• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

What Effect Does Rain Have on Speed?

Question: How much does rain — and wearing a rain jacket — affect the aerodynamics of a ride and thereby the speed? Is there a best way to achieve speed in a wet race or fast group ride? — Dave G.

Coach Fred Matheny Replies: In a rainy ride or race, the issue isn’t speed so much as traction.

Rain won’t affect speed by adding rolling resistance unless there are several inches of water on the road. But rain slows you because it’s more dangerous to corner and harder to see when water flies up from the wheels of other riders.

The best way to counteract rain’s effect is to ride in the rain. There’s really no substitute for experience. But many riders won’t train when it’s wet. They lose this opportunity to build their skills. The main reason pros are so good on wet roads is because they have to race on them. They learn by necessity.

And you’ll find that if you ever do a big group ride in the rain, the conditions can actually heighten focus — which is necessary for the group to maintain its speed and cohesiveness.

As for clothing, a floppy rain jacket will cut your speed drastically by acting as a drogue chute. You’ll see pros wearing rain jackets in abysmal conditions, but that’s when the whole pack rides relatively slowly, huddled together for protection. When the crunch comes, the jackets come off no matter how hard it’s raining.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ryan McLaughlin says

    October 4, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    Definitely agree with this, another important fact is that rain brings with it low pressure, if this is combined with a bit of heat & humidity combined leads to low air pressure -conditions will be very fast. Light rain ideally, before or after a storm should be faster than normal in most cases.

    Reply
  2. kyle says

    November 28, 2022 at 12:08 pm

    theres no way a wet ground when the water sticks to the wheels and flys up on your shins and over head doesnt effect speed.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • Monumental History of the Climb to Kaiser Bicycle Ride Published
  • Ornot Cycling Winter Gear Review Roundup
  • The Important Role of Carbohydrates
  • How far can you bike tour per day?

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1060

Newsletter Issue No. 1059

Newsletter Issue No. 1057

Newsletter Issue No. 1056

Newsletter Issue No. 1055

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in