Today's weather has let up considerably. There's cloudy skies now. The forecast was for rain, but it held up. My right knee was slightly sore in the first hour of the ride. But, as previous rides, it subsided as the ride progressed. I clipped my left ear with the scissors by accident the other day as I was trimming my side burns. I was upset. In such, I decided not to wear an ear bud on my left ear. Only my right. I didn't like it. It felt like someone was whispering in my ear. Somewhat annoying. So, I kept the volume low. Despite the knee soreness, everything went well. Banducci wall felt good. I wasn't red-lining much. The Alpine Forest was it's usual landmark efforts. I'm really liking my 36T chainring. That extra gear will no doubt be useful in the GranFondo. My knees will thank me later. From there, I made it to the summit and assessed my electronics. Provisions were plenty. I noticed that the smart phone wasn't retaining its charge as well as I had anticipated. In such, I will need to purchase extra batteries. I then headed back. Stopped about 1 mile from the mail lockers, called home for bottles. When I met up with mom, I got some cooling spray on my knees and calfs. It definitely helped. I also took a bag of ice, just in case. Which reminds me, I have to start saving ice cubes over the next few days leading up to the GranFondo. I then went to Keene. At this point, the wind was a tail-wind. I made it to the base. The wind continued to prevail in the same direction, so I had some areas of open headwinds. With a bit of cover from the mountains. Temperature at this point was well within my comfort zone. I decided to turn off the Walkman, as it was more of a distraction. I was coaching myself up through most of the ascent. It definitely helped me stay focused and keep the good morale going. So, this will be the last time I have gone to Keene n Back until the GranFondo. Concentration was good today. Ailments consisted of some right knee soreness, not much more. I was practicing stretch routines on the bike. I think that helped stave of some other ailments. Balance and form felt pretty good. Gear is working well. The GoPro is retaining it's charge from the external battery bank. I think it should last the majority of the ride. I've since purchased a fourth battery. The smartphone doesn't seem to be holding its charge as well as I had anticipated. I'm not really sure why. Perhaps there is an app that is consuming more energy than it should be. Maybe a purchase of new batteries is in order. I also have to purchase another pair of gloves, as the ones I wore today has a hole in the right hand. Other notes, there was 1 or 2 other cyclist today.