So, today was “the day”. All the miles of training were put to good use on this ride. Where to start? I got up around 4:10-ish AM. I was a bit more alert than I anticipated. So, getting out of bed wasn’t too much of a chore. Suffice it to say, I didn’t feel like a zombie. I followed my morning timeline. It went without a hitch. I didn’t forget anything. The GI cooperated today. No need for a remedy. The commute was more or less what I expected. In the dark with mild traffic on the 58. I ended up stopping at Subway, just off the Comanche exit. I took a quick bio and got back on the road. The remainder was just following the GPS. My intuition was correct. They ended up using the south lot. There was plenty of space. The first thing I did was check-in. It was located in an easy to spot location. After check-in, I headed back to the car and got ready. It took about 15 minutes, plus or minus. Maybe closer to 25 minutes. Nonetheless, I brought everything I intended (minus an extra GoPro battery that I would regret on the last half hour of the ride). I was debating on what to wear. I was basing my decision on how I felt at the parking lot. That turned out to be a big mistake. I wore knees, arm coolers, a semi-thick base layer, a head cap and for good measure, I put some newspaper in my jersey covering my chest.

After getting my stuff together and starting the electronics, I shoved off. It was around 7:15-ish AM. I knew exactly where to start. It’s a short bike path that leads to the major streets. It was immediately apparent that I miscalculated the clothing situation. I was shivering in the first few miles. I was hoping it would get better quickly. After thirty minutes, I was feeling even colder. In the meantime, I was trying to navigate. I’m glad I studied the course. The ground markers helped a bunch. I stopped a few times to make sure I was on track. I got the navigation right. I didn’t miss a turn. (There were no other cyclists around me).

After an hour, I was still shivering in the cold. My coordination was compromised. I was having problems riding out of the saddle. I ended up riding in the saddle most of the time. My hands were super cold. The fingernails were getting sore. What saved me was the headcap I wore. If I didn’t wear it, I would have had to stop and wait till the weather warmed up. In the meantime, I was thinking about the repercussions to my body later down the road. My main concern was the extra energy required that my body had to expend to stay warm. I was begging the sun to rise. I stopped once to bio in the bushes. Eventually it began to warm up and I was feeling the warmth increase ever so slightly. When I reached Round Mountain Road, navigating became a moot situation since there was only one turn to pay attention tens of miles later. The first climb helped the cold weather situation. More power, less speed, less wind hitting the body. About an hour and a half into the ride, I was starting to feel like myself. About halfway through the climb, I was able to ride out of the saddle and feel properly balanced. From here on forward, the cold weather was no longer an issue. I knew that it would warm up eventually and wearing minimally would mean less to carry later. That proved to be true.

I reached the first rest stop, I was feeling mostly normal. I grabbed some water and mixed a powder drink. I took a quick bio and got back on the road. I decided to find a convenient place to feed. I fed a Clif Bar with a bunch of water. I got back on the road before the body cooled down. The descent was cold, but nothing near how it was in the start. I was checking the GPS for the mileage. The handlebar printout worked like a charm! I knew exactly how many miles I needed to go for directions and to the rest stops. So, I didn’t have to guess. The trek to the next stop felt a bit slow. I was saving my matches for later. And, I had no idea how difficult the next major climb was. Eventually, I made it to the second major climb. I had plenty of gears to combat the gradient. I kept the tempo as steady as possible. No red-lining, no sudden accelerations. I was hydrating as much as possible without rationing.
I reached the second rest stop without mishaps. The legs were good. The sit bones weren’t complaining much. When I got there, I grabbed some water, filled bottles, took a quick bio and headed back on the road. They recorded my arrival at that time. The return trip felt quicker. The wind condition was mild. Somewhat turbulent. In the back of my mind, I knew that if I could make it to the last climb intact, that I had it made. It was more of the same. There was a journey to the last climb. It went faster than the way out. When I made it to the last major climb, I put it into moderate tempo mode. In and out of the saddle to keep the legs fresh. I was keeping track of time and distance. Using the handlebar instructions, I was able to gauge my effort accordingly. The morale was lifting. I was warm(er) and near the last difficult obstacle. After reaching the last rest stop, I filled bottles, took a quick bio, and then headed back on the road.

The last leg had a nice downhill. It was enjoyable. The air temperature was warmer. The navigation was simple, until I reached China Grade left turn. The markers on the ground made it a no-brainer. As soon as I made the next left turn, I pulled over to feed a Clif Bar and mix another bottle of powder drink. At this point, I checked the GoPro battery charge. I noticed that it was low. So, I checked the saddle bag for my spare battery. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring it. I was really upset but didn’t let it distract me too much. I still had to navigate back to the finish. I got back on the road and in the meantime was thinking of a contingency plan for the video. The plan that I came up with was to take quick video segments. About a minute at a time every few miles. Unfortunately, the battery folded with about 5 or 6 miles remaining. On the plus side, there wasn’t much to show in the last few miles. Along the way, I stopped a few times to check my navigation on the smartphone. I was on target. (I asked a passing cyclist for confirmation). I don’t know why, but my legs became suddenly sore, mostly the left leg. I adjusted my pedaling, put it in a small gear, etc. When I reached the park, I was thinking of the video. I decided to use the camera on the smartphone to capture the last few moments. The phone had enough charge remaining. I cruised the last mile. When I reached the finish of the ride, I went to the check-in/out stand and signed out. That was the end of the ride.

Concentration was what held me together in the first hour and a half in frigid weather. Without it, I would have been in a lot of problems. The morale was good after the halfway point. Balance and form were good, not counting the first hour and half. When the warmth returned, I was able to ride in and out of the saddle and feel like myself. Nutrition was good. I didn’t bonk, I had more than enough provisions. I fed two Clif Bars and about 3 bottles worth of powder drink and two or three bottles of plain water. Ailments, frigid cold in the first hour and a half, some right-hand numbness, the left quad was sore in the last 5 miles. The knees held up fine. Gear worked flawless, no mishaps and the bike performed beautifully.

The ride was a success in the sense that I fulfilled my accomplishment. In a way, I’m glad it wasn’t a timed event. That extra sense of urgency could have put me in a state of hurt as to detract from the enjoyment of the ride. My preparations proved paramount.

Other notes: The GPS and smartphone were at about 20% charge remaining at the end of the ride. They were at 100% at the start of the ride.

Other notes, I had four apps running on the smartphone. Glympse, Garmin Connect with Live Tracking, Wahoo, and Komoot. I used Komoot to give live turn by turn direction announce through the music speaker mounted on the stem. It was connected via Bluetooth. I bought the maps for the area covered in the ride. My assessment was that it performed sufficiently. The directions were accurate but had a few hiccups. When I stopped, it kept saying that I might have missed a turn and to check the app. When I stopped to see if I was on course, the Komoot app showed my position confirming that I was on target. That helped on a few occasions. My folks were able to track me for most of the ride via Glympse and Garmin Live Tracking.