My tip:

DON'T LOOK AT THE SPEEDOMETER.

Problem solved. ;)

Yes, trees, buildings, and all that stuff blocks the wind.

Here in the Phoenix area, I notice a huge difference as soon as I get out of town. A couple times I almost felt like I'd get knocked over.

For me, it's 3 things:
1. Areo position: get in the drops and drop the head and shoulders. Big difference.
2. Spin through it, like a hill. Relax, focus on breathing and cadence. You'll get there.
3. Mentally, don't beat yourself up about going "slow". Fighting a blowing wall is going to slow you down. Focus and you will make it.

Yep, in a a 20 mph headwind just pretend your going 25 mph.

"You can't shift down and spin up a headwind like a hill." -- here's your mental mistake. Yes, you can. As with hills, expect a lower speed than when you don't have the headwind.

A powermeter really does help the mental aspect of riding into the wind.

Try it with your geared bike, and don't be afraid to use your easiest gear.

I once drafted a guy on a riding mower. You could try it.

Let me expand on this just a bit --

Like everyone's saying, expect to go slower. If you're not looking at your speed, you won't have that number staring back at you, reminding you of how much slower you're going.

If you can reconfigure your display to NOT show speed, and just show cadence, HR, power, time of day, whatever -- do that. You can still feel good about keeping those numbers up where you need them and not get discouraged by low speed.

Cape Cod is one of the windiest places on the east coast. We deal with it every day. You adjust or you don't ride---it's that simple. We get one weather pattern where a so-called "Bermuda High" sets up off the mid-Atlantic and the SW cranks at 20-25 for days until a cold front moves it out.

Winds are usually at their lightest in the pre and post-dawn hours. If at all possible, ride then. Start when it's just bright enough to see objects clearly. Plan a route where you start out into the wind, and finish with it behind you.

The problem is really a sub-conscious issue. We all expect to be going a certain speed on a certain part of a known route. When we look down and see the speed as 14mph instead of 20 we die a little inside. Riding in the wind is a good time to throw the Garmin in the back pocket and ride by feel rather than number. Also keep in mind that for a lot of us, the amount of energy we expend is one of the reasons we ride- riding in the wind still lets us work really hard at what we enjoy. It ultimately is a mind game we learn to play.

I was going to say this. One use of a power meter is just set your watts to a sustainable level and go. PM gives you the assurance that you're working at the right level.

Helps with not getting demoralized by the wind

I learned to push just as hard with tail wind as I have to with head wind and my average changes very little. Trip average is what it's all about for me.

Actually, if you're trying to maximize your average speed, or in other words decrease your total time, I.e. a time trial, you want to push harder into the wind.

This is true because you'll spend more time on the leg into the wind. So you want to go about 5 percent above threshold into the wind, and recover slightly downwind if you're riding a time trial.

Embrace the wind.

Interesting thing is my heart rate is often faster going with a strong wind, the speed just pumps me up to new levels of exertion.

Keep in mind, you are in good company. Jet airplanes fly slower (ground speed) when flying into the wind as well.
What I do and not all the time is, I have a human reducing machine. I reduce my body size to the size of an infant and lower the saddle.
The machine I have is special because I lose none of my typical power output. But I am much more aero riding smaller.
YMMV but another strategy. FWIW a human shrinking machine isn't cheap...more than a power meter or even matching stem and seatpost.

When I am on a road I dont like riding on or in conditions that make it hard work I just let my mind drift off and think of something else, it seems to eat up the miles and I dont think about the naff, potholed surface I have to cycle on.

While paying attention to traffic, pedestrians, lights etc of course.

As has already been pointed out, you certainly can.

About a year and a half ago, I bought a new frameset and had all the parts transferred from my old bike. On its first ride, the first six miles had me going straight into a headwind, don't know the wind speed, but I was in the 34-24 combination and my heart rate was way up there. :eek: I've known your pain, and so have many others. There aren't many hills around here, so I actually look forward to windy days.

It's not a question of embracing the suck, but rather one of embracing the training opportunity.

+1

If you can't, ride a trainer.

There will always be wind and there always be elevation changes. If you can't cope with these, try an indoor velodrome or lawn bowling.

It's all attitude. Like so many have said above, attack the wind (and hills) with a good attitude and your outlook will improve, not to mention your form.

I do a Michael Jordan tongue wag to remind myself and others that I'm working hard and most importantly... HTFU! :D

I had the double whammy today - hills and a stiff headwind. Wind was easily 20mph as I'm going up a 1/2 mile section with a near 10% avg. Several mtb riders were walking their bikes. I guess lower gears doesn't overcome aero drag. I had to burry my head and just pedal and maintained an awesome 5mph average. Know what's sick? It was kind of fun.

I second mechBgon with the aero bar. Many long distance cyclists use them for comfort as well as to prevent aero drag on long rides so it could be very beneficial without looking totally tri geeked out. Just watch the tour divide they are all on mt. bikes with aero bars for the long haul rides and a bit of aero dynamics.

Any pics of aerobar equipped mtbs?

I literally feel your pain! I like to ride around the farms out at MSU so there's no avoiding the wind. Breaking your route into legs is probably the best advice if you're looking to ease your struggle. If you want to embrace the pain I suggest riding around the airport, there's always a headwind out there. :thumb: