Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => Freewheeling => Racing => Topic started by: quixoticgeek on 09 February, 2020, 11:38:55 am

Title: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: quixoticgeek on 09 February, 2020, 11:38:55 am: There's an orange alert for high winds, trains are cancelled, the UK is currently experiencing flooding and much storm damage.

Meanwhile in the Netherlands someone has the bright idea "Lovely weather for a bike race"

Over in Zeeland today they are holding the Dutch National Headwind Championships. On one of the big delta work dams cyclists will compete to ride as fast as they can into the wind.

But it's not as simple as that, these aren't cyclists turning up on their ultra aero, carbon fibre wonder machines, no. Each competitor is provided with a Dutch city bike, complete with lights, rear rack, and chain guard. They then ride these identical machines into the wind.

The event has no fixed date, they have to wait for the wind to be strong enough, and in the right direction, you usually get about 5-6 days notice.

You can get live info from twitter at:

https://twitter.com/NKTegenwind

I love the Dutch!

J
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Zed43 on 09 February, 2020, 04:09:01 pm: Even the Dutch had to yield...

The organisers had to cancel the event with 15 of 20 teams still waiting to ride because the road authorities closed the road, making it impossible to ferry the bicycles back from finish to start.
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: quixoticgeek on 09 February, 2020, 04:17:27 pm: Quote from: Zed43 on 09 February, 2020, 04:09:01 pm
Even the Dutch had to yield...

The organisers had to cancel the event with 15 of 20 teams still waiting to ride because the road authorities closed the road, making it impossible to ferry the bicycles back from finish to start.

Wow. The Dutch do have limits... Bravo for trying to organise the event anyway!

J
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Ivo on 09 February, 2020, 05:29:01 pm: All individual riders could start though, it was only the team event that was affected.
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Ivo on 10 February, 2020, 08:53:34 am: Report on the Belgian sports site Sporza: https://sporza.be/nl/2020/02/09/waanzinnig-veel-wind-op-het-nk-tegenwindfietsen-de-langste-8-k/
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: paulk on 11 February, 2020, 09:58:13 am: It even made the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/02/09/sports/ap-eu-netherlands-riders-in-the-storm.html
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Kim on 11 February, 2020, 12:46:28 pm: And Tom Scott turned up in his warm coat with a very fluffy microphone...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMinwf-kRlA
https://youtu.be/VMinwf-kRlA
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: quixoticgeek on 11 February, 2020, 12:49:44 pm: Wondered how long it would take for this video to get mentioned here.

Every bloody messaging platform I'm on, as soon as that video came out, someone has been sending me a link to it.

Grrrr.

J
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Wowbagger on 09 January, 2021, 03:48:35 pm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Headwind_Cycling_Championships

I have just found that this exists. What a lovely idea!
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Kim on 09 January, 2021, 03:49:40 pm: Tom Scott did a one of his excellent videos about them last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMinwf-kRlA
https://youtu.be/VMinwf-kRlA
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: mattc on 09 January, 2021, 04:55:22 pm: Hey, QG!

Have you seen this yet?? https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=118031.0
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: quixoticgeek on 09 January, 2021, 05:03:16 pm: Quote from: mattc on 09 January, 2021, 04:55:22 pm
Hey, QG!

Have you seen this yet?? https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=118031.0

Thanks Matt...

J
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: mattc on 09 January, 2021, 05:17:57 pm: You're welcome :)
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: The Movers on 09 January, 2021, 06:16:49 pm: We merged these 'ere two freds. Any risk of a cuppa?
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Kim on 09 January, 2021, 07:23:53 pm: 'fraid not, the teabags blew away.
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: giropaul on 09 February, 2021, 02:49:44 pm: https://fb.watch/3ymzgolrwg/
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: IanDG on 09 February, 2021, 04:47:26 pm: Just like a Hebridean CC club run (or the first time Jaded visited me for a ride around the island) ;D
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: matthew on 09 February, 2021, 05:02:20 pm: Quote from: IanDG on 09 February, 2021, 04:47:26 pm
Just like a Hebridean CC club run (or the first time Jaded visited me for a ride around the island) ;D

Or the Day I rode up to the butt of Lewis. The ride out was very quick, the journey back less so. :-[
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 06 February, 2022, 10:00:01 am: All the usual photos and video floating around from today’s championships. Great stuff!
Title: Re: Dutch National Headwind Championships
Post by: Ivo on 06 February, 2022, 05:40:54 pm: Just one of them on Dutch national TV: https://nos.nl/video/2416008-het-was-vandaag-perfect-weer-voor-het-nk-tegenwindfietsen