WOW - This day was the hardest! Long climb with no respite up St Vrain's Canyon. Windy, hot. My Wahoo showed 108F up the canyon, but it always reads about 8 F higher since in sun. I was a bit later to start, 515am (RWGPS is correct). Yet I made some miles before sunrise. Rode alone the whole day! The early flat miles were easy, relatively. Stopped at Hygiene Mtn Ftn shortly after they opened. Had a black bean with rice burrito. Very good. No ice as soda machine was broken and only gave water. Toilets, shaded tables are always welcome. The Mtn Ftn is getting a bit run down inside, yet the outside is nice to sit. Then the grind started as went north o toward Lyons and Rabbit Mtn mile 58.6. Returned down to Lyons and Circle K at mile 63 for more tornado. Here my assumption that we would ride up US 36 was crushed as we went further south to take St Vrain's canyon. In many ways it was a relieve as less cars and some shade. That climb was brutal! No respite at all. No flat area or little downhill, just up from mile 67 to 78.4 where it met Peak-to-Peak. I stopped a couple times just to feel a bit of cool shade and to stop using my legs. That ~100F was tough. So gorgeous on Peak-to-Peak rode at the top. I stopped at Ferncliff mile 82, where they charge for water! It was getting hot and I was tired. Had some chocolate milk and sat a spell. Then pushed off for more climbing before that awesome descent into Estes Park! This peak-to-peak climb and up to above Estes and the descent to Estes and then back down to Glen Haven was a big reason I did this ride again this year, since this section was what I missed in 2023. Estes was gorgeous and crowded, even for a Thursday! used the restroom at the visitor center. Then climbed out of Estes toward the cinnamon rolls of Glen Haven. That descent was FAST into Estes and gorgeous. I was happy to finally be going down. Lake Mary was gushing water out of the powerplant or overflow pipe, didn't know which. Stopped at mile 97 for water! That area was packed with people! this was a full grocery and c-store, so didn't hang out long and rode down into downtown Estes to find a bathroom. Mile 98.8 at Estes Park Town Hall there were restrooms! Used them. Then on to the climb out of Estes. I made it to Glen Haven just before 4pm, closing time. Got a cinnamon roll and 2 scoops butter pecan ice cream and sat on table outside, as they closed up the shop. Then the long downhill toward the little dam area. Great ride in that area. Not many cars. Then thankfully got some cloud cover on the climb to the turnaround at Horsetooth open space. The return down to Sandy's where I stopped for water & fuel. It was at this point that I began to wonder if Hygiene would be open when I got there? I seemed to recall a notice of the open summer hours and it seemed odd. So I conserved water from Sandy's to Hygiene, knowing I still had to climb into Left Hand and take that Old Stage route and I did not know when the next water might come! Maybe some area at start of Left Hand? Turns out Hygiene closed at 8pm. Now the worry game and looking at every house I passed to see if anyone was outside! If they were, I was going to stop and ask for water. NOBODY was out. In fact this activity educated me on how many of these places uses closed gates to keep people out! LOL. On top of that, it was a drag of a climb over to US 36. Once on US 36, I kept formulated a plan for water. Would I stop along US 36 and signal for water? I was trying to get every minute in before dark! It was after sunset and still a bit light. Then it hit me! US 36 in this section is a cyclist's highway! Some driver/passenger is bound to recognize the universal peleton signal for needing water, a raised water bottle! So I started doing that when I heard cars coming. Wouldn't you know in about 15 cars, a group of 3 or 4 passed, then up ahead I see 1 pull over and stop! It was a Jeep Wrangler. I rode up to them in this partial light and against his tail lights and there was Carlo, standing at the back of his Jeep with a water bottle waiting for me! What a kind man. He offered me 2 bottles, but that 1 big 32 ounce was all I needed. It filled the 1 empty bottle I had and I drank the surplus. I had 20 miles to do and figured I could make it. Thank you Carlo, with license plate like wrangler. Now for Left Hand. Pretty cool at this time of night. I could still make out the canyon walls. The turn onto Old-Stage was about 2.5 miles up. I knew there was a climb to come but I did NOT know it was 10% and I would be in complete darkness on an empty road! Thank heavens for dark and empty as it allowed me to be ignorant of the climb and allowed me to go postal mode. Little by little I made the top. Then a long descent. FAST FAST. Rode brakes hard, since this was all new to me. I had NOT reviewed this part of the route well and was surprised to find out that the end of the descent dropped me into north side of Boulder! Fun. Disappointment of course bc I knew also that I would have to climb Boulder Rd to get to McClaslin. Ah that McCaslin descent was wonderful. Finished around 1130pm, not bad, given the heat & wind & climbs & water challenges.