I thought I had an appointment in the morning. Turned out that I didn't. So, I took a quick nap. When I got up, I noticed the weather had cleared up just a bit, so I got ready for an outdoor ride. When I got out, it started to sprinkle ever so slightly. So, I had to re-think my plan. I decided not to risk it and just ride indoors. That's what I did. I planned on it anyway. I chose the London Loop route. My goal was to post a negative split. Getting things ready was quick. I hopped on and got on with business. The first 10 minutes was mostly warming up. The legs felt good to start. The first climb went as planned. I kept the tempo moderate at minimum. I was doing in and out of the saddle efforts all the way to the summit. Box Hill is a punchy climb, so it goes quick. After making it to the summit for the first time, I got ready for the next lap. I put in a modest dig through the tunnel riser. The second lap went quicker (as planned). I was ahead of my Halo Replay from the start. The second and last time up Box Hill was mostly high tempo. I was out of the saddle most of the time. The hands felt better today and the legs were responding well. I let the difficult part build up towards the end. I was able to post a negative split, and I think I got about 21st place at the summit. From there, I took a few moments to recover. I wanted to see if I could post a PR on the this final lap. So, I kept the tempo going. I pushed through the tunnel riser. When I made out of the tunnel, I noticed that my right upper/inner quad was cramping just a bit. So, I let up and re-thought my approach. I put it in an easier gear and let the leg recover. Eventually, it did and I didn't loose too much time. The clock estimated my time to the finish would be under 30 minutes. So, I kept my tempo going while keeping my right leg in check. I was able to post a sub 30 minute lap and that was a PR. I think a 90 day PR. From there, I commenced the cooldown. I let the HR drop to 112 before hopping off.

Concentration was good. I was eager to get this ride under my belt. Balance and form felt good. I like the position on the Madone. Nutrition was in check. I had to feed before the ride. I had a banana, grapes, apple sauce and a Cliff Bar. I am going to buy some bottled Gatorade as it seems I get low on energy for the beginning of some of my rides . Ailments were minimal during most of the ride. But, right inner quad was cramping in the end. I kept it under control by letting up, spinning and favoring the left leg till the right one got better. I feel ok now. Gear worked flawlessly. No mis-shifting. Other notes, there were about 1500 riders on the London Map today.