Today was all about the cold. In the mid 40's. Winds from the North West, turbulent in some places. I under dressed today. I wore the standard kit, 1 base layer, arms, knees and a cap. I should have worn full gloves, 2 socks and face mask. I felt good going out the door. I had incentive to get warmed up ASAP as the cold was biting from the get go. I did good time to the end of OTR. I was concentrating on the landmarks that lay ahead. The Banducci wall came and went fast. As did the remainder of the climb. I continued to post good time to the summit. Once there, I put on my skull cap. Turned out to be a good decision, as it was freezing on the way down. When I reached the base, I noticed that the wind had reversed direction. After a few miles past, the wind shifted again. The windmill was pointing West. I was doubting doing the full ride. When the wind reversed for the second time, I decided to go for it. After about 2 or 3 minutes into this leg, I noticed my fingers were going numb from the cold, as were my feet and face. I guess I could have turned around, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to do the entire ride. As I was riding into the bitter cold, I was thinking of the return trip and how the tailwind would provide some warmth. I made it to the tunnel in under an hour. I was thinking that I was going to post a good time, despite the weather. I made my way through SS, and then back on Banducci. The tailwind provided a bit of respite, but not much. My extremities continued to feel numb. I was doing what I could to keep my fingers warm. I couldn't do much about my feet or face. I tried to keep my mind on pleasant thoughts. After making my way through the farmlands, my time evaporated. I lost about 5 to 7 minutes in the last half of the ride. I made it to Boss Hogs well after 1:20 hours. The last climb of the day was a sight for sore eyes. I knew this was the last challenge of the day. I kept a good tempo going, but I was sapped by the cold. I couldn't put the power down as I had wished. Nevertheless, I made it to the summit with a sigh of relief. The false flat was mostly cruising and letting the warmth back to my body. My extremities continued to feel numb. I continued to think landmarks and pleasant thoughts. OTR was both cold, but a welcome reprieve. I pushed over Mariposa, and, with great relief, made my way back home. Concentration was good. I was able to turn the pain into a focal point. Ailments consisted of mostly cold extremities, causing suffering. Balance and form felt good. Gear worked great, with the exception of my arm warmers. I was having to pull them up every minute or two. Other notes, I saw one cyclist and a deceased deer on the side of the road. There were 3 people standing nearby. No telling who ran the poor animal over.