Headwind and Tailwind- how much difference?

KevinMcC

Hi folks, only been cycling since the end of July and slowly getting better (would be strange if I was getting worse).

Anyway started timing myself doing a regular flat run and yesterday I done it but felyt rotten but managed it in 45 there and 35 back (headwind there and tailwind back)

today delayed by a bull getting on the cycle path (big buggers when they run at you in a panic aint they) so on the way there timing was out but on the way back I went to the big ring for a longer period than I have done and generally felt faster and a higher cadence throughout. Then I checked my watch and It had taken me 45? Less wind today, did the tailwind really make that big a difference yesterday?

headwind buggers me over but I did not think a tailwind had affected my time that much but on this highly unscientific test it did? or is it all in my mind?

Kev

Frank the tank

In my experience a tailwind makes me feel like I'm riding like a "tour pro" headwind on the other hand I'm back to "Frank the tank".

pabloweaver

t...a...i...l...w...i...n...d......


nope..... still cant figure out what that means


see signature !

dave milne

Frank the tank wrote:

In my experience a tailwind makes me feel like I'm riding like a "tour pro" headwind on the other hand I'm back to "Frank the tank".

This. When I find myself bowling along in the mid 20mphs and finding it easy I have a tailwind.

skinson

I just treat headwinds with the contempt they deserve, I put my head down and thinh of England.
Dave

Nerrep

Riding at 10mph into a 10mph headwind takes more or less the same effort as riding at 20mph on a calm day.

I hate headwinds

ColinJ

There are a couple of tunnels on the coast road above Calpe on the Costa Blanca, a few kms NE of Benidorm. The tunnels form a funnel for any winds blowing in that direction. I tried riding up through the tunnels once when there was something like a 30 kph headwind.

On the open road, it was very tiring riding into that wind.

When I got to the first tunnel I was brought to a standstill by the wind amplified by the tunnel. I stood up in my bottom gear (39/29) and could not move forwards.

I dismounted and the bicycle was immediately blown out of my hands, took off and almost went over the barrier and down into the ravine at the side of the road! :shock: Fortunately, I managed to grab it and wrestle it to the ground.

I turned round and with little effort was soon doing 60 kph going the other way (slightly downhill).

Yeah, the wind can make a huge difference!

El Imbatido

I hate it when you are pushing into a headwind on the way out but when you turn around you somehow magically have a headwind again. Man i hate those days

Escargot

Tailwinds are a dream. Went out and did 80 miles last week with a strong headwind for the first half of the ride (what a grind ).

The journey back was lovely and on the home straight (flat) I managed to sprint flat out and hit 30mph for the last quarter mile. Not bad after 80 miles in the saddle but then it should be noted that the tailwind was about 20mph

teagar

The worst are sidewinds when you're on an out and back....

Dunkeldog

@ El Imbatido

Thank god someone else experiences the shifting headwind day. There have been days when I almost feel like pulling 180 degrees and heading away from home just to get my own back!

Joe86

teagar wrote:

The worst are sidewinds when you're on an out and back....

I live in a seaside town and the wind is generally 20 mph on an average day, and sometimes raises to 30 mph, and also gusts are anywhere between 20-40 mph. Anyway, I was amazed how much difference a crosswind makes, as well as headwinds. I can be going up an incline at 27 mph, at a steady easy pace, yet when I come back down the opposite way I'm struggling to hit 20 mph with everything I have. I actually think I hate the wind more than inclines

Anyway, I guess I have to factor the wind into my training, and realise I can't always keep the pace I want.

ris

i'm sure i mentally magnify any headwind by a factor of 2 and reduce any tailwind i might be experiencing by half, so that it cannot possibly be me that is the slow one!

Joe86

ris wrote:

i'm sure i mentally magnify any headwind by a factor of 2 and reduce any tailwind i might be experiencing by half, so that it cannot possibly be me that is the slow one!

Sometimes when I cycle along the seafront and the headwind is so strong I can barely pedal, and I'm lucky to break 12 mph on flat ground, I almost feel embarassed and guilty for being on the road :oops: As if I should be on the pavement because I'm going so slow

neeb

The problem with tailwinds is they make you lazy - if you're speeding along at 25mph+ with little effort it's hard to force yourself to go as fast as you could. On the other hand, with a headwind it's easy to completely knacker yourself by trying to maintain a "respectable" speed...

neeb

I almost feel embarassed and guilty for being on the road Embarassed

I think we all know that feeling - the worst thing is knowing that people in cars stuck behind you are completely insulated from the wind and must just think you are cr*p..

It's strange, but however often I cycle into headwinds and however much I know that it IS just the wind, there is always that nagging irrational doubt that you have suddenly become incredibly unfit overnight...

pabloweaver

I tell my self its wind resistance and drag caused by immense power output and speed