The weather was great today! In the low 60's. Mild winds from the South East. I made it to the summit of the descent in good time. The downhill was tons of fun! Unusual wind conditions today. I was reaching speeds in excess of 40 MPH at the bottom of the loop. I was anticipating having to ride into a headwind most of the way up. I reached the base in good time. Shortly after, I began the ascent. Before I reached the base, there was a train on its way down. It was using its brakes. It smelled like a scorching barbecue, but toxic. The train was still passing as I was making my way up on the first mile or so. From there, the air was pristine. Nice and cool. No signs of overheating. I ticked over the landmarks, one by one. The headwind never manifested in a significant manner. It was mild at its worse. I felt good on the climb. The legs and lungs were strong. I knew I was on good time. To what degree, I wasn't sure. When I reached the summit, I was at my limit. I was pushing hard on the last 1/4 mile. Keeping the power down, but not sprinting. I made it to the summit in 1:01:50-ish hours. I was expecting a 1:03 at best. Very surprising. From there, it was downhill. The wind had picked up a bit. So, I lost some advantage. Concentration was very good. Ailments, next to none. But, perhaps a bit of right knee soreness that didn't detract from my pace, much. Balance and form was good. Gear worked flawless. Other notes, I saw about 5 cyclists today on their way back as I was descending.