Day 23 - 245 km

Since yesterday, we're on Eastern time. Smooth ride into Ohio terretory. I had the opportunity to test Harrys hood for Quest/Mango today, which looks definately cool:



Darth Benjie, Mad Quest or BSG: Cylon fighter - you decide.

The hood is beautifully made, it has a good fit. Clearance was just enough for me, being 1.83 m, but riding a rather upright position. Harry claims that the finish is particulary hard, so it should not get scratched.

The aerodynamic effects kick in quite early, at approximately about 32.5678 km/h. I found myself coasting a lot at this speed, while my riding mates (all Quests) where pedaling. Now on a good, flat road my cruising speed is normally in the upper thirties; with the hood, I could easily reach and maintain the forties without pushing. That is a big difference, and it increases with higher speed. Another rider estimated that at 50 km/h it would make up for 5 km/h, and I think that's right. So really 10% more speed - whoa!

Are there any downsides? Well, this is real life, so there are.
- Heat: it's warm under the hood. At speed, ventilation is ok, but thinking about being stuck in city traffic or climbing a big hill gives me the creeps.
- You can not go for the "convertible style", cruising with your elbows out. I really missed that after a while.
- Communication with other people is somewhat limited.
- Vision is sufficient for riding, also in traffic, but if you just want to enjoy the view, you're better off without it.

That said, it should be realized that the latter points refer to my personal preferences, while other riders would rather emphazise better weather protection etc. So what remains anyway is that when it comes to speed, Harry's hood really rocks.