Yes, Minneapolis has such serious winters, I want to experience it one day. And I'd like to try riding on hardpacked snow.

It's taken me a long time, but I've become a bit more tolerant of headwinds. I've been riding my current route for almost three years now. It took me longer than it took to get used to hills. Part of it is attitude, and part of it is conditioning. To achieve conditioning, I don't just ride my bike. I do occasional "intervals" on the bike, and I lift weights. Those two things build strength and endurance rather fast.