It warmed up a bit. I struggled to get out of bed, but managed to do so before it got too late. I wore arms, knees, head cap and a thick base layer. It was around 65-ish when I got out. Winds were from the South East, but turned turbulent. I stashed a bottle of water, some powder drink, and an extra Clif Bar in the mail locker. From there, I headed to Keene. I made it to the summit in good average time. I cruised the downhill and got a feel for what the wind was doing. It was strange. I had a headwind to start, but then it turned 180 as I was descending further towards the base. I put in two digs on the risers. After reaching the base (in good time), I headed back. I stopped at the Chavez Center to remove my knee warmers and head cap. After that, it was non-stop climbing to the summit. The legs felt pretty good. I kept the tempo steady. The landmarks went by quickly. After the second dip, the morale got better and better. I was doing in and out of the saddle efforts while listening to the GPS announcements of my HR and power readings. I kept my tempo going over the top. After cresting the summit, I took a few moments to recover. The wind was heading North, so I had a headwind on the way back. I stopped at the mail locker to mix a sport drink from the bottle I stashed earlier. Then I got back on the road. Around this time, I realized that I forgot to turn the GoPro back on after stopping at the Chavez Center. I was a bit upset about it, but nothing special happened. I made my way up OTR. The legs felt pretty good. I didn't bother checking the time at the top, I was more focused on my ride. The Banducci Wall had tons of traffic mitigation. It didn't feel safe. I was constantly looking around and doing my best to let traffic by. I was near max going over the top. I recovered on the flat segment and then the remainder of the climb. The remainder had lots of traffic mitigation too. Fortunately, there were turnouts that I used. After making it to the summit of Banducci, I pulled over to recover and feed. I fed a Clif Bar with some water. Shortly after, I let traffic by and then headed down the mountain. This time, it was more safe with minimal traffic from behind. I think I forgot to start the GoPro a second time. I tried not to let it bother me. Descending off the Banducci Wall was mostly safe. I let traffic by first. There was one car behind as I was descending. I was feathering the brakes and staying to the right. The car ended up passing me, no honking. As I was nearing the base, I was tempted to add the Bufallo Run, but decided not to. I think it was the right decision because I would have run low on provisions. Nevertheless, I headed back and made my way to OTR. Descending OTR was the usual treat. Around this time, it occurred to me to check the safetly lights on the bike. I was upset to find that I forgot to turn them on at the start of the ride. It was my fault for not checking my departure list. Suffice it to say, I stopped and turned them on. After descending OTR, I pushed over Mariposa. I stopped at the mail locker to gather my left over belongings and then headed back home. I shut it down after reaching the top of Weston.

Concentration was good. Especially the Keene climb. I was in the zone with minimal lapses and no gremlins worth mentioning. I was a bit distraught when I realized that I forgot to turn on the GoPro on more than one occasion. That and the bike lights. Balance and form felt good. Ailments were good, but my right inner hip was a bit sore as I was climbing Banducci. I had to let up a bit and let it relax. I was doing in and out of the saddle efforts and adjusted the cadence. The soreness went away by the time I reached the summit. The usual hand soreness happened too. No biggy there. Nutrition was good. I had a bowl of oatmeal with half a banana and some grapes. I had the other half of the banana and some grapes before departing. I fed a Clif Bar and some water during the ride. I went through two bottles of sport drink and most of the water that I brought. Gear worked flawlessly. The bike is super quiet and smooth. I will put on some new tires for the Spooktacular ride this weekend. Other notes, no cyclists out there, but there were a few motorcyclists that gave courteous waves.