oh tailwind, how i love your company

[kedab]

practically all the way to work, both legs of my commute yesterday i was brilliantly assisted by the gods of tailwind. given that i'm am the first to curse their cousin, the less friendly and persistant god of headwind, what a joy it was.

i got a good measure of just how wonderful the tailwind was when i practically flew over elizabeth way bridge, overtaking WVM and 2 others in the process and continued to stay in the draft of the cars on the flat - oh joy, oh wonder

i didn't have any apps running on my phone and i took the computer off my bike a few months ago so i can't say exactly how quick i was but at times i must have been doing 30mph+ this is huge for me!

i'm quite a sad individual and as i got off the bike at work i gave the seat a little pat to say thank you - i'm aware it's not a horse but it is indeed my trusty steed!

loved it - love cycling and after 5 months of commuting and learning cycle craft every day as well as massively improving my fitness, i'm somewhat in love with the whole experience

 

[briantrumpet]

Adapting Rudyard Kipling....

If you can meet with Headwind and Tailwind
And treat those two impostors just the same;
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

I think you'll be meeting quite a bit of both of those imposters this week.

 

[Melonfish]

Is it me or are we -society that is- seemingly inventing new gods recently? the gods of tailwind and his nemesis the god of headwind.
ceiling cat and basement cat?
jeff the god of biscuits...


it goes on

but yes, all praise to the fickle wind gods and their interest in us mere cyclists

 

[marooned]

I though it was Flatulus, the God of Wind!

 

[Tynan]

it was certainly quick going East down the Mile End Road this evening, I decided to give my usual route through Hackney a miss, the bike genuinely was going on its own at times

 

[MossCommuter]

but yes, all praise to the fickle wind gods and their interest in us mere cyclists

you weren't so chirpy when I saw you at half five... head down into the tailwind

 

[400bhp]

i'm quite a sad individual and as i got off the bike at work i gave the seat a little pat to say thank you - i'm aware it's not a horse but it is indeed my trusty steed!

Like it! It's probably something I do subconsciously.

 

[400bhp]

It was a bollock on the way hom though. Had a little play with a chap on a hybrid and jeans through Sale Moor. Bloody chain wouldn't go onto the big ring at the front-had to pedal like buggery.

 

[tnr319]

I read this topic with a smile and a knowing nod. Then got up into the saddle and headed for work..... into the biggest headwind in the last two months! I use the canal towpath and I swear there was a bloke surfing the waves were that big! Then, eight hours later the wind's changed direction and its a headwind all the way home!

Maybe I haven't paid homage to the gods......

 

[Melonfish]

you weren't so chirpy when I saw you at half five... head down into the tailwind

Tailwind for you! lol i was flippin knackered! it was like cycling uphill all the way hehe.
this morning was brilliant tho, freewheeling with my back to the wind

 

[Ellis456]

I was blown about yesterday it nearly pushed me into passing traffic!, and the wind is always blowing towards me so it's been double effort the past few days!.

 

[MossCommuter]

Tailwind for you! lol i was flippin knackered! it was like cycling uphill all the way hehe.
this morning was brilliant tho, freewheeling with my back to the wind

Yes you git... I noticed

 

[Melonfish]

Yes you git... I noticed

Don't worry, you'll get revenge later when you here me croak "kill me!" as i pass you at 1mph.

 

[wesa]

When I left work yesterday it was into the mother of all headwinds, this is good as my route quickly turns 180° and what parts are into the wind have fairly high hedges.

At one point GPS has clocked me at 32.5 mph on the flat in a 30mph zone (and I wasn't trying that hard), yes I still had a car trying to overtake, they did abort the procedure when they were mostly past me, no harm done.

A bit further down the road I clocked 22mph up quite a reasonable hill.

The last mile of so was into the wind and was absolute murder, it completely killed the enjoyment of the tailwind, until I was showered and looking at the Garmin log.

 

[Davidc]

Yesterday I went out for a ride. On the way out I had an average speed of 27 mph. Thought I'd lost 25 years and gone back to my thirties.

For the whole ride the average was 11.5 mph. I got back knackered. Thought I'd moved on to my eighties instead.