Despite the fact that RAGBRAI goes west to east, to follow the prevailing westerlies, the winds don’t always obey. There will very likely be days when you have a stiff cross-wind or even an occasional headwind. You should be prepared for this inevitability.
First, a bit about the physics of wind. Wind resistance is typically the major form of resistance you will encounter on a bike, after gravity from hills, and in some cases wind resistance may be greater than hill resistance if the wind is strong enough, or you are riding fast enough. So even if there is not wind, you create wind by riding. If you are riding at 10 MPH, there is going to be a 10 MPH headwind even on a calm day. If there is a 10 MPH headwind and you are going 10 MPH, that’s an apparent 20 MPH headwind. Even a crosswind has the effect of a headwind due to the vector effect (remember your physics?). The only time when it doesn’t feel like you have a headwind while riding is when you have a straight or nearly straight tailwind that is equal to or faster than what you are riding. So that sucks but it’s life on a bicycle. So what can you do about it?
The answer is blowing in the wind
Well, you can complain about it, and we all do, but that doesn’t help. There are several solutions. One is to slow down. As you slow down in a headwind, you greatly reduce the amount of resistance (remember wind resistance is the square of it’s speed). When you ride hard into a wind, the wind pushes back even harder, so you should resign yourself to the fact that you will be traveling slower when it’s windy.
Another solution is to shift into an easier gear to make it easier to ride. Similarly to riding uphill, use an easier gear and go slower into a headwind. You can also practice riding in the wind, which isn’t hard to do if you ride frequently. Like training on hills to get better at hill climbing, riding on windy days teaches you to deal with it.
One thing you can do to help reduce wind resistance is to lower your profile. Instead of sitting straight up on the saddle, bend over at the waist and get your head and upper body more horizontal. Don’t create a sail with your body and zipping up zippers and avoiding billowing windbreakers will help.
It’s also a mental thing. While wind isn’t fun unless it’s a tailwind, the wind will blow so you might as well accept it and learn to live with it. Also, riding on windy days will help you get used the feeling of being blown around on the road. On days with very strong crosswinds you will feel the wind pushing your bike and front wheel around. Maintain a firm grip on the handlebars and try to hold a steady straight line. On windy days it’s good to give other riders around you more space, because both you and the other riders may be getting blown around. Make sure you aren’t overlapping your front wheel with their rear wheel.
Look at the bright side
One good thing about the wind is some days, when the wind obeys the prevailing westerlies concept, you will have a tailwind. And on days where you have a tailwind all day, it is glorious. You feel like a million bucks. Even going uphill is easier. And there will likely be days when you are riding east all day on RAGBRAI when you will be getting a nice westerly tailwind. Enjoy those days when they happen and ride like the wind.
Coach David Ertl
Find all of Coach Ertl’s Training Blogs, as well as the 2026 Training Plan in our Training section on RAGBRAI.com.
David Ertl is a USA Cycling Advanced Certified Coach. He coaches individual cyclists through the Peaks Coaching Group www.peakscoachinggroup.com/davidertl. Ertlalso provides cycling training plans and ebooks at his website: www.CyclesportCoaching.com. You can contact Coach Ertl at: [email protected].
