I hate headwinds.

Yes, I don’t mind admitting, headwinds are my biggest cycling gripe. A strong headwind is enough to put me in a miserable mood and ruin not just my ride, but my day also.

A while back Richard wrote about his satisfaction when riding into a headwind, and while I understand and can appreciate just what he is getting at, for me there’s just no getting away from the pain that a headwind causes.

I’ll take the rain. I’ll even take all the snow and ice we had last winter. But if there’s one thing I can happily do without, it’s a headwind. There’s nothing like battling hard against the pedals and trying to punch a hole in an invisible force trying to halt your progress.

And these past few weeks I’ve been noticing the presence of this invisible force. Oh yes, it’s that time of year, autumn, when it seems like it’s always blustery and windy outside: an eternal headwind on every ride, reducing your pace to a painful and pathetic crawl. [Speak for yourself, Shiny Boy – ed.]

I only need to look out the window in the morning and, if I notice that the trees in the garden are swaying around rather energetically, I know instantly it’ll be a tough ride. I’ll even think twice about heading outside.

But there is a silver lining. Just. For every dozen rides that are marred by a headwind, there’s that one ride when you just seem to have a tailwind all day long. Those are moments to be savoured, and are something to look forward to. But you have to earn them at this time of year.