Managed the ride well. Take more diluted electolytes with: one tall bottle, one short bottle plus one water bottle. Bring three half beagels plus cheese slice as this time out. Bars too. Taaking in calories plus electrolytes plus water very important to keep from cramping up. Leaving early from the snack break spot at the halfway mark is a good idea. Did that this time and rode solo for 15 or 16 kms. Was able to hang onto the the lead group of four riders that chased me down after the break. Interesting strategy for riding into the wind on the flats: use the small ring on the front to reduce the cog gaps of the rear cassette. Using the small front ring reduces the jumps between the rear cassette gears as the chain runs mostly on the small rear gears, instead of over the middle to larger rings where the jumps between gears is greater. With the large ring used on the front, the chain tends to run among the middle to larger diameter rings where the gearing jumps are greater. Running the small ring on the front when riding into the wind on the flats can make for more easily finding comfortable gearing.