Today’s plan was to get out early. I kinda botched that by sleeping an extra hour. Suffice it to say, but the time I got out, I was wide awake. It was around 11AM. I decided to head out to Keene, then the Alpine Forest Summit. I brought 3 bottles with the intention to stash one in the mail locker for later. When I got there, I realized that I forgot my locker keys. I decided to stash the bottle somewhere near the summit, and that’s exactly what I did. I made it to the summit of the descent in good average time. I cruised the downhill. As I was approaching the Loop Monument, I noticed plumes of smoke towards the base of Keene. As I was descending further, the air smelled like burning brush. I told myself if it got worse, then turn around. When I reached the base of the Loop, it got worse, so I turned around. As I was heading back, I was working on a plan ‘B’. I decided to do the Alpine Forest Summit and then head up Highline and do a Buffalo run. The Keene ascent went well. The smoke hadn’t made its way up the mountain, so no worries there. The landmarks went by. After reaching the summit, I picked up the bottle that I stashed in the brush. I headed down and onto OTR. The legs were sufficently warmed up. I think I made it to the summit of OTR in about 23 minutes. So, pretty good time all things considered. The Banducci Wall had some traffic mitigation. I was relieved when I reached Arosa. It took a few moments to let the climbing legs settle in. I kept in mind that I need to save matches for later. I was doing no less than moderate tempo. In and out of the saddle along the way. I was at max over the top. I made my way around the backside and then to the summit of Banducci. I took a few moments to hydrate, feed a Clif Bar, and swap the GoPro battery. I let traffic by and then headed back down the mountain. The pavement is a bit rough. I’m guessing in another 6 months, the pavement will even out just a bit. I had my tires pressurized at 85 lbs. It definitely soaked up the bumps better. After making it down the mountain, I headed East on Highline. I made a right turn onto Adelante and headed to the top of the street. After that, I made my way down to the next street. Made a left turn for two blocks and made my way back onto Highline. To my surprise, I found the Buffalo statue that Peggy was mentioning ever since we road here together during the summer. I zipped my way back to OTR. I was able to relax a bit. I did the grind up Mariposa and then up Weston. I shut it down from there. Concentration was good. Minimal lapses. Minimal gremlins. Nutrition was good. There was a hint of hunger signs as I was making my way down Keene. I gave it a 15 minutes, it went away after drinking some Gatorade. Balance and form were good. Gear worked flawless. Ailments were minimal. Some hand numbness while out of the saddle. Other notes, I saw two cyclists today.