I’ve decided that I want to do the Caliente ride this Saturday. So, I had to put in one more good ride before then such that I can recover from it. I decided to make it a climbing day. That is, Alpine Forest Summit + Keene n Back. The weather is ideal. Cool air, upper 60’s. Winds from the North West. The legs were pretty good to start. I made it to the summit of OTR in good average time. The Banducci Wall had some traffic mitigation, otherwise went as planned. As did the Alpine Forest segment. The climb up Arosa was quick. The minutes went fast. I zipped around the backside and headed to the top of Banducci. After reaching the summit of Banducci, I pulled over to let traffic by and to recover. Shortly after, I headed down the mountain. The wind conditions were safe. The descent off OTR was mostly fun and games. I took my time pushing over Mariposa. I made it back to the mail boxes. I don’t recall the time, but likely within 1:15 hours. I made my way to the summit of WTR and then made my way to Keene. Somewhere along the way, I had to replace the GoPro battery. After reaching the base, I refilled my bottle with water and mixed a pouch of powder drink into it. About a minute later, I headed back up the mountain. The legs were feeling a bit fatigued, but not som much. The climb went as planned. I stopped once to bio. Otherwise, it was non-stop to the summit. Interesting that I didn’t have to feed on this ride. I did it all on the Powerbar sport drinks. The miles went relatively quick. The legs were responding well. As the landmarks went passed, the morale got better. The HR was a bit elevated on the last 15 minutes of the climb, but that seems to be normal for me. I kept the tempo going over the top. I don’t recall the time to the summit. After reaching the summit, I took a few moments to recover by soft pedaling. Shortly after, I made my way back home and shut it down at the top of Weston.

Concentration was good. Minimal lapses, patience was good, and minimal gremlins. Balance and form was good. Nutrition was good. Interesting that I didn’t have to feed a Clif Bar for the entire ride! It was done with just the Powerbar powder drink x 2. I think I got the mixture wrong, though. Perhaps I’ll use less scoops for the Caliente ride. The stomach was hinting on soreness as I was making my way back home. I should have diluted with water a bit more. Gear worked flawless. When I checked my cleats last night, I noticed that the left cleat was out of alignment. I made the adjustment before today’s ride and I think it made a difference. Ailments were minimal. Some hand numbness. The gluts were good as were the knees. Other notes, no cyclists today.