I woke up at around 4:15 AM. I planned on departing around 6:00 AM. I followed my morning checklist. I had breakfast, eggs and muffins. I was topped off, if I ate more I would have had problems. The commute to the start point went as expected. No problems driving at night. My only blunder was that I forgot to bring my wallet, so I was driving without my ID. The pre-ride check-in doesn’t normally require a photo ID, so I just had to be a good driver, and all would be well. Morning twilight prevailed as I was half way to there. I was monitoring the temperature. It continued to rise from about 50 something. I made a quick pit-stop at the local fast-food joint about 2 or 3 miles from the parking lot.
When I arrived, I at the parking lot, the first thing I noticed was that most of the cyclist were already gone. I wasn’t panicking because it made no difference to me. It became apparent that the temperature was warm enough to ride with just shorts and arm coolers. I had a thick base layer on. I checked in, grabbed my goodie back and helmet sticker. I went back to the car and assembled my gear. I did the departure checklist, took photos of the car locked it and headed out. I didn’t forget a thing.
About 5 minutes into the ride, I had bio signs. I tried the local park bathroom, but it was unlit, so I passed. I knew there were other places that had facilities, so I got back on the road. A few miles later, I found a fast-food joint and conducted business there. Shortly after, I got back on the road. The legs felt pretty good to start. The name of the game, today, was steady as you go. No accelerations, no redlining. The miles went fast. I guessed the temperature spot on. I had sufficient clothing for the duration of the ride. I was counting off the segments, focusing one at a time. The first left hander arrived, the legs felt good. Bena Road was a chore, so I just got it done. When I reached the Caliente Bodfish Rd, a few miles into it, I noticed they put a rest stop here, unlike last year. I passed it, but kept it in mind. I was gauging my energy consumption. I had to decide where to feed. I waited till I about 1:45-ish hours into the ride. I fed a Clif Bar and some Gatorade and water. They didn’t have a rest stop a the summit.
From there, I headed down to the Post Office rest stop. I grabbed two waters, conducted a bio, and got back on the road. I mixed a bottle with Gatorade powder while I was at it. I got back on the road. I was feeling the sensation of fatigue, so it was getting a bit more serious and I had to pay attention. The miles went fast. I was doing what I could to stay focused, trying to stay positive. I was reminding myself where the turn-around point was by landmarks. It was exactly where I anticipated. It wasn’t a rest stop. I made the U-turn, pulled over a few hundred yards later. I think I mixed some Gatorade with a fresh bottle of water. I got back on the road, doing my best to keep the legs from faltering. I was stretching, hydrating, etc. After making it back to the Post Office rest stop, I took a quick bio. I think I grabbed a bottle of water, but not 100% sure on that.
I was keeping an eye on my appetite. Guessing where to feed next. The return trip was a bit easier, as was expected. I felt better in the climbs then the flats. Something about managing the effort seemed easier for me. When I reached the summit, I pulled over and fed a Clif Bar and hydrated. I continued to stretch as I was riding. It definitely helped. That and adjusting my tempo and pedaling technique. The quads were getting fatigued, and I was concerned that they would cramp. So, I drank as much as I could. I knew there was a rest stop ahead, so I tried not to rely on rationing. When I arrived at the last rest stop, I grabbed some bottled water, filled up the bottles, put some Gatorade powder and got back on the road.
The right calf muscle was hurting, so I was on ailment management. The last climb out of Caliente Bodfish was a relief. The sensation of accomplishment became one step closer. This leg of the ride was mostly flat, the wind was apparent, but not significant. Minimal traffic mitigation was necessary. I made the last turn that would take me to the start / finish. My right calf was sore, but manageable. About 4 or 5 miles from the end of the ride, I was having hunger signs. So, I stopped at the summit of the last climb and fed another Clif Bar (#3). I hopped back on the road.
A few moments later, some cyclists bridged up to me. We ended up riding together for the remainder of the ride. We had problems on one stop light, as it didn’t activate from us riders, and there were no cross walk buttons on traffic light pole. We ushered a car to approach. That did the trick. It was mostly downhill from there, so it went without too much pain. I was enthused about riding with others that were riding somewhat urgent. The right calf muscle soreness seemed to dissipate. We jammed through the park and made our way to finish.
I made my way to the car, got my gear organized. Put the bike in the car and did the post ride checkout. Turns out that I didn’t have to check out.
So, no mechanicals, I departed on time, I had some ailments but mitigated them, definitely goal reached. Concentration was good. I was positive most of the time. A bit detracted when the sense of fatigue started to bear down. Minimal gremlins. The other cyclists were encouraging. Balance and form was good. Ailments, quad soreness, right calf slight cramping, some saddle soreness. The right calf was the most apparent. Mitigated by stretching, and adjusting the tempo and pedaling technique. Gear worked flawless. I haven’t seen the videos, but the camera was rolling without having to swap batteries and such. Nutrition was good. I had hunger signs and I had to remind myself, “if you are hungry, then it’s too late”. I caught it in time. Other notes, the car worked flawless. It got me there and back no issues.

Ohter notes, I forgot to start the GPS till about a quarter mile into the ride.