How a boring training block became fun with tailwinds

This started as a hobby project gone wrong… Early 2024 I was deep in training for Mallorca 312 and was following my training plan to the letter. Interval training during the week, longer rides on the weekend. Fitness was improving, I was feeling great but as I was increasing my volume I started noticing that the longer the sessions, the more bored I was getting on the bike. Something I think many of us have experienced: it’s hard to stay motivated and I noticed the long rides were impacting my desire to go out for interval sessions throughout the week.

Living in the Netherlands doesn’t help with training variety: the country is mostly flat and my area is no exception. What we lack in hills however, we make up for in wind.

So to spice up my training a bit, I decided to look at the local weather information and pick a few Strava segments nearby to give it a nudge. That way I was doing some interval training, pushing myself and having fun while doing it all. In the meantime I was hitting some power numbers for shorter segments that I hadn’t hit in 7+ years.

The process was a bit cumbersome as it demanded some prep: I needed to check the wind just before heading out and find or remember nearby segments that I knew that were in the right direction. More than once I’d blow past the start of a segment or not realise where the end of a segment was. At times I also questioned my age, as I’d completely forgotten to ride a segment I had picked out beforehand as a must-do.

The Lightbulb Moment

What if I could just make this easier, make it super simple to find Strava segments with a tailwind nearby or create routes to cover the ones I wanted to hit?

That’s in essence what KOM Hunter tries to do: find nearby segments that have a tailwind, so you can get that PB, KOM or just have fun pushing yourself. It works for runs and bike rides, although you’ll notice it most on a bike of course. Connect your Strava account and you’re good to go.

Beyond the Basics

What started as a simple wind-checker has evolved into something more. These days, KOM Hunter has become my favorite way to turn easy rides into suffer-fests. We’ll flag lost KOMs if you’re the vengeful type, and the route builder can string together five segments into one glorious tailwind-powered route.

My favourite addition might be the power, cadence and heart rate data we pull from your efforts. There’s something satisfying about seeing that you only averaged 150 bpm or 200 watts on your PB attempt meaning there’s definitely room to go harder next time the wind is in your favour.

The Unexpected Result

Here’s what I didn’t expect: the training boredom that plagued me before Mallorca 312? Completely gone. Even on those days when motivation is low and I’m heading out for an easy spin, I’ll check the wind and think “I’ll just do one segment.” That one segment turns into me absolutely burying myself for 90 seconds, chasing pixels on my head unit. I rarely snag the KOM but it’s oddly satisfying you know you gave it all, even on a “recovery” day.

What started as a way to make training less boring turned into something I use almost every ride now. That segment where you always blow up with 200m to go? On the right day, with the wind at your back, it becomes a completely different effort. Sometimes the difference between a PR and another failed attempt is just checking the weather first.

If any of this looks familiar: the boredom, the failed attempts, or just the simple joy of a well-timed tailwind then sign up for free on KOM Hunter and see for yourself.