I've been a yacht builder for most of my life and in my younger years sailed many thousands of miles at sea. In those years I paid close attention to all things nautical. One of the finest writers in the English language was Joseph Conrad, who had been a ship's captain, wrote stories revolving around ships and sailing in the age of square riggers.
In one short story he had a crusty old shell back of a sailor speak about how 'when it comes on to blow, the ship comes alive and is a living, breathing thing'. This is my experience also. At a point when the wind increases to a certain point, a sailing vessel seems to wake up and becomes responsive in a way you can feel in the soles of your feet. It is also my experience that a bike seems to wake up in just the same way. From time to time, despite my puny efforts, I'm able get my bike up to 18 and even 21 MPH. Sad to say, my fitness is insufficient to maintain this amazing situation for very long but I still aim for it and get there now and then.
Today was such a day. I maintained a higher speed than usual, the bike woke up, maybe I was the one who woke up, cramped toward the end and I'm ready to do it again as soon as possible.