Some may think I am a bit obsessed with the wind. Well, I am!
Wind affects our ride as much as the profile. We have had more than our fair share of headwind and, not only does it slow our progress, it also has a big influence on our morale.
At home we usually (always actually) start and finish in the same place so the wind is less of a factor. Here we are going East almost incessantly so it has far more effect. It can be a headwind all day or a tailwind all day. Rarely it changes direction and we have both in one day.
With a light tailwind (5-8km/h) on relatively flat ground we average <25km/h with the same headwind our average drops to 18-20km/h
Hi Piers, we did find your name on Markplaats: Santos bike travel light for sale. We also have the same bikes. And we also like to do the Trans AMtrail on our santos bikes, may be in two years. Thats why i looked you up and found you on Strava. I could see what it going to be like. 100 km each day thats fine.
Hi Trudy
Don’t wait too long to do the TransAmerica. The route we took (official route from the Adventure Cycling Association) is likely to be very difficult logistically in the future. A few of the food/water stops, which are crucial because there is nothing else anywhere near, are likely to close as the proprietor is old and will not be replaced I think.
100km every day is actually more than most people ride. I see you already ride a lot of kilometres each year so you are used to it, but riding an average of 100km everyday with luggage is a bit different.
I would recommend taking the 90 days, which is the maximum you are allowed to stay in the USA for 1 visit, like we did so you have time to take a day off or make some detours to visit things. We were very lucky with no health problems or injuries but you may get ill or have a serious bike problem (there are surprisingly few bike shops on the actual route) although with well maintained Santos bikes you can be pretty sure they won’t let you down.
I’m selling my Santos, not because I don’t like it, but because I no longer need it as we have a Santos Tandem so when my wife and I travel by bike it is with the tandem.
Anyway I will be following you on Strava when you do the TransAmerica!
All the best
Piers