Ride the west wind
Taking inspiration from the Dutch and Italians, I name the wind that eases my way across Herefordshire.
The wind can make or break a bike ride. It can certainly break the rider. Maybe those blessed with grit and determination can plough into a headwind, accepting its drain on their energy. I can’t. My resolve crumbles, and my legs give up their remaining fight. “What’s the point?” they ask me in despair. And, unlike the great pro Jens Voigt, I have no answer. I can’t shut them up.
It could be worse, I guess – I could live somewhere really windy. When a winter wind is whipping off the North Sea at near gale force, riding straight into it is the last thing I’d want to do. And yet every year, when the conditions are just right, that’s where you’ll find competitors in the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships. They battle 8.5km along the Oosterscheldekering storm barrier on upright, single-speed bikes. Madness.
Matt
But the Dutch also have some sensible ideas. One of them is uitwaaien. It translates literally as outblowing and refers to the practice of spending time in wild, windy weather – usually by going for a walk or a bike ride – to clear your mind and feel refreshed. British people might say to ‘blow the cobwebs away’; I prefer the efficient Northern European approach of condensing the principle into a single word.
After a wet winter where longer rides were scarce, a change in the weather and a quiet day at work opened a window of opportunity for me. There was just one problem: a strong westerly wind. Riding a loop from my door would guarantee that half the ride would be unpleasant. So instead I alighted on a plan to catch the train to Hereford and cycle across the county with the wind at my back. I’d get my dose of uitwaaien without the struggle.