Well, today turned out to be something special. The rain has gone away, and it's in the mid 50's. Mild, but somewhat turbulent wind conditions. I had a cross tail, going to the top of the descent. Made it to the summit in good time. I headed down the mountain. A mile into the downhill, the wind changed into a headwind. I kept turning over the pedals on the downhill, keeping my momentum going. After reaching the base, I spared no time to return. The legs felt pretty good. After spending the last few rides, indoors, I was curious how my body was going to respond. (While making my way up the first 1/4 mile, there was that same pesky dog that chased me, from the previous ride. It didn't bother me, just ignored it and got on with the ride). As I was making my way through the gauntlet, the local train was passing by. The noise level was so bad, I couldn't hear my own breathing. Almost intolerable. I began to think where we will be as I'm riding. I made my way through the gauntlet. When I reached the base of the Loop, the train had just arrived, going through it. I kept the tempo high. When I reached the Loop Monument, the train was still passing through. Very encouraging. From there it was mostly high tempo to the summit. To my surprise, I put in a 1:01 hrs, ride. Most notably aided by the unusual wind conditions. Going home wasn't too bad. The wind was going the same direction as in the first few miles of the ride, and was still mild. Concentration was good. Pretty much in the zone. Balance and form felt good. Ailments, next to none. Gear is working great. Other notes, No cyclists today. Tons of spectators at the Loop Monument when I was on my way back.