It's been a week since I got hold of the Typhoon and the weather has been rain and gales. However, yesterday morning was warm, sunny and calm. So, out I went. As is usual when out playing I seldom have a planned route. I headed East, that was my first mistake. The Kudos was performing great, it goes uphill quite well. it freewheels well and pedals easily when above the cut out speed.
I went a lot further than I had intended and ended up on the Forth bridge. That's where it started to go wrong. The wind picked up and by the time I got off the bridge it was blowing the bike off track quite severely. Anyway, I've now got 18 miles to get home straight into the wind.
After a couple of miles the wind has really picked up and is hitting me right in the face but I pressed on regardless. I now reallise I've got about 17 miles to go all into this wind. At this point the real typhoon decided to step up its game. It was getting really strong and was relentless. Anyway, I'm too far from home to worry about such things I just pressed on. The Kudos was doing well but was doing a couple of MPH less than it usually does when the wind isn't so strong. That was the first sign that I was going to struggle. Some more miles into the wind and I came to the canal. I made a decision here, mistake Number 2. This canal has no locks so no hills on the tow path. It also passes by about half a mile from my house. I live about 300 feet above it but hey, what's one more hill when it will be flat right until I get there.
OK decision made I joined the canal. After a couple of hundred yards I realised my mistake. No one else was on the canal such was the now horrendous wind blowing straight at me. On I pressed, regreting I had ever seen this bleeding canal.
The wind was now hard and constant and I'm now struggling to reach 10mph with the bike and I both working hard. Eventually there was signs of life. Two canal working chaps, sheltering from the wind, looking at me like I'm a maniac. When I get to them one says, "what the hell are you doing?" "Just trying to get home" says I. "I've got a wind meter on my machine here" he says, "look it's showing 28mph" "aye" says I, "I guess it will be".
Anyway that was my mind made up and I came off the canal at Linlithgow and got some shelter from the wind whilst in among the buildings. As is usual in these situations I have a plan B and after leaving Linlithgow I put it into operation.
Plan B: I headed for my favourite cafe in the middle of nowhere about 5 miles from home. I phoned plan B (my wife) and told her to meet me there with the car and bike rack.
The total trip on the bike was just over 30 miles and the battery was pretty much done by the time I reached the cafe. On a normal day I reckon I could cycle the Typhoon without power that last 5 miles home even up the hills but on a normal day I believe the bike would have made it home on the battery anyway.
Strangely enough, my lcd was showing an average speed of 14.9 mph for the trip. Not bad, not bad at all.
Tomorrow I'll be back out again. I'll head west this time so that if the wind picks up when coming home, it will blow me home in comfort.
I went a lot further than I had intended and ended up on the Forth bridge. That's where it started to go wrong. The wind picked up and by the time I got off the bridge it was blowing the bike off track quite severely. Anyway, I've now got 18 miles to get home straight into the wind.
After a couple of miles the wind has really picked up and is hitting me right in the face but I pressed on regardless. I now reallise I've got about 17 miles to go all into this wind. At this point the real typhoon decided to step up its game. It was getting really strong and was relentless. Anyway, I'm too far from home to worry about such things I just pressed on. The Kudos was doing well but was doing a couple of MPH less than it usually does when the wind isn't so strong. That was the first sign that I was going to struggle. Some more miles into the wind and I came to the canal. I made a decision here, mistake Number 2. This canal has no locks so no hills on the tow path. It also passes by about half a mile from my house. I live about 300 feet above it but hey, what's one more hill when it will be flat right until I get there.
OK decision made I joined the canal. After a couple of hundred yards I realised my mistake. No one else was on the canal such was the now horrendous wind blowing straight at me. On I pressed, regreting I had ever seen this bleeding canal.
The wind was now hard and constant and I'm now struggling to reach 10mph with the bike and I both working hard. Eventually there was signs of life. Two canal working chaps, sheltering from the wind, looking at me like I'm a maniac. When I get to them one says, "what the hell are you doing?" "Just trying to get home" says I. "I've got a wind meter on my machine here" he says, "look it's showing 28mph" "aye" says I, "I guess it will be".Anyway that was my mind made up and I came off the canal at Linlithgow and got some shelter from the wind whilst in among the buildings. As is usual in these situations I have a plan B and after leaving Linlithgow I put it into operation.
Plan B: I headed for my favourite cafe in the middle of nowhere about 5 miles from home. I phoned plan B (my wife) and told her to meet me there with the car and bike rack.
The total trip on the bike was just over 30 miles and the battery was pretty much done by the time I reached the cafe. On a normal day I reckon I could cycle the Typhoon without power that last 5 miles home even up the hills but on a normal day I believe the bike would have made it home on the battery anyway.
Strangely enough, my lcd was showing an average speed of 14.9 mph for the trip. Not bad, not bad at all.
Tomorrow I'll be back out again. I'll head west this time so that if the wind picks up when coming home, it will blow me home in comfort.
