The Wind of the Tour de Taiwan: How Crosswinds, Headwinds, and Tailwinds Change Race Outcomes

Wind: The Cyclist’s Most Loved and Most Hated Element

In the world of road cycling, wind isn’t just a weather phenomenon—it’s the invisible hand that decides race outcomes.

The Basic Physics of Wind Resistance

At speeds above 45 km/h, roughly 80-90% of the energy a rider expends goes toward fighting air resistance. Wind resistance is proportional to the square of speed:

Speed	Relative Wind Resistance
30 km/h	1x
40 km/h	1.78x
50 km/h	2.78x
60 km/h	4x
71 km/h (Rajovic sprint)	5.6x

That’s why Rajovic needs such astonishing power in a 71 km/h sprint—wind resistance is 5.6 times greater than at 30 km/h!

How Three Types of Wind Affect a Race

Headwind

Impact: Speed drops, energy expenditure increases
Tactics: The peloton tends to bunch together; breakaways are harder to pull off
Tour de Taiwan example: Provincial Highway 9 encounters northeast monsoon headwinds on certain sections

Tailwind

Impact: Speed increases, average pace rises
Tactics: Breakaways are more likely to succeed (the wind pushes you along)
Tour de Taiwan example: Tailwinds on certain sections can push average speeds above 55+ km/h

Crosswind — The Most Dangerous

Impact: The peloton can be torn apart!
Tactics: Strong teams use crosswinds to form “echelons” and drop their rivals
Tour de Taiwan example: On the flat sections of the Kaohsiung and Pingtung stages, crosswinds are a potential game-changer

The Echelon: The Tactical Nuclear Weapon in Crosswinds

When a crosswind blows, sitting directly behind the rider in front is no longer the most efficient position. Riders need to shift to the downwind side to get the best drafting effect.

Wind direction → → → → →

Normal formation (no crosswind):
[Rider A] [Rider B] [Rider C] [Rider D]

Echelon formation (with crosswind):
                              [Rider D]
                  [Rider C]
      [Rider B]
[Rider A]

The problem: road width is limited. When an echelon stretches across the entire road, riders behind can’t get any shelter and must face the full force of the wind alone.

That’s why a crosswind can instantly split a full peloton into several fragments—those at the front save energy, while those at the back fall apart.

Wind Conditions at Each Tour de Taiwan Stage

Stage	Main Wind Conditions	Impact
Stage 1 (Taipei)	Buildings block the wind	Minimal impact
Stage 2 (Taoyuan)	Crosswinds on coastal sections	Echelons may form on the Zhuwei–Guanyin section
Stage 3 (Kaohsiung)	Strong winds on the plains	Wind strengthens after leaving the mountain area
Stage 4 (Pingtung)	Strong winds on the Pingtung Plain	Crosswinds possible all day
Stage 5 (Hualien–Taitung)	Wind gaps in the rift valley	Fierce winds on certain sections of Provincial Highway 9

How Do Riders Fight the Wind?

Body position: Lower the upper body to reduce frontal area
Drafting technique: Stay close to the rider ahead—the smaller the gap, the more energy saved
Teamwork: Take turns on the front to share the wind load
Equipment choices: Aero helmets, tight-fitting jerseys, deep-section wheels
Tactical choices: Attack with a tailwind, play it conservative into a headwind

Wind-Riding Tips for Fellow Cyclists

Don’t fight a headwind head-on: Lower your expected pace and maintain a steady output
Enjoy the speed of a tailwind: But don’t be fooled—you haven’t actually gotten stronger
Be careful in crosswinds: Grip the handlebars tightly on the windward side and lower your center of gravity
Mind the wind direction when rotating through in a group: In crosswinds, the paceline needs to line up on the downwind side

In the world of cycling, those who learn to coexist with the wind are the ones who truly control the race.