I just got back. Took a shower, and am now eating my well deserved lunch. Where to start... The morning of the event. I planned on waking up at 4 AM. I set the alarm on my smartphone. When I woke up, I went to the bathroom, came back and looked at the time. It was 5:30 AM. I went into momentary shock mode. I double checked and looked at another clock. It was 5:30 AM, and I must have slept through the alarm, or it never went off. So, I had to do everything in fast forward mode. I followed the schedule that I made for myself. I ate as much as I could, about 3/4 of an eggs on rye bread sandwich. By the time I was ready to shove off, it was past 6:30. I stayed calm, though. The trip to the start location went fast. I got there in about 40 minutes or so. I found the registration booth, and fortunately, there was parking just up the small hill. So, I parked and was no more than a hundred yards from the sign-in table. This year, they didn't implement timing. So, they handed out a pin-on bib number. One of the helpers was kind enough to attach it to my jersey. Shortly after, I went back to my car and got the gear ready and suited up. It didn't take much time. I shoved off before 8:00AM and all my gear was turned on and working. The body felt good. The legs and joints good. The first 10 to 12 miles was more or less what I expected. The trek through the mostly rolling terrain and farmlands. This year, the wind was moderate. I had a slight headwind as I was making my way east. The shoulder was sufficient to make it safe. After about 12 or 13 miles, the road went in to the canyon and away from city traffic. This was the beginning of the better part of the ride. The landmarks were mostly familiar. I was starting to get #1 bio signs. So, I had to plan what to do next. I knew I could hold it to the first rest stop, so I held it until then. Making my way up the mountain went as anticipated. I was able to settle into a good climbing pace, keeping the tempo steady. The legs felt good. The first rest stop was near the summit. I took my bio. I had enough provisions. I headed downhill and to the next rest stop which was at Caliente. When I got there, I had just a bit left of my first two bottles. I filled up and mixed a Gatorade bottle. I also fed an entire Cliff Bar. After getting all my bottles set, I headed back out. Making my way up Caliente was quick. The wind continued to be mild. The miles went quick. I made it to the turn-around point. From here, I was able to keep in mind that the tough part was done. I made my way down and back to the rest stop at Caliente. I took a bio, got a bottle of water. I filled my bottles with the water. Somewhat diluting the Gatorade. From there, I had to climb out of the region. I kept the tempo steady. The legs felt good. But, my left shin muscle started to bother me, just a bit. I adjusted my tempo accordingly. I made it to the rest stop, near the summit. I took another bottle, and another bio. I took my stuff and found a nice place to stop. I filled bottles, mixed Gatorade and fed another Cliff Bar. At this point, the GoPro camera was exhibiting problems with he SD Card. For the past 20 or so minutes, it stopped recording at 1080p. I had to continuously stop and start it. I think I was getting about 5 to 7 minutes, every time. I ended up changing the resolution to 720p. Better to have coverage at a lower resolution, than nothing. The camera was stable at this setting. The battery bank that I bought from Walmart worked like a charm. I never had to swap out another battery. I made my way out the canyon, going up the last climb to get to the main road. At about this point, my right calf was starting to get sore. I kept everything in check. Stretching at every spare moment. I was able to do the numbers. It was encouraging that the easiest part was ahead. Making it back from here seemed faster than on the way out. I think there was less climbing. I was constantly checking my pockets. Everything was there. Nothing lost. I had to wait at a stop light once (if I remember correctly). Soon enough, the park entrance was ahead. On the usual timing event, this would have been the last time check. I made my way around the entrance and back to the check-in/check-out booth. I checked out. Got a T-shirt. They were out of my size, so I was only able to get a small t-shirt. After putting my stuff together, I sat down and had my P&J sandwich. Concentration was good. Few lapses. The morale felt good. It was just the last hour of the ride, where my legs started to complaint. But, in a way it detracted from the mundane parts of the ride. Balance and form was good. Ailments, the left shin, and right calf. Gear worked well. It was just the GoPro that didn't cooperate. The bike behaved excellent. When I got back home, both of my tires were flat. I'm guessing it happened when I was about 2 miles from the finish. I had to bunny hop over some shards of glass. I must have picked up some bits into the tire. Suffice it to say, I made it back to the car, before they went flat. Nutrition was perfect. I had just what I needed with a bit left over. I had one Cliff Bar in reserve. Other notes, when I reached the intersection, about 15 or so minutes from the finish, there was a guy that ran the light and almost got ran over by a passing car. I was in shock when I saw what happened. Sighing in relief, of course. (I got it on video, I think). Well done!

Update: The bib number that was pinned onto my jersey left a small hole. Uhgg.. It should be patchable. But, nonetheless, cruddy.