Well, today was a big day. I've been planning for it for months. Did the training for it. The morning went as planned. I had a bowl of oatmeal with a bit of sweetner. It turned out to be the perfect meal for this ride. I arrived at the start point early. I did the pre-ride prep. My bike transported perfect without damage or mishap. After doing all of the prep, I departed just after 8AM. I didn't forget a thing. The temperature was around 70-ish. I wore my arm coolers and shorts with a thin base layer. It took 15 minutes to reach the base of the first climb. There was a modest tailwind on the way out. The first thing I noticed was that there was a LOT of traffic. Every minute or two there were passing motorists. So, it wasn't as enjoyable as I would have liked. But, I took what was offered and got on with business. The climbing miles went fast. That extra 34 tooth made a big difference. The climb was much more manageable. I stopped just once to take photos. (The phone had minimal reception except near mountain summits). After reaching the summit, I pulled over and fed a Clif Bar. I checked my gadgets, took a photo and headed down the mountain. The disc brakes proved their worthiness. There was no lack of stopping power. I could have locked it up with no effort. It takes a bit of finess. As I was descending right after the summit, a female cyclist was on her way up the mountain. After I reached the base, I pulled over to take a panoramic photo. As I was making my way through the valley, the cyclist I passed bridged up to me. We chatted a bit and road with each other for about 30 or so minutes. We parted ways after reaching the fire station summit. Apparently she lived just down the mountain from there. I took a few moments rest while she headed back home. After taking a break, I headed down the mountain. The morale was feeling better. Interesting that I didn't have to Bio or feed another Clif Bar at this point. The descent was a treat. The bike performed fantastic. I was able to let it roll, reaching 40 MPH with no speed wobbles. It tracked nice and stable. The next thing on my mind was the mini Cafe about 15 miles from the finish. Apparently the were closed, so I had no choice but to continue without buying provisions, ice cream and such. From there, it was steady tempo. I was going to make a Bio break since there was forestry. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out where to put the bike without leaving it in the dirt. Suffice it to say, I had no serious bio signs so I continued. The legs were getting fatigued at this point. I did stop to refill my water with Gatorade powder that I brought. It was a good decision, I needed the extra sugars at this point. The miles ticked through, the morale was sufficient. As I was about 10 miles there were some motorists protesting my presence. They were gesticulating in anger. It really does bring down your morale when that happens. You never know what's going to happen next and being miles from my car, on a bicycle, didn't help the preoccupation. Nevertheless, I shook it off and got on with business. I tried not to ride in haste. I was constantly reminding myself that I had to pay attention to the fatigue in the legs. The last thing I wanted was to cramp. The last couple miles went fast, even though there was a slight headwind. The real relief happened when I got back to the car intact. I got everything on the GoPro (Pending verification). Concentration was good. Despite the traffic, I handled it with a bit of wisdom and common sense. Balance and form felt good. I really feel sitting square on the saddle and just the overall fit. Ailments, some hand soreness and fatigued legs on the last hour or so. Nutrition was unexpected. I fed just one Clif Bar and two Gatorade bottles with water. That held me over perfectly. Perhaps riding with a temporary partner helped. Gear worked perfect. The bike behaved. The GoPro battery lasted the entire ride given the battery bank connected to it. Other notes, other than the rider I was accompanied with, there were no other cyclists. The majority of the motorists were courteous and I returned the favor when permitted.