I got up around 7 am today. Had breakfast, napped. And got up for my ride. I had a lot to prepare, so I didn't get out as early as I planned. But, at least 45 minutes ahead of my normal departure time. The weather was hot, but not as much as the previous 50-miler. I headed to Keene first. Making it to the summit of WTR in good average time. I cruised the downhill and headed back with no stoppages. The return felt good. I was sweating the entire time, but I didn't get that feeling of over heat exhaustion. I burned my matches where need-be. About one or two miles from the summit, the GoPro stopped recording because the card wasn't formatted before I left. When I reached the summit, I took on some provisions, reformatted the SD card and called home. This time, I didn't forget anything, so there was little delay in meeting mom at the mail lockers. When we met, I did what I planned. Swapping bottles, hydrating, wet the arm coolers, put the 3rd bottle on the fork and headed out. OTR went quick. Being that I was already warmed up. The outbound on Highline felt good. I was mostly working on form. No digs. I reached the turn-around point and headed back, no stoppages. The wind was near-head, so I put it in cruise control. Keeping steady tempo. About half way through Highline, my rear tire deflated. I tried to find a safe place to fix the flat. I was nowhere near an intersection or sidewalks, So, I pulled over next to a utility pole. The procedure went text book. No issues. I was smart enough to check the front tire. I found a small thorn in the tire that hadn't worked its way into the inner tube yet. Score one for the Mr. Tuffy. A passing motorist was king enough to ask if I was OK. I explained that I had a tire and that all was well. Shortly after I turned the camera on, and commenced. Banducci was the usual dig. A bit exhausted at that point, but manageable. When I reached the summit, I pulled over, at half a Power Bar. I told myself to feed the other half when I reached CVR climb. (I ended up forgetting, but likely due to the fact that I wasn't hungry when I got to that point). After recouping for a bit, I headed downhill. A bit more cautious, as my rear tire was probably 2/3rds inflated. The trip through CV went quick. The winds aiding my return. The last climb was calculated. Keeping the tempo steady, trying not to dig much over the steeper sections. After reaching the summit, I was able to recover as I made my way to Route 202. Route 202 was quick and minimal traffic mitigation. From that point, mostly fun and games. Concentration was good. I had a few things to think about. Some of which was running through the procedures I'll have to practice for the Gran Fondo. Such as operating the camera, feeding, hydrating, etc. Balance and form felt good. Ailments, some hip soreness, hand numbness, calf soreness. None of which detracted from my tempo. Gear worked flawless. Other notes, I saw one other cyclist. There were sheep in a field on OTR.