Road Cycling Skills

Chloe Hosking’s Top Tips for Riding in a Crosswind

Are you getting blown around a little too much on the bike?

If there’s anyone we can learn a few road cycling skills from, it’s Chloe Hosking.

The bubbly Australian loves challenging riding conditions, listing cobbles and crosswinds among her favourite to ride in. Luckily for us, Chloe was very happy to share her top tips for riding in a crosswind with us. Enjoy!

How to handle potholes and obstacles

I love the windy races we see in Qatar and a lot of the Dutch races. I don’t know where it came from as we don’t have crosswinds in Australia.

If you don’t know how to ride in a crosswind, you are not alone, a lot of professionals don’t know how to ride in a crosswind. Here are my top tips to conquer a crosswind:

Read the wind: I look at the grass on the side of the road to see which way the wind is blowing.

Position and protect yourself: If the wind is blowing left you to want to be on the left-hand side of the road and have the people next to you on the right.

Prepare in advance: If you are riding into a headwind and you know there is a left-hand corner coming up, you know it’ll be a crosswind in a second so make sure you put yourself in the right spot to avoid being caught on the outside.

On the bike: Some people might go down on the drops and come a little further forward in the seat to offer a little more stability on the bike.

Get in gear: A bigger gear helps. I know that is something Gio (Giorgia Bronzini) struggles with a bit as she spins a lot but really when the winds are blowing you just need a bigger gear. But some people aren’t comfortable with grinding it out but I am so it suits me.