It’s a bit on the cold side, otherwise a great day to get out! I decided to go to the Alpine Forest summit. I wore the full winter kit and tried the new toe warmers for the first time. They look better and kept me sufficiently warm. The legs felt pretty good to start. I made it to the summit of OTR in good average time. I spared no time and headed up the Banducci Wall. It had minimal traffic mitigation. I felt good when I arrived at the Arosa climb. I was able to settle into a nice tempo. Mostly out of the saddle. In the saddle to recover and hydrate. Before I knew it, I was at the speed bumps. I counted them off as I progressed. I was near max going over the top with just a bit left in the tank. I made my way around the backside, having fun on the descents. From there, I headed to the summit of Banducci. I pulled over to recover, hydrate, and check the GoPro camera. Shortly after, I let traffic by and headed back down the mountain. The wind was from the North West, so I had a tailwind on the way down. There was minimal traffic mitigation, so it was relatively safe. Descending off the Banducci Wall was cautious. I was feathering the brakes most of the way down. After making it back to OTR, it was mostly fun and games on the descent. I pushed over Mariposa and then shut it down when I reached the top of Weston.
Concentration was good. Minimal lapses or gremlins and the morale felt good. I had a few things to think about and it helped me stay in the zone. Balance and form felt good. Ailments were minimal. Some hand soreness while out of the saddle. The knees help up nicely. Perhaps a hint of sit bone soreness. Nothing too detracting. I stretched on occasion. That seemed to help. Gear held up perfect. Nutrition was good. No hunger signs. I went through most of my sport drink. Other notes, no cyclists today, just some walkers and runners.