Check the Weather Along Your Route
Don't just check the weather where you start. See the wind, rain and temperature you'll actually encounter throughout your ride.
Weather along the route
Wind, rain and temperature
Best weather window
Hourly route scores
01
Why a normal weather forecast isn't enough
At 09:00 in Amsterdam you might see 15°C, an 18 km/h south-westerly, and 10% rain. That is a useful pin. It is not your ride.
You are moving. At 10:15 you are somewhere else. At 11:30 you are 40 km away. The weather at the start is not necessarily the weather halfway through. Tailwind's route scoring accounts for position along the route and expected pace, so the forecast is tied to where you will actually be.
02
Weather at every part of your cycling route
Picture the line coloured by what you will feel: tailwind, headwind, crosswind, rain. That is the underlying idea, without the meteorology lecture. Each segment is sampled from the hourly forecast at the time your pace says you will reach it.
You stop asking 'what's the weather today?' and start asking 'what will this route feel like if I leave at 8?'
- Tailwind stretches
- Headwind stretches
- Crosswind stretches
- Rain along the route
03
Wind direction changes what your ride feels like
A 20 km/h westerly is four different rides depending on which way you are pointing. Eastbound you get a tailwind. Westbound you get a headwind. North or south you get a crosswind. A loop encounters all four.
That is one of Tailwind's strongest educational points: the same wind, on the same day, is not the same ride.
20 km/h westerly
- →East = tailwind
- ←West = headwind
- ↑North = crosswind
- ↓South = crosswind
04
See rain along your route
Rain is the same problem as wind: probability at your house is not precipitation at mile 38. Tailwind includes rain along the route in the hourly score rather than leaving you to overlay a radar yourself.
We have a full guide on this exact problem if you want the deeper version.
05
Find the best weather window
Tailwind doesn't just show you the weather. It scores the complete ride for every departure hour, then highlights the best time to start. That is the product: weather along your route, turned into a decision.
06
Weather along your route vs a normal weather app
Weather apps are excellent at home. Route-weather tools answer a different question: what will you meet at the moment you arrive at each point.
| Question | Normal weather app | Tailwind |
|---|---|---|
| Weather at home? | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wind direction? | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wind along your route? | — | ✓ |
| Rain along route? | Limited | ✓ |
| Weather based on your arrival time? | — | ✓ |
| Best departure time? | — | ✓ |
Keep planning with Tailwind GPS
Cycling route planner
Plan the route and the hour in one workflow.
Best wind direction for cycling
How tailwind, headwind and loops change the feel of a ride.
Rain along your route
Why chance-of-rain at home is the wrong metric.
Bike trip planner
Score each day's stage, not just whether Tuesday looks sunny.
How Tailwind Score works
Pace-aware scoring from wind, temperature and rain.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check the weather along my route?
Load the route in Tailwind GPS — draw it, import GPX, or sync Strava — then read the hourly Tailwind Score. Wind, rain and temperature are sampled along the line at your pace, not only at the start.
Can I see wind along a cycling route?
Yes. Tailwind breaks the ride into segments and shows how much of the distance is tailwind, headwind and crosswind for each departure hour.
Can I see rain along my cycling route?
Yes. Precipitation is part of the route score. For a deeper walkthrough, see the rain-along-your-route guide.
How accurate is weather along a route?
It is still a forecast, with the same limits as any model. The advantage is the question being asked: conditions at the time you reach each part of the ride, not a single postcode for the whole morning.
What is the best cycling weather app?
Location weather apps are best for packing. Tailwind GPS is the cycling weather forecast to use when the ride is a route, not a pin — especially if you want a best departure time.
How do I know if I'll have a headwind?
Look at wind direction relative to each part of the route, not the arrow over your house. Tailwind reports headwind share for the whole ride at each hour so you can leave when that share is lowest — or highest, if you want a training day.
Stop checking the weather at home.
See the wind, rain and temperature along your route, then leave at the hour that scores best.