My first 200k brevet of 2025 of course had to be one with the steepest climbs at the end of a 16 mile climb. Well thanks to Mike S I was able to complete this pre-ride. Having not ridden much for the past month, Mike pulled all the way down to Elephant Head Rd where he continued up to FLWO and I returned north to Madera. He caught back up there as we passed about 2 miles from the top of Madera with me on my way down and he going up. I thought for sure he would catch me on Helmet Peak climb. Sadly he did not. Along the way we saw a pack of 5 coyotes (near mile 10.5) and 1 had a big rabbit in it's mouth. Then we saw another separate coyote a bit later. We fought a big headwind all the way south to mile 50.1, with Mike pulling. I tried a few times to muster the strength to pull to the front, but I just couldn't. At times it was all I could to hang on! Around mile 30 I fell off and Mike waited up again up my mile 33.1 Heading up Madera 2 faster cars passed me around mile 64 and shortly after they passed a deer ran across the road behind them and in front of me! Cool. The road surfaces were the same as they have been on this route. A bit rough on 18.1 to 19.1 and again just some crappy road maintenance spots from mile 19.1 to about 23. Always a favorite section is 88.1 - 100.5 (Helmet Peak) as the road is like glass, no traffic, awesome views, mining debris that gets my mind pondering on how humans use the earth, and then the great 10 mile descent past San Xavier del Bac mission. Then the always busy Valencia Rd113.3 to 114.5, which is a crap shoot, literally, as you do not know what trash awaits you along this section, in the road. The rest of the trip is awesome, with the ride up the river trail and then back through the UofA campus, back to the finish.