Fairings aren’t very fair

Fairings may not be fair but they sure are warm.
As I think I have mentioned, I was the lucky recipient of a front fairing for my recumbent bicycle. If you don’t know what a fairing is just think of it as a windscreen that blocks the wind from my feet to my neck and is a semi-permanent fixture on my bike. I am lucky because I expect to ride through the winter and the fairing will keep the wind off, keeping me warm.

Last Thursday when it was about 2°C I proved it was warm by riding to the train in shorts. On my top I maintained the requisite three layers but even then I was a little overheated. Definitely warm.
This morning, after fixing the broken wire on my speedometer last night, I finally am able to use all of my gear to it’s fullest measure for some proof, if it exists, of just how unfair it is to cut through the wind like this.*

This AM I ‘coasted out’ down the hill to my north and found my speed increased from an average of about 35 mph before-fairing (BF) to an anecdotal 36.7 mph this morning after-fairing (AF). I will keep an eye on that.
The more sucky-for-others part and unfair proof came on Alaskan Way in downtown. I found myself alone, no cars, with a mild cross-wind. I decided to see what kind of top speed I could achieve on the flat. I expected to top out at about 27mph without a vehicle to draft. Imagine my surprise watching my speedometer fly right by 27mph and head on into the 29’s? Being that close to a round, yet abritrary, number I only needed one last kick. I pushed harder and crested at 30.5mph before I ran out of burrito.

That is just plain ‘ol unfair…and fun.

* When I say unfair I don’t really mean ‘unfair’ in the traditional sense I only mean that it is gonna suck so bad for BopOp and anyone else I ride with (on a wedgie) until April. Suck because I am gonna maintain what may seem like a blistering pace and still look like I am sitting in a lounge chair. And I limit the suckishness to April because by then the ambient temperature will require removal of the fairing or the removal of all my clothing to avoid overheating. My thighs may look good and all but even my most ardent admirers would veto a pure Lady Godiva. And lastly, the implication that it will only really suck until April when the fairing comes off is because the first week after I take that thing off is gonna really suck for me. But tha’s okay, I’ll trade a week of lame April for a winter of warm.