Windy race takes place despite Storm Ciara

While much of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Britain hunkered down Sunday and hoped Storm Ciara would blow over quickly, an intrepid band of cyclists made the most of the conditions to take part in the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships.

The ingredients are simple: Storm force winds, a simple bicycle with no cycling gear, no featherweight carbon race frame, no drop handlebars, strong legs, at the end of the 8.5 kilometre (5.3-mile) route.

Completing the course along the coast of Zeeland province in the southern Netherlands and across a stormwater barrier as the wind sandblasted riders was anything but simple.

While the idea of plowing headfirst into a storm on a bicycle may sound like madness, it's surprisingly popular in the Netherlands where many people commute to and from work by bicycle come wind or rain.

Some 11,000 people expressed interest online, but organisers only had a maximum of 300 places available.

This is, organisers say, as close as you can get in the largely pancake-flat Netherlands to tackling an alpine stage in a bike race.

With red-and-white wind socks snapping in the wind, riders hunched over their handlebars in a desperate attempt to remain as aerodynamic as possible. Many competitors wore tight lycra cycling clothes.

But not all: One man made a bold fashion statement by wearing a onesie emblazoned with Brussels sprouts over his cycling gear.

Crossing the Oosterscheldekering storm barrier, riders weaved from left to right as they struggled to maintain balance.