Is it just me, or is the wind NEVER behind you?

[BentMikey]

It's because you guys are riding the wrong kind of bicycle. I pray for headwinds, especially if I'm on a ride with Gaz.

 

[Arch]

Actaully, it's one area where the loaded Maximus wins. Fully loaded, I'm crawling anyway, so the wind doesn't make much difference. But on the rare occasions it's behind me, especially if I've had to pick up some large flattened boxes and jam them across the back of the trike, I really get some help!

Happens about once a year...

 

[coffeejo]

I had a tailwind this afternoon! Made my hybrid go at the same speed as the road bike

Course, on the way home, I battled to crawl along at any speed at all. Any shelter produced the cycling effect of a cork popping out from a bottle. An elegant ride home, it was not

 

[Norm]

Plan your routes and the wind can be your friend.

Today's wind (steady 18mph that it was! ) was from the east. I planned my route heading out south easterly, so the wind was coming across the road and on my back, so I was on the high pressure side of the hedge.

On the way home, heading towards the north west, I was heading into the wind in the lee of the hedge to my left and often under tress (with a gazillion acorns falling around me) so I was pretty well sheltered.

It worked well... apart from the one wind-tunnel-like bit between the outward leg and the homeward leg when it felt like I was heading straight into a hurricane.

As for always feeling a headwind, sailors will understand the difference between actual and apparent wind speed and direction. Away from the coast, the wind doesn't often get over 10-12mph, so a cyclist who rides at, say, 18mph will never get the wind on his back.

 

[funnymummy]

I have ridden a circular routes many times with a head wind all the time
I think it is to do with the wind fairies or maybe goblins

Naughty little buggers!
I live on the coast, heading West is always painfull

Start of the yaer, was the NoExcuses Sportive, the course was a very zigzaggy one, quite often would double bcak on ourselves, we rode into a headwind, didn't matter which way we went it was always into a headwind...One of the longest 60 milers i've ever done!

 

[jonny jeez]

Its just you...or you lot (BM is excluded GRRR)

Tail wind almost all the way to work, head wind almost all the way home. every single night no matter what the weather report says the winds doing.

I would prefer it t'other way round as the ride in has a 5 mile long down hill section...on the way home its a 5 mile uphill with a side order of head wind.

Oh and did I mention Bromley Hill..

ahem

 

[Red Light]

Their not known as Againsterlies for no reason.

Actually if you analyse the physics of the situation a side wind will slow you down as will a range of tail winds. There is a relatively narrow range of tail wind directions that actually help. The rest are against you.

 

[BlackPanther]

It's really freaky when you do get a decent tail wind. To be doing 25 mph with little effort and cocooned in total silence is a Zen like experience......a bit like when you slipstreaming a bus.

O.K. the perfect tailwind is a rare occurrence, but hey, if we had a permanent tail wind we'd not be getting any exercise! Who'd want to like in that nightmarish world. Not me, no siree Bob.

 

[Thomk]

its like rideing down hill its over far more quickly that the ride up, so it is with tailwinds and diveing boads (it looks twice as high looking down than it did looking up)

It's worse than that. My commute contains multiple sections where the road is slightly uphill both ways. Am I the only one to notice that

 

[cloggsy]

I feel your pain!

Another question though... Why is the headwind always stronger when you're knackered?

 

[Vigilies]

The wind is only behind you when you have eaten beans!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I sometimes wonder whether it's the wind noise that wears me out by frazzling my nerves more than the added effort needed to move forward. But then I remembered you get ear frazzle plus leg struggle at the same time. On the other hand on those rare occasions (maybe 7% of the time) you get a tailwind, I know that it's the calm that I notice first.

 

[steve52]

It's worse than that. My commute contains multiple sections where the road is slightly uphill both ways. Am I the only one to notice that

+1 to the uphill both ways!

 

[Hip Priest]

No such thing as a tailwind. That's a scientific fact. Headwinds are awful. Sidewinds are even worse, when you have to ride leaning to one side as a counter balance.

 

[roadrash]

i think tailwinds are the work of black magic and witchcraft...... why else do i never experience one