Depressing stretches of road when cycling in the wind

[TheDoctor]

The A414 between Hertford and Hatfield on the return leg of the Southend FRNttC.

Well said!!
That is a shoot-awful road under any circs. With a headwind it'd be terrible.

 

[HLaB]

There's too many to think off but I hate stretches of rural road which are totally exposed, somedays I just feel like I'm going backwards. The ones that spring to mind, probably cause I cycle them often, are the road from Cleish to Crook of Devon (B9097) and the Causeway (B920) near Loch Leven (I'm not surprised there is a gliding centre there).

 

[nmcgann]

......
As for dreadful roads for headwinds- I'd nominate Little Fen Drove between Burwell and Wicken Fen, Cambs. Only a short couple of miles but it seems a lot longer as it's a very dull strecth ofstraight Fen road and the wind is always against you. I did get stopped by the Filth last time I cycled along there late one Friday night but that's another story!

There's some hideous headwind drags in the flatlands north of cambridge. I went up Prickwillow road (b1104) between Iselham and Prickwillow a few times this winter and it was grim - 8 miles of pedalling through treacle.

 

[guitarpete247]

Here is not the happiest place to be when the wind is in your face. I found this stretch of road when I used to live in Doncaster. I set off into Lincolnshire (cos it's mostly flat) but found some of it depressing when you don't have the end in sight.

 

[Headgardener]

My offer is the strech of road that runs from Hythe to the bottom of Frost lane. The railway runs on one side and the sea is on the other for about half to three quarters of a mile and which ever way I go there is always a headwind off the sea. I struggle to get above 15mph even though it is mostly flat although when there is no wind I fair fly along this strech.

 

[Cubist]

New Hey Road, Huddersfield . I cycle it every day, and there's nearly always a headwind. I only wish I could maintain the sort of 8-11 mph you talk of Plax, but there are a couple of places on this road where I struggle to get over 6.5 mph. To give you an idea of its slow grind factor I average 21.5 to 22 mph on the way to work. I leave the computer to work out the average on the return journey, so only ever get to see the average over all 12 miles. I have only got over 12 mph in total twice!

 

[monnet]

Aside from tonights '25' course which was horrid, the worst piece of road i've ridden in the wind is a stretch in Lancashire from Pilling to Cockerham. It's horribly exposed - Fylde plain on one side Pilling sands on the other. The only way to do it justice is to use the name local cyclists give it - 'The Graveyard'

 

[Glow worm]

There's some hideous headwind drags in the flatlands north of cambridge. I went up Prickwillow road (b1104) between Iselham and Prickwillow a few times this winter and it was grim - 8 miles of pedalling through treacle.

Yes quite agree- awful- it's fairly featureless as well! The only plus side is the cars can't do much more than about 40 or they'd knacker their exhausts as the bumps (typical of many Fen roads hereabouts) in the road are big and go on forever!