How windy is too windy to cycle?
Use one table of wind and gust speeds to decide whether to ride, adapt your route or stay at home.
The short answer
For most riders, the answer to how windy is too windy to cycle is a mean wind of about 50 km/h (31 mph) or gusts of 64 km/h (40 mph). From a mean of about 39 km/h (24 mph), crosswind gusts make handling risky. These are rules of thumb: an official wind warning overrides them.
Key takeaways
- Rule of thumb: stay home from a 50 km/h (31 mph) mean wind or 64 km/h (40 mph) gusts.
- Gusts and crosswinds, not the average, decide whether you hold your line.
- Forecast wind is for 10 m (33 ft) above open ground; exposed roads feel it most.
- Light riders, deep front wheels, loaded bikes, traffic and groups lower your limit.
- Official wind warnings override any rule of thumb, including ours.
Definitions
- Mean wind
- The wind speed averaged over 10 minutes at 10 m (33 ft) above open, flat ground, the standard most forecasts use.
- Gust
- The highest 3-second average wind speed within a period, the short burst that shoves you sideways.
- Crosswind
- The part of the wind blowing across your direction of travel rather than against it.
- Beaufort force
- A 0–12 scale that groups wind speeds by their visible effects, from smoke rising straight up to trees uprooted.
How windy is too windy to cycle, in numbers?
For most riders on open roads, a mean wind of 50 km/h (31 mph) or more, or gusts of 64 km/h (40 mph) or more, means stay home. This page is part of our guide to cycling in the wind.
The table is a rule of thumb, not an official limit. It maps forecast wind to the Beaufort scale and the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) descriptions of wind on land. Use whichever number, mean or gust, puts you in the worse row.
| Rating | Mean wind, km/h (mph) | Gusts, km/h (mph) | Beaufort force (knots) | What you'll see on land (WMO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comfortable | 0–19 (0–12) | Under 30 (19) | 0–3 (0–10) | Leaves and twigs moving; light flags extended |
| Hard work | 20–38 (13–24) | 30–49 (19–30) | 4–5 (11–21) | Dust and paper lifted; small trees sway |
| Handling risk | 39–49 (25–31) | 50–63 (31–39) | 6 (22–27) | Large branches moving; umbrellas hard to use |
| Stay home | 50 or more (32 or more) | 64 or more (40 or more) | 7 and above (28 and above) | Whole trees moving; walking into the wind is an effort |
Hard work means a headwind that costs real time: see how much a headwind slows you down. Handling risk means descents, deep rims and busy roads turn dangerous. UK clubs draw the stay-home line in roughly the same place: two Cycling UK groups suggest cancelling or rerouting for winds of 48 km/h (30 mph) or gusts of 64 km/h (40 mph).
Why do gusts and crosswinds matter more than the average?
The average sets how hard you'll work, but gusts and crosswinds decide whether you hold your line. A steady headwind slows you down; it rarely knocks you over.
A gust in a crosswind arrives as a sideways shove with no warning. The UK Highway Code (rule 232) warns that strong gusts can blow a cyclist off course, especially on exposed roads, bridges and gaps in hedges. And a 40 km/h (25 mph) westerly is a headwind on one road and a full crosswind on the next. Our crosswind guide covers technique.
Want this for your own route? Windline shows the wind for every stretch, timed to your pace. Free. Make a free ride page →
How is wind measured, and what do the forecast numbers mean?
Forecast wind is the wind 10 m (33 ft) above open, flat ground, averaged over 10 minutes. The gust is the strongest 3-second burst. That's the WMO standard, which the Met Office follows. US forecasts may use shorter averages, which read slightly higher.
A WMO-supported review (Harper, Kepert and Ginger, 2008) puts the top 3-second gust at about 1.66 times the 10-minute mean over open inland terrain. So a 30 km/h (19 mph) mean can bring gusts near 50 km/h (31 mph), which is handling risk. If your forecast shows only the mean, assume gusts up to two-thirds higher. More in gusts versus sustained wind.
At bike height, shelter slows the wind but ridges, bridges and coasts don't, so it can feel weaker or stronger than forecast.
What changes your personal limit?
Anything that adds side area, cuts weight or removes your margin for error lowers your limit. If two or more apply, treat the day as one row worse.
- Weight. Light riders on light bikes have less mass to resist a gust.
- Deep wheels. A deep front rim is a sail on the wheel you steer with.
- Touring loads. Panniers add side area, and a heavy bike is slow to correct.
- Exposed roads. Think of the Afsluitdijk causeway in the Netherlands, the Great Ocean Road in Australia or Kansas prairie roads.
- Traffic. Wind from the kerb side pushes you towards cars, and lorries add turbulence (Highway Code rule 233).
- Groups. Gusts push riders into each other. Leave space, and learn how echelons form.
If your national weather service has a wind warning out for your route, don't ride there, whatever our table says.
- UK: Met Office warnings are impact-based, so their colours reflect likely impacts, not a fixed speed.
- US: the National Weather Service's Boston office issues a Wind Advisory from sustained winds of 50 km/h (31 mph) for an hour, or gusts of 74 km/h (46 mph). Criteria vary by office.
- Australia: the Bureau of Meteorology warns of damaging winds from a 63 km/h (39 mph) mean or 90 km/h (56 mph) gusts, except in Tasmania and the NSW alps.
All of these sit at or above our stay-home line, so no warning doesn't mean go. The UCI's extreme weather protocol for pro races also lists strong wind, without setting a speed. In 2016 the Tour de France moved its Mont Ventoux finish down the mountain after winds above 100 km/h (62 mph) at the summit.
What mistakes do riders make with a windy forecast?
Most mistakes come from reading one number, for one place, at one time.
- Reading only the mean. The gust often decides your row.
- Checking the town at breakfast. Wind often builds through the day; see the best time of day to avoid wind.
- Ignoring direction. An easy tailwind out means a headwind home, when you're tired.
How do you decide before your next windy ride?
Work through these steps the night before, then check again in the morning.
- Check for official wind warnings. If there's one for your route, stop.
- Read the mean wind and gusts for the hours you'll ride.
- Find your row, then adjust for the factors above.
- Spot the exposed and crosswind sections, and when you'll reach them.
- Hard work: plan direction and shelter. Handling risk: shorten, find shelter or ride indoors. Stay home: stay home.
Our guide to reading a weather forecast for a bike ride shows how to time each stretch.
Frequently asked questions
Is 20 mph wind too windy to cycle?
A mean wind of 20 mph (32 km/h) is Beaufort force 5, in the hard-work row of our table. A headwind will cost you real time and exposed roads will feel gusty, but most experienced riders can ride it. Check the gusts too: from 50 km/h (31 mph), take care on crosswind sections.
Can the wind knock you off your bike?
Yes. The UK Highway Code warns that strong gusts can blow a cyclist off course, especially on exposed roads and near bridges or gaps in hedges. The risk is highest when a gust hits side-on or a lorry passes. A relaxed grip, a lower position and extra space help you absorb it.
Is it safe to cycle in 40 mph winds?
Not on open roads. A mean wind of 40 mph (64 km/h) is Beaufort force 8, a gale, which the WMO says generally impedes progress. It also meets the High Wind Warning level used by the US National Weather Service in Boston. Even gusts of 40 mph (64 km/h) put you on our stay-home line.
Is a headwind or a crosswind more dangerous on a bike?
A crosswind is usually more dangerous. A steady headwind slows you down, but it pushes you straight back along your line. A crosswind pushes you sideways, and a gust can arrive without warning, towards traffic or another rider. For safety, gusts and road direction matter more than the average.
When should a club cancel a ride because of wind?
Use the same lines as a solo rider, plus a margin, because gusts push riders into each other. Cycling UK's Suffolk group suggests cancelling when winds of 48 km/h (30 mph) are forecast for most of the ride; its Louth group cancels or reroutes for gusts of 64 km/h (40 mph). Decide the evening before.
Get the wind for your ride.
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Make a free ride page →Sources and method
- World Meteorological Organization (2008). Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation (WMO-No. 8), 7th edition, Part I, Chapter 5 (Measurement of surface wind)
- Met Office (2026). Beaufort wind force scale
- Met Office (2025). How wind speeds are measured by the Met Office
- Met Office (2025). How are weather warnings categorised?
- US National Weather Service, Boston/Norton office (2026). Warning and advisory criteria
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology (2026). Severe weather and coastal hazard warning services
- UK Department for Transport (2026). The Highway Code, rules 232 and 233 (windy weather)
- UCI (2026). UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 2 Road Races, article 2.2.029 bis and Annex B (extreme weather protocol), Japan Cycling Federation bilingual edition
- UCI (2015). UCI statement on extreme weather conditions, protocol in sight
- Cycling UK (CTC Suffolk) (2020). Guidance notes for ride leaders, version 1.6
- Cycling UK (Louth group) (2022). Winter weather policy
- AMS 28th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology (2008). Wind speed time averaging conversions for tropical cyclone conditions (Harper, Kepert and Ginger)
- NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (2026). What is the difference between sustained winds and gusts? (Tropical cyclone FAQ D4)
- CyclingStage (2016). Tour de France 2016 stage 12, De Gendt wins at Ventoux
The decision table is our rule of thumb, not an official limit. Mean-wind bands follow the Beaufort forces in WMO-No. 8 (wind at 10 m over open flat ground): comfortable is force 0–3, hard work force 4–5, handling risk force 6 and stay home force 7 and above, the force at which the WMO land description says walking against the wind becomes an effort. Gust bands apply the same Beaufort speeds to the gust itself: a burst in the force 7 range (50 km/h) marks handling risk, and 64 km/h (40 mph) matches the gust level at which Cycling UK's Louth group cancels or reroutes rides. Mean-wind km/h, mph and knot bands are as printed in WMO-No. 8, where each unit is rounded separately from the knot bands, so band edges don't convert exactly (50 km/h is 31 mph). Gust thresholds and speeds in the text were converted with 1 mph = 1.609 km/h and rounded to whole numbers. The gust example multiplies a 30 km/h mean by the 1.66 gust factor Harper, Kepert and Ginger (2008) give for open inland terrain, a factor derived for tropical-cyclone conditions from an over-land wind model, so treat it as approximate.
About the author
Wes Thomson, Founder, Windline. Wes Thomson builds Windline, live wind and weather forecasts timed to when riders reach each stretch of road. He built it for his own 2,093 km tour from Pont Drift to Cape Town, and writes these guides with the same focus: what the wind will do to your ride, and how to plan around it.