Evolving weather conditions: Epic Ride Weather
How will the weather develop while we are out on our ride? When is rain likely to hit? How hot will it be later? And importantly, what will the wind be doing when we get tired towards the end of the ride?
When we are out on a longer ride, we can be sure that the weather will evolve. Epic Ride Weather (www.epicrideweather.com) gives a detailed, personalised weather forecast based on the route we have planned. It reads your route information from some resource such as RidewithGPS, Strava or Komoot and tells you the temperature, rainfall, wind conditions and so on, at the various points in your ride.
For the following prediction, I told Epic Ride Weather to read trail information from RidewithGPS, when I would be starting and my estimated average speed. It then fed back to me the comprehensive weather profile I could expect on my journey. Here are just the temperature and wind results:
The app is free to use for a number of weather predictions, so try it out and see if you like it.
Of course, it is useful for longer on-road rides as well.
Safety safety safety!
Safety is always something we need to take seriously when riding, all the more so when on difficult or remote terrain, far from ambulances and other help.
Ride with other people or tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Take a well-serviced gravel or mountain bike with at least 40mm-wide tyres. Take a first aid kit, food, water and spares and tools you might need. Remember that phone reception will be weak or non-existent in many areas. We suggest you take a PLB (personal locator beacon) when going into remote areas. Always ensure you are self-sufficient and know how to get yourself out of trouble.