Today was a big one. I found out on Sunday that there was going to be a GranFondo this weekend. So, I had to scramble for a training plan. I chose this route because it had lots of climbing and that's what I'll be doing on the GranFondo. I brought enough provisions. I had two bottles for Keene and one water and two bottles for the remainder. The legs were ok to start. I serviced the cleats yesterday and found a slight chip in part of the cleat. The functionality of the cleat was not compromised, but I bought some new ones nonetheless. I will get them this Wednesday. I stashed everything except my carry-ons in the mail locker. From there, I headed to Keene. I made it to the summit of the descent in good average time. I cruised the downhill and put two modest digs on the risers. I didn't bother checking the time when I reached the base. So, I headed back without delay. The legs and knees were a bit funny today. The knees were hinting on soreness more than the muscles. I had to constantly adjust my tempo, cadence, and form to keep them in check. It could be related to the cleats, who knows. The temperature is warmer. In the mid 80's by the time I made it back. Nevertheless, the climb went as planned. No major mishaps. I kept the tempo steady. No heroics. After cresting the summit, I took a few moments to recover and then headed to the mail boxes. When I got there, I swapped out my bottles and stashed an extra into my saddle bag. I made the right decision because I used it later in the ride. From there, I headed up OTR. I didn't bother checking my time when I reached the summit. I wasn't concerned about it. I then made my way up the Banducci Wall. There was some traffic mitigation, so I was on high alert. I was near max going over the top. I took a few moments to recover and then made my way up Arosa. The climb went sufficiently quick. The knees continued to hint on soreness, but didn't escalate much. After reaching the speed bumps, I felt better in the morale. I was near max going over the top. After that, I made my way around the backside. I tried my best to conserve energy on the risers. I reached over 41 MPH on the descent. From there, I headed to the summit of Banducci. I took a few moments rest when I got there. I decided to feed a Clif Bar as that was around the two hour marker. After feeding, I headed down the mountain. Mostly fun and games. I made my way through the farm lands. I stopped to bio once. I don't recall the time to Boss Hogs, but I remember thinking that I had 40 minutes remaining from there. So, I calculated that the ride would take around 3 hours and change. The last climb went well. The legs were fatigued, but I kept them in check. I kept my momentum going over the top, no heroics. After reaching the summit, I was able to take a few moments to recover. Route 202 had some traffic mitigation. The descent off OTR was mostly fun and games. The morale felt better as the difficult part of the ride was complete. From there, I headed to the mail boxes to get my provisions and then headed back home.

Concentration was good. Minimal lapses. I was able to micromanage the pain accordingly. Balance and form was good. The cleats felt a bit loose, but likely due to lubricating them yesterday. It was somewhat unexpected. Gear worked flawlessly. I did the entire ride on the battery bank and had about 80% battery remaining at the end of the ride. So, I might have to swap out the battery once during the GranFondo. Ailments, the knees were the worst of it. Possibly due to the cleats being adjusted slightly and the heat. The lower quads were hinting on soreness nearing the last climb. I stretched as best I could to mitigate everything. The hands became numb while out of the saddle. Perhaps some palm soreness from all the climbing out of the saddle. Nutrition was good. I fed just one Clif Bar after 2 hours of riding. I went through 4 bottles of energy and water drinks. Other notes, I saw 4 or 5 cyclists today.