It warmed up a bit, so I tried to get out a bit earlier than last time. Winds were a bit turbulent and different in other places. Around 75-ish degrees. I decided to do a double. I wore arm coolers, knee warmers and thin base layer. Turned out to be the right choice. The legs felt pretty good to start. I made it to the summit of OTR in good time. The Banducci Wall had some traffic mitigation. I kept the tempo steady, always thinking about needing matches to burn when I get to Keene. The remainder of the climb went quick. After reaching the summit, I took a few moments to recover, let traffic by, and then headed back down the mountain. It was mostly safe with some traffic mitigation. Descending off the Banducci Wall was on the side of caution. The return on OTR was relaxing. After pushing over Mariposa I made my way to WTR. I think I made it back in under an hour. When I reached the summit of WTR, I stopped to remove my knee warmers and stashed them in the bushes. The descent was mostly cruising. The wind was turbulent. It went from a tailwind to a headwind (about a mile into the descent). I put in two digs on the risers. After making it to the base, I headed back. I decided to stop at the Chavez Center to mix a sport drink and feed. After that, it was non-stop climbing. The legs felt good. I let them warm up for the first 7 to 10 minutes and then was able to settle into a tempo. I had a few things to think about, so things went pretty quick and my patience proved its worth. I had the GPS announcements going. They didn’t sound accurate as it was a bit on the low side. I calibrated the GPS before the descent, so I am not sure what to make of it. About a mile from the top, the wind turned 180. So, I was exhausted and was having to finish things off with a headwind. After reaching the summit, I turned around to grab my knee warmers that I stashed. From there, I took it easy and made my way back home. I shut it down as soon as I reached the top of Weston.

Concentration was good. My patience was in check. I felt good when I reached the summit of Banducci. I had plenty to think about, so I was able to remain focused. Balance and form was good. Ailments, the usual hand soreness. Nutrition was good. I fed half a banana and some grapes before the start of the ride. I went through 2 sport drink bottles, some water and a Clif Bar that I fed near the beginning of the Keene ascent. Gear worked flawlessly. My left cleat was making clicking noises when grinding out of the saddle. Perhaps I need to adjust the screws. Other notes, I saw one cyclist stopped on OTR. Looked like he was headed the other way.