Excellent. Today was the first triple of the season. The weather was great. I got up, ate breakfast and got ready immediately after. I got out the door before 9:30AM. The wind was calm, weather in the upper 70's. I wore the standard kit and 1 base layer. I did the usual strength training routine yesterday. When I was doing some curls, my back went into soreness (the best word I can use to describe). The soreness was in the mid/upper part of the spine. From that point on, I was constantly caring and making sure I didn't do anything stupid to make it worse. Fortunately, for today's ride, it did not escalate, nor did it hinder my performance. Back to the ride itself. I started modest. Made my way up WTR. The wind was calm, so it was easier than usual. I made it to the summit in average time, as was expected. I descended immediately after. Mostly soft pedaling, getting my legs warmed up. Out of the saddle where needed. When I reached the base, I turned around and headed back, no breaks yet. I knew where to put my eggs. I was constantly thinking about what lay ahead. Concentrating on mile stones. It helped me stay focused. Once over the Loop Monument, I knew I just had to stay within myself, no heroics. I kept the pace nice and steady, slowing down here and there at the first sign of fatigue. When I reached the summit, my left hip was a bit sore, nothing major. I stopped to take a breather for a few minutes. Stretched both legs. Stood straight to relax the muscles. Shortly after, I began the next leg. The downhill was a welcome reprieve and the wind was pleasant. I stopped by the mail locker to get my provisions swapped out. I headed out to OTR immediately after. I kept the same frame of mind as I usually do, knowing where OTR rises and dips. Out of the saddle on the rises, and recover on the dips and false flats. After I reached the end of OTR, I soft pedaled for a minute or two. Then headed to Highline. I did moderate tempo up the 1 mile climb, but had to do a short dig as there was construction and I didn't want to hold up traffic. Immediately after passing the construction zone, I dropped the tempo to recover. The trip to WS was mostly moderate tempo, keeping my mind concentrated all the time. The winds weren't significant. I averaged much slower do to the fact. When I reached the end of WS, I turned around, went a few yards and stopped. Ate half a power bar and stretched my legs. The return trip was more pleasant than usual because of the lack of a significant head wind. The last kickers were more manageable. I took a minute to recover once over the top of Highline and then descended to the base of Banducci. Once on Banducci, I started modest, letting my body catch up with the effort. I was out of the saddle for a good part of the climb, putting it into my 28T and 32T. I tried my best to stay as efficient as possible. Putting only what I needed to keep the tempo going without grinding to a halt. Once over the wall, I knew I was in good shape as my body was responding well. I used the false flat as a means to recover and stretch. The remainder of the climb was mostly moderate tempo to the summit. Once at the summit, I stopped, at the other half of the power bar, stretched, hydrated and headed down the mountain. I was able to practice my tuck position. After reaching the base, I noticed that they had put some tar/sealer on the newly created shoulder. I chose to stay in the car lane as I didn't want to risk taring up my tires. Nevertheless, I made it past that area safely. The remainder of the trip to SS was moderate, negotiating the traffic. I stopped at a porta-potty and did a quick bio and got back on the street immediately after. Once at the front entrance to SS, I took a few moments to stretch on that flat section. Headed up the rear climb, all the while staying well within myself. No digs, just a nice moderate tempo. The descent was a welcome reprieve. I took a few moments to stretch and also practice my tuck. I did the usual grind through SS, but stayed within myself. Keeping an eye on any ailments as I didn't want them to creep in while not noticing. Once at the return trip on Banducci, I kept the tempo steady, negotiating traffic. Saving a few matches for the last hour of the ride. The trek through the remainder of the farmlands was pleasant. I was able to maintain an average of about 18 MPH, plus or minus. After reaching the start of the last climb, I pulled over, stretched, hydrated, relaxed, then commenced the ascent. I kept the tempo steady, moderate, no digs, always aiming for efficiency in my technique. I was able to summit without picking up any ailments. Once over the top, I realized I was in good shape, my body was responding well, I decided to relax on the first couple minutes of the false flat, and made my want to Route 202. Route 202 was traffic negotiation with a modest push to OTR. Once on OTR, I was able to recover, have some fun, stretch whenever the chance presented itself. I did the usual grind over Mariposa, and headed home. Concentration was pretty good, some lapses and self talk needed, but overall on the positive end. Few to no Gremlins today. Ailments consisted of right hand numbness, right foot numbness (mitigated by loosening the shoe strap), some minor lower back soreness (mitigated by stretching often), some quad and hip soreness. All of which did not escalate and was managed by stopping and stretching on and off the bike. Balance and form felt much better today. There were some sketchy zones, but the majority felt like I was on the right track. Gear is working great. The fastener on the Gopro mount fell off as I was about to exit SS. Fortunately, I heard it and was able to recover it. Other notes, I think I saw a couple riders and quite a few red tail hawks.