I’ll start this log from the top, when I got up in the morning. I got out of bed at 4:08AM after hitting the snooze button twice. I followed the timeline checklist like I normally do on these rides. Some things took more time than I anticipated, like putting the bike and gear in the car. I did not forget a thing, (almost). I ended up shoving off around 5:30AM. When I was half way down the block, I realized I forgot my wallet. So, I turned around and went back to get it. So, that burned about 3 to 4 minutes.
The commute was a bit stressful as I was driving in the dark hours with traffic on the 58 freeway. The glair and semi trucks made I tricky. On the lighter side, it woke me up for sure! I was driving defensively. After descending off the mountain, my heart went back into my chest and I was able to relax for the remainder of the commute. I stopped at the subway just off the freeway on Comanche. I took a quick bio. As I planned, I observed the temperature in order to gauge the clothing to wear. It was on the cold side. I spared no time and got back on the road. It was still dark when I arrived at the parking lot. The lot was full of cars, but had plenty of space remaining. I parked in the gravel area. It was around 6:40 to 6:45-ish AM when I got there.
After arriving, I grabbed my folder with proof of registration and headed to check-in. There was no one in line, so checking in was a breeze. I was trying my best to get ready for the 7am shove off. After checking in, I headed back to the car to get ready. I got my bike out and put the front wheel on. I used the portable stand to safely set the bike aside. I had my jersey with contents ready in the pockets, so I was good to go after putting it on. But, first I put on my arm warmers. I put arm coolers underneath the arm warmers. I wore knee warmers, double socks, short gloves and head cap. I brought some extra newspaper and put it under my jersey. It turned out to be the right choice. After getting the kit on, I put my bottles on the bike. I immediately noticed that I forgot the Fid-lock attachment on my sport drink bottle. So, I scrambled to find an extra bottle and swapped out the attachment. As I was getting ready, I realized that I wasn’t going to make it for the 7 AM start. So, I told my self no reason to get too anxious about it. I was able to take my time. The last think I did was go to the bathroom for a quick bio.
I started my apps, GPS, GoPro camera, watch HR sensor, etc. Then I headed out. The first couple miles was through a bike / run path. The pavement was a bit bumpy, but as I remembered it from last year. In the meantime, I was paying attention to the temperature and how I felt. I was getting cold, but not at an alarming rate. I was so glad that I decided to put newspaper in my jersey. My front side remained tolerable, my back was getting cold. The arms and legs were ok. My face was a bit cold, but tolerable. The fingers were ok. There was four e-bike riders that I was staying with for a while. Somewhat of a mutual yo-yo partnership. My gear was working perfectly. All electronics were accounted for. After making it to the Alfred Highway, I could tell I was going to be ok with the clothing. Navigation was simple with minimal turns, making it a no brainer. The legs were feeling good. They were responsive, so I was able to gauge my effort by feeling more than metrics.
When I arrived at Round Mountain Road, the traffic situation was a bit more comfortable. Being, that there was less. I was riding in and out of the saddle to keep the sit bones and legs in check. The challenge started with the first climb. I’d say this climb was the more difficult of the three. My legs exhibited no signs of cramping and was able to continue gauging my tempo mostly by feel. The climb had nearly no traffic, so I was weaving my way up the steeper slopes to save as much as I could for later. I did not stop until I reached the summit. I was keeping track of time. I told myself to feed around 1:30 hours into the ride. That coincided with the first stop. When I reached the first stop, filled my sport drink bottle with water, took a quick bio, then headed back on the road. I went less than ¼ of a mile up the road where I stopped to mix some powder into my sport bottle, and I fed a Clif Bar. I think my camera was behaving strangly, so I was having to double check it to make sure it was in the right mode. The descent off the mountain was fun. There was minimal traffic with sweeping turns. I was keeping an eye on distance to help gauge my effort at this point. Last year, I stopped to bio in the bushes, but not this year. As I remembered, the trek to the turn-around started with rolling terrain and a brief climb to the rest stop. The legs felt good, but the sit bones were a bit sore, so I had to stand and stretch at every opportunity. After reaching the turnaround, I took a bio, filled bottles, removed the newspaper from my jersey and discarded along with the Clif Bar wrapper that I had in my jersey pocket. I did not linger around and got back on the road before the legs cooled down.
The return trip went quick. If I’d have to say, there was a gentle headwind. I stopped once to feed and I think I removed my head cap. After feeding, I got back on the road, all the while making sure my GoPro camera was rolling. I was keeping an eye on the remaining charge. The battery bank was near depletion. The installed battery had full charge remaining. I had one last major climb of the ride. It was mostly gradual but kicked up in the last half. The last mile was the most difficult. I was weaving my way up thus allowing the legs from ceasing. The legs remained responsive. I could sense fatigue, but it felt normal. When I arrived at the last rest stop, I filled bottles, took a bio and got back on the road. The descent was a joy. No traffic, and good pavement. After making it off the mountain, I entered a rolling terrain segment. There was a duet that had an e-bike rider leading a cyclist. I was able to hop on for a mile or two. I noticed that my hunger was starting to build up, so I was doing the logistics in my mind. I decided to stop at the left turn onto the China Grade. I made the right choice by not letting my ego get in the way of progress. I stopped at a convenient turnout away from traffic. I fed a Clif Bar and mixed a sport drink. I removed my arm warmers, with my arm coolers remaining. Shortly after, I got back on the road. At this point, I was in navigation mode. I was paying attention to the markings on the ground. I made my way back to the Alfred Highway. From there, it was straight to the finish. The quality of the shoulder bike path was average at best. There was road debris, bumps, and those drifting bumps. I was forced to ride the bumps on more than one occasion. If I wasn’t as experienced as I was, I could have had a mishap. I was keeping an eye on the mileage. I was able to estimate the time remaining. The last mile or two was disconcerting. There was no shoulder with traffic from behind. At least the cars didn’t honk their horns in anger. I made it back at around 65.2 miles, just as the course map indicated.
I stopped the GPS when I reached the end of the bike path nearing the check-in / out stand. That was the end of the ride.
Concentration was good. I was in the zone most of the time. There were minimal lapses and no gremlins worth mentioning. I kept my cool in the morning hours while acclimating to the coldness. Balance and form felt good. I was able to ride out of the saddle while cold. That’s a good sign. Nutrition was good. I got it right. No hunger bonking. I had just the right amount of provisions without going over by too much. I had a Clif Bar remaining and about one bottle’s worth of fluid. Ailments were minimal. The knees and leg muscles were in check. Gear worked flawlessly. The metrics were on the record from the start. Other notes, there were less cyclists on the return then I anticipated while making my way to the turn around point. I did better time on this ride then last year. So, all together, a successful ride.