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May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back…

Whether you're chasing a faster average, an easier ride, or your next Strava PR, Ride Like The Wind shows you the wind on every single road of your route, so you know exactly where it'll help, and where it'll hurt.

  • Plan Cycling Route Around Tailwinds
  • Convert Google Maps To GPX
  • View GPX Files
  • Create Your Own GPX Files
  • Edit Routes Visually
  • Find The Fastest Route Between Two Places
  • Plot Your Own Route
» Plan A Route

Here's how to use it.

Enter your route using one of the 4 options.

Hit 'Go!'.

Get route intel around wind direction, elevation, and your estimated average speed.

Download the GPX file for your Garmin, Hammerhead, Wahoo etc.

AND/OR use the built-in live tracker to see the wind along your route in real time.

Create a permanent link that you can bookmark and come back to.

“Way easier to plot and edit routes than Google Maps or Komoot” — Road.cc

This site is free to use, but you can always buy me a coffee …

Cyclists riding a desert gravel trail

Free to use, just sign up and go.

Cup of coffee

Feel free to buy me a coffee if this site helps you.

Pallet truck moving boxes in a warehouse

Enjoy The Ride.

» Buy Me a Coffee
Rider on a wooded gravel trail

Why did I make this?

I like to ride bikes. I went out a few times, excited, only to get battered by headwinds on my favourite routes. One day I had enough so I built a widget to check the wind so at least I can check out my route before I head out. Still going out, but now I can decide to go clockwise or anti-clockwise on my regular routes, how much food to eat depending on the expected effort, and just manage expectations.

Rider on a rocky mountain bike trail

These days I kick myself if I forget to consult the widget before I ride because inevitably I could have gone a better way, enjoyed the ride more, had a faster average speed, and saved my legs for when it matters.

So that's why this website exists. Who doesn't want to go faster for less effort? Not me.

Q&A

Why not just check the weather?

You could, I used to. But weather apps don't give you a detailed, road by road account of what the wind's doing. With ridelikethewind.net, you can set and forget, mount your phone to the handlebars, and see what's coming up along your route.

Do I need to input a link or GPX every time?

No, just upload the GPX or paste the Google Maps link once, then hit 'copy full resolution route link'. Bookmark that link and you can always refer back to that route, with live wind data.

Will this make me faster?

It won't turn you into Pogáčar, but knowing a headwind's coming means you can pace for it instead of getting caught out and blowing up halfway through, and that alone saves most riders more time than they'd guess.

Is this just for racing or Strava chasers?

Not at all. Wind doesn't care if you're chasing a KOM, loaded up bikepacking, touring cross-country, or just commuting to work, it slows you down or helps you along either way.

What if the forecast changes?

Wind shifts happen. Ride Like The Wind pulls current data, not a forecast you checked the night before, so what you see is close to what you'll actually feel out there.

Can I just use it to convert maps to gpx?

Of course you can, it's actually pretty handy to plan your route on Google Maps then pop the link in here to get yourself a GPX file.

Is this better than Windy.com?

For cyclists, yes. Windy.com gives you a broad picture of the live weather patterns, RLTW is specialised for riders who want the wind mapped out for their route.

What use is this for training?

Pretty handy. Helps to know the wind direction if you want to either use a headwind as resistance training, or a tailwind to set a new PB.

Is this only for roadies or can MTBers benefit?

RLTW was primarily built for roadies and gravel riders. MTB isn't something that you'd normally need to check the wind for. Unless you're jumping REALLY high.

How accurate is the wind data?

It's pulled from the same live wind data meteorologists use, not a rough regional average, mapped against your actual route so you're seeing conditions for the roads you're riding, not just the postcode you started in.

Testimonials

“Been using this for training, actually riding INTO the wind to get fitter. Surprisingly useful, wouldn't want to go back to not having it!”

— Tommy McGuire

“Cut fifteen minutes off my usual loop just by going anti-clockwise on a headwind day. Wish I'd had this years ago.”

— Priya Shah

“I commute year-round and this has saved me from more than one soul-crushing crosswind on the bridge. Checks it every morning now without thinking.”

— Dan Whitfield

“Used it to plan a three-day bikepacking route and it was spot on for which days to push the miles. My legs thanked me.”

— Sarah Coombes

“Sceptical at first, but the road-by-road breakdown is way more useful than just checking Windy before a ride.”

— Marcus Webb