Riding companion hasn't been on the bike a lot. A week ago we did a ride that was mostly a suffer-fest for him. Today? Dude apparently tryna make up for his slow time last week with a full gas ride. All righty then, off we go. Managed to keep up, mostly, but him being 60 pounds lighter and on a lighter hardtail bike meant he was waiting for a bit at the top of the long climb that starts at Mile 6. The other climbs at 5 and 5.5 were ok, but they aren't as long as the one at 6. Still, even after a longish ride yesterday the legs held up pretty well. Same with the cardio. Several rests came at the right time but the companion was huffing and puffing then, too. Been awhile since we rode at evening ... it was .. NICE. w/Mark