I found out yesterday that they are going to have a Gran Fondo next weekend. So, I had to scramble together a training plan. I opted for the step up approach. Two good rides followed up by good recovery. The weather is great! Around 70 degrees. Winds from the North West. Ideal for a SS ride. The legs felt 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 well. The remainder of the climb was mostly moderate tempo. I was watching out for traffic all along. After reaching the summit, I took a few moments to recover. I checked the GoPro battery. I think I made it there in about 50-ish minutes. After letting traffic by, I headed down the mountain. I was cautious of on coming traffic. After reaching the base I headed to SS. There was a modest headwind at this point. My right calf was hinting on soreness, so I let up, stretched to keep it from getting worse. I made my way around the backside. By this time, the sore calf felt better. I put in a good sprint, reaching 41+ MPH in the tuck. I passed the Tunnel in about 1:06-ish hours. I zipped through town and got back on the farmlands. I was keeping an eye on how my body was responding. It was responding very well! I kept the tempo modest. I reached Boss Hogs in about 1:30-ish hours. So, I only gave up about 4 minutes on the return. After reaching the base of the last climb, I swapped out the GoPro battery. Shortly after, I headed up the last climb of the day. I kept the tempo steady, doing in and out of the saddle efforts. The right calf felt good at this point. After reaching the summit, I debated on whether to feed or not. I decided to feed. I ate a Clif Bar. At this point, I consumed all of my sport drink. I had some powder stashed in my jersey pocket. I decided not to mix another batch. So, from this point on forward I was drinking just water. After feeding, I got back on the road. From here, it was non-stop riding. Route 202 had some traffic mitigation, so I let traffic by as best I could. The descent off OTR was mostly fun and games. I pushed over Mariposa and shut it down at the top of Weston.

Concentration was good. Minimal lapses or gremlins. Balance and form was good. I drank all of my sport drink, water and fed a Clif Bar. I had no hunger signs during the ride. Ailments were minimal. The right calf was hinting on soreness approaching SS, but subsided. I stretched, changed cadence and pedaling technique. After exiting SS, the soreness was mostly gone. Gear worked flawlessly. Other notes, I saw 4 or 5 cyclists today.