Originally Posted by
joewein
You simply can't win against a 32 km/h wind, unless it's very temporary (exposed mountain pass). That's too fierce. Just maintaining 10 km/h ground speed into it means fighting as much air resistance as going at 42 km/h (26 mph).
That doesn't sound quite right. I think power goes like s * (s + h)^2, where s is speed and h is headwind. So riding 10 kph into a 32 kph headwind is like riding 26 kph in still air.
Yeah, you're right about the force you're pushing against. But assuming one has gears on the bike, one can shift to a lower gear to make the torque the same. With adequate gearing, power is really all that matters.