How does Windline time the forecast to my ride?
Updated
Windline works out when you’ll reach each stretch of the route from the start time, the riding speed and the stop time, slowing you on climbs and speeding you up on descents. It then reads the forecast for that place at that minute.
The three things that set the timing
- Start time. Set by the organiser for each day, stage or regular ride.
- Riding speed. Your average speed while moving, 25 km/h (15.5 mph) unless the organiser changes it.
- Stop time. All the stops added up, for coffee, lunch and regrouping. Windline spreads them along the route in proportion to distance.
Stretches along the route
The route is cut into equal stretches of up to 5 km (3 miles), with at most 80 on a ride. Wind, gusts, rain and temperature are read at the middle of each stretch, at the moment you’ll be there.
Climbs and descents
You don’t ride a hill at your average speed. Windline slows you on climbs and speeds you up on descents, using the slope of each stretch, then adjusts so the whole ride still averages the riding speed. So you’ll reach the top of a long climb later than a flat-road estimate would say.
Between forecast hours
Forecasts come in hourly steps. Windline blends between the two nearest hours, so a stretch you reach at 09:40 gets the wind for 09:40, not 09:00 or 10:00.
Seeing the timing
Each day shows the start and estimated finish, for example “06:00 → 12:03”, and the time on the road. The kilometre breakdown lists the time at each stretch. The footer of a day says which speed and stop time the timing uses.
If you ride faster or slower than the plan, the wind you meet changes too. On races and regular rides you can set your own pace.