Top 10 Reasons Why 3 Days Of Icy Unrelenting Headwinds is a Good Thing!

So after my three day ride, fighting headwinds the entire way, I have realized that I had angered the weather gods in some way. Possibly by failing the time honoured tradition of purchasing a dollar store pinwheel type windmill, dousing it in gasoline and sacrificing it in a ceremony of reverence and respect to the deities. As each day passed without a sacrifice, evidence of their displeasure grew greater.

In order to keep my spirits up, on what was supposed to be a nice easy luxury "Credit Card" weekend training tour, I have decided to look on the bright side.

10. Less wear on Brakes

• If you need to come to a complete stop, simply stop pedalling and all forward motion will come to gentle complete stop within 10-12 meters.

9. Navigation Assistance

• At one point, the wind was at my back and I was making great time,  at which point I immediately became suspicious and double checked my directions, Yup, I went left instead of right... Thanks wind!

8. More Room in Bags/Panniers

• Plenty of room in your bike bags, as you are wearing every layer of clothing you brought to keep warm.

7. Total Validation for spending all that extra money on ultra-light equipment.

• Were you feeling a little guilty for spending somewhere around an extra $500 on a few pieces of top of the line bleeding edge ultra-light equipment? When It only saved you 10 or so pounds? Well, feel guilty no more. Appreciate every ounce you are not carrying with all your heart.

6. No Need to Worry About Going Too Fast On Steep Descents.

• Let the crushing air resistance keep your downhill speeds at a safe and manageable level with full control without riding your brakes..

5. Feel Like a God on Climbs.

• Enjoy those few brief moments when the huge hill ahead of you is blocking the wind and you climb it faster than you descended the previous hill.

4. Perfect your Gearing and Cadence.

• Take the opportunity in constantly gusting and dropping winds to develop bulletproof cadence. Master your shifting to keep your feet spinning like clockwork. Much more challenging when getting blasted by 65km/h gusts.

3.Testing Your Gear Is More Effective In Extreme Conditions.

• Sure, Your gloves and shoes are fine at 0℃. But will they hold up WET at 0℃? Or cold, wet, and being blasted with high winds?

2. No Problems Riding In The Wrong Direction For Unexpected Detours.

• What? This road ends here and I have to ride 4 km south before I can cut across and go north again? YAY!

1. Much More Time To Enjoy The Trip and The Scenery.

• The biggest reason to cycle tour rather than car tour is to get the time to thoroughly experience the places you visit rather than just tear through on the highway. And think of how much extra time you can spend enjoying those places when the wind is knocking you down to 12km/hr! Plus all the extra stops at cafe's and restaurants that you normally would of just rolled by, but your so exhausted from fighting winds for hours, an expresso or beer sounds like way more fun than riding.

I had a great time on my trip, despite the constant headwinds, and rainy Saturday. Visited a lot of great people and learned a lot about my gear and a few changes I'll need to make to my kit before I go. I will add an official trip report in the next few days, I wanted to get these down on 'paper' while I still remembered them.


-"That which does not kill us, makes us stronger" - Nietzsche