OK. So we all know that it's harder to ride in a headwind; it's obvious... it takes more power. BUT looking at perceived effort only, if a cyclist is riding at X watts, shouldn't it NOT matter which direction the wind is blowing? Yes the speed will obviously change, but if a cyclist is averaging 180 watts in a headwind and 180 watts in a tailwind, it's still 180 watts the cyclist is creating. So if it's the same power the cyclist is creating, shouldn't it feel the same whether there is a head vs tailwind?

I ask this because, to me it still feels like significantly more effort to do the same wattage in a headwind vs a tailwind even when keeping the power wattage the same.