Weather

The weather can make or break a ride.  Terrible conditions make for terrible riding.  On a bicycle you cannot roll up the windows if it gets wet or turn on the heat if it gets chilly.  There is no roof over your head to protect you from sun or rain. Even if you decide to take cover from the weather you still have to ride to get there.

When we say weather we are not just talking about the sun and rain. Every aspect of weather is critical to a cyclist.  The wind, extremes in temperatures and even the fog is important.

When crossing the Great Plains in early summer tornadoes could be a factor. You are exposed to the environment and may have no place to quickly escape a weather event.  There are vast areas in the Midwest with no facilities what so ever.  It would not be uncommon to ride a road for 50 miles and not see another person or building.  We carry two way radios with a weather band.

Having the right gear and clothing on your bike is imperative. But on the other hand carrying anything you do not need will slow you down.  Clothes have weight and more important have bulk.  This puffs out you panniers and creates more wind drag.  Lugging an item for thousands of miles that you never end up using is a waste of valuable energy. 

Researching weather data for each state you plan to ride through will help you decide what to carry.

Below is an example of some of the data we collected for the Wild West Tour II.

2009 Weather Data

2010 Weather Data

We gathered weather data over a two year period for towns along the route. Using this information we were able to determine what to carry for clothes and equipment.

The charts also indicate that during our projected ride dates in 2009 it rained only 1% of the time. You can also see that nearly 80% of the time the weather was either sunny or partly sunny.

The direction and intensity of the wind could be the most important weather consideration of all. Rain storms normally pass quickly but wind can last for weeks on the plains. Spring for example is notoriously windy in the Midwest. Just moving your departure date a few weeks can make a huge difference in the effort required to reach a certain mileage goal.

The better prepared you are for an unsupported tour the more you will enjoy it.  Knowing what type of weather to expect is a vital part of being prepared.