The pain in the knee seems to have made a `decision' today. Baker's Cyst. Popliteal Bursa. I think that is the thing that made it impossible to put in the miles and climbing this year. After four days of indoor training on the Lemond direct drive trainer I decided to hit the open road this morning. Filled with trepidation. Ten miles out I had to pull over bc pain was so bad. I had a knee wrap around the knee and I had a rolled up sock in the back of the knee to add `compression' per R.I.C.E.. I took the wrap and the sock off. I could barely straighten my leg bc the pain behind the knee was so bad. I was thinking `O.K..Only one 16.2 mile lap today.' The `behind the knee' pain was a good 8 out of 10. I started to pedal carefully and slowly, a long hill coming up. And then ... no sensation of pain. None. None at all. I conclude that this is just temporary, part of the `up and down' over the past several months. I gear down so as to not stress the right leg/knee. I crest the hill ... no pain. Move into a higher gear, carefully, slowly. No pain. As the ride went on I continued to feel absolutely no pain. Fatigue? Sure. I pushed it. Still no pain. I'm thinking that the `Baker's cyst' that showed up in the MRI `popped' at mile ten, the fluid draining into the leg and the irritation gone. I pushed increasingly hard for the remaining 40 miles. Both legs and knees were completely without pain. Sure, I felt the burn of the muscles with increasing watts, the fatigue, etc. But absolutely NO pain. I'm hoping that this experience continues and lessens the likelihood of surgery. Always learning.