I was born and raised in California, where we have tons of opportunities to do a lot of climbing, which I love and have always been good at. Strong winds, though, can be absolutely demoralizing to ride against. A few years ago, I did an 18-month work stint in north Texas, near Dallas. It was that experience that taught me how to ride against really strong wind. These were, typically, not only gusts but strong prevailing winds, usually out of the east. I can remember many times when it took all my strength just to stay upright while riding against them (exacerbated by the fact that I only weigh 135 pounds)! It is like anything else: perseverance wins the day; and it is a mental game.