When I got up, it was cloudy and foggy with moisture on the ground. So, I thought to myself to wait after napping and see what the weather is like then. I was convinced that I’d have to ride indoors. As luck should have it, the weather cleared up. There were clouds, but the fog dissipated. I decided to go to Keene. The wind was from the North West. Temperature about 50. I wore the standard winter kit with jacket, leg warmers, head cap and face mask. The legs felt pretty good to start. I made it to the summit of the descent in good average time. I cruised the downhill. There were some damp patches on the ground, so I was playing it safe. As I was rounding a blind corner, there was an oncoming truck that went into my lane. I had room to spare, but it didn't feel good. To make matters worse, the truck honked in anger when he was clearly at fault. Nevertheless, I put in two digs on the risers. I made it to the base of Keene in good average time. I headed back without hesitation. I decided to keep all of my clothes on and it turned out to be the right decision. I was getting warm, but unzipping the jacket and jersey fixed that problem. I felt better after passing the lower loop, and much better after reaching the second dip. I kept my tempo going while doing in and out of the saddle efforts. There was another cyclist on his way down as I was passing through the Lower Loop. I checked the time, I calculated that he was around 15 minutes behind. So, no chance for him to catch up to me. I kept my tempo going over the top. After cresting the summit, I took a few moments to recover. I headed back home and shut it down after a modest dig to the top of Weston.

Concentration was good. I was in the zone most of the time with minimal lapses. I was a bit impatient while descending to Keene, but I kept it together. Balance and form felt good. Nutrition was good. I had a bowl of oatmeal, a banana and some grapes for breakfast. I drank most of my sport drink, no water. Ailments were minimal. Just the usual hand soreness / numbness while digging out of the saddle. Gear worked flawlessly. Other notes, there were no spectators at the Loop Monument. As mentioned, there was one cyclist on his way down as I was making my way up the Lower Loop.