I was a bit reluctant to get up in the morning after my nap. After hitting the snooze button a few times, I got out of bed and got ready for the ride. The weather is great! Although the wind was going the wrong way, the temperature was nice and cool. I wore my knees, arms, head cap and a thick base layer. I stuffed a sheet of newspaper in my jersey for the first half of the ride. The legs felt a bit heavy to start, but got better as the ride progressed. I made it to the summit of the descent in good time. The wind was heading North West, so I had a tailwind on the way out. I cruised the downhill and put in two digs over the risers. After reaching the base, I headed back without delay. When I was about to reach the Lower Loop, I noticed one of my tires felt soft. After further inspection, the front tire was losing pressure. I found a nice spot to fix the flat. It took about 7 minutes or so. All went well. Although the pump didn't seem to be working as it should, but I had a CO2 canister that did the job. Shortly after, I got back on the road. My approach was as usual. Go by the landmarks. I had a headwind, but it wasn't significant. It was somewhat turbulent in some places, so I had reprieve here and there. After the second dip, I was feeling better in the morale. I increased the tempo as I was reaching the summit as I had a tailwind for a short while. I kept the tempo going over the top. From there, it was recovery and getting back home. I shut it down after reaching the top of Weston. Concentration was good. My patience kept me in the zone, especially on the downhill. Balance and form was good. Ailments... I had some right knee soreness when I got up in the morning. I took an Aleve before taking my nap. It went away by the time I got out the door. My right knee was getting sore in the last few miles of the climb. I was able to adjust my left and right leg efforts. It helped give the leg some time to recover. That seemed to do the trick. Otherwise, the right hand was getting numb while out of the saddle for extended periods. Nutrition was good. No hunger signs. I went through most of my sport drink. Gear worked flawless. Other notes, no cyclists today. Only one or two spectators at the Loop Monument. The water truck was doing his thing near the base.