back are sheltering those moving faster. After dropping steadily to the back of the train, you will need to clear the rear wheel of the final rider and move to the opposite side onto the train of faster-moving riders, gaining shelter from those in front, as well as from the slower-moving train to your upwind side. Thus, the circulation with a crosswind from the left is counterclockwise, while the circulation will be clockwise if the wind is from the right, regardless of what country you are riding in.. For a short video of echelons dealing with a strong crosswind from the right, and correctly circulating clockwise, see this video starting at 00:53. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDZZiLcojQ&t=16s