It’s a great day to get out. I was a bit reluctant to get out of bed, hitting the snooze button a few times. Weather was in the 60’s. Winds were somewhat turbulent. It was headed North West when I was on my way out, but turned 180 as I was making my way to Keene. I wore arms, knees, thick base layer with newspaper and a head cap. I was sufficiently warm. The legs felt pretty good to start. I raised my saddle height by a fraction before the start of the ride. It feels better. I made it to the summit of the descent in good average time. I cruised the downhill and put in two digs over the risers. I didn’t bother checking the time when I reached the base, but likely good average. When I reached the base, I removed the newspaper from my chest and stashed it in the saddle bag. From there, it was non-stop climbing. I was a bit impatient to start, so I was having to coach myself a bit till I reached the upper slopes. I had my music going and the GPS announcing my metrics every 3 minutes. I found it to be very helpful and a welcome distraction. I didn’t have to look down at the GPS to get metrics every few moments. Before departing, the GPS calibrated the power meter. I noticed that the wattage readings were higher than normal. It was closer to that of my smart trainer. I will be keeping an eye on it over the next few months. After the second dip, I was feeling good in the morale. My patience got better. I was doing the numbers to reach the summit, I was within a minute of my estimate. As I was cresting the summit, the wind turned into a headwind as it was when I departed. I took a few moments to recover and then headed back home. I pushed over Weston and shut it down.

Concentration was good. I was a bit impatient to start. I had a slight case of the jitters making my way down to the base. I was having to coach myself to stay focused. Balance and form was good. I like the new saddle height and will keep it there for the next few rides. Nutrition was good. I drank about 1/4th of my sport drink and some water. There was a slight fowl taste in the drinks. Perhaps from brushing my teeth in the morning. Ailments were minimal. Some hand numbness was all. Gear worked flawlessly. After calibrating the power meter, the wattage numbers were higher today. Pending confirmation on its accuracy over the next few rides. Other notes, no cyclists today. There was a big crowd at the Loop Monument.