It was tough but fun. The first 30 miles were relatively flat so we were able to get a good number of base miles into our legs before the big climbs. The weather was moderate and turned overcast during the ride to the extent that we got sprinkled on before the big climbs. The first hill was moderate and I was able to spin up it without maxing out my effort. The second one pitched up right away and I was showing 14% on my Garmin. So it was a grind for the next few miles with the grade averaging 9%. The biggest problem on that climb was that we had a tailwind, so I was overheating quickly. Every once in awhile I would catch a needed breeze. After topping the mountain it was rollers with 4 additional steep climbs. We started out in fog/cloud cover but it cleared quickly. As we approached the climbs they appeared to go straight up, but once we were on them it was a manageable 7-9%. I laughed out loud when I got to the third one and started to get angry when I got to the fourth. The last 5 miles were downhill and I didn't have to spin my pedals for 90% (over 4 miles) of it. It was painful but it felt good to complete it. I stopped at 4 rest stops (30, 36, 42, 54) and had to stop and give my back a break on the mountain climb at mile 39. I appreciated the availability of showers after the ride and also the hamburger with a refreshing Diet Coke! I enjoyed hanging out with Shahab and was happy I only finished 15 minutes behind. I'd like to do it again and take more pictures. It's beautiful country out there.