The weather is warming up. I got up early to avoid the heat. It is in the mid 70s, winds from the North West. I wore the standard summer kit. I made it to the summit of OTR in good average time. I cruised the downhill. I put in two digs on the risers. I made it to the base in good time. After reaching the base, I headed back without hesitation. The legs felt good. The landmarks went quick. While nearing the last 10 to 15 minutes of the climb, I started to develop a cramp in the left inner / upper quad. This seems to be a reoccurring ailment from time to time. To mitigate it, I let up on the tempo and favored higher cadence. It went away by the time I reached the summit, but still disconcerting. I feel no discomfort at the moment. It seems to hit hard, and then goes away after letting up on the tempo. After making it to the summit, I recovered for a few moments and then I headed back home. I shut it down at the top of Weston.

Concentration was good. I had stuff to think about. The morale felt good. Balance and form was good. Ailments, the usual sore hands and the cramping left upper hip / quad area. Nutrition was good. I had a bowl of oatmeal, half a banana and some grapes for breakfast before departing. Gear worked flawlessly. The Garmin watch was out of batteries before the start of the ride, so I had to charge it for 10 minutes. So, that delayed my departure for a bit more than I would have liked. Other notes, there were some people at the Loop Monument as I was descending to Keene.