The weather has cooled off and the smoke from the local wild fires have subsided. I'm feeling slight affects from the Covid vaccine.
The GI seems to be cramping after meals. I'm not 100% sure what to make of it, other than to proceed with a bit of caution. I accomplished my goal and I stuck to my plan, as to play it safe. I adjusted my cleats yesterday, so I was testing it out today. The legs felt responsive to start. I made my way through OTR. I made it to the summit in good average time. I give credit to the better weather. I was doing moderate tempo on my way out to WS. Paying attention to the wind conditions. It was very mild. Somewhat turbulent, but mostly a westerly wind. After reaching the turn-around point, I headed back without stopping. The return trip went as usual. No heroics, just steady tempo. I used all my gears to get over the kickers.
The Banducci wall was partial traffic mitigation and using the small gears. The morale felt better as I rode through the Alpine Forest. I held a good tempo to Lemans. I was near max when I got there. I made my way around the back side (having fun on the downhill) and then onto Banducci. I took a few moments rest at the summit. I checked the GoPro battery. I think it was between 50% and 65%. The battery bank was connected to it and it had about one or two bars of charge remaining. Shortly after, I headed down the mountain. Playing it somewhat cautious and practicing my tuck. When I reached the valley, I decided to head up the road and use the bio facility. It probably added a quarter of a mile. The trek through the farmlands was mostly moderate tempo. The wind was somewhat turbulent, but mild. I checked my time at Boss Hogs, but I don't recall the time. It was somewhere between 2 hours and 2:20 hours. The last climb was mostly moderate tempo. No accelerations, just steady tempo. No digs over the top. When I reached the summit, I pulled over and checked the GoPro battery. It was around 20%. I decided to swap out the battery. I took a moment to refill my main bottle with the extra bottle's Gatorade. I got back on the road, but decided to pull over and feed. That took about 2 or 3 minutes. Shortly after, I made my way to Route 202. Route 202 was mostly traffic mitigation. After reaching OTR, it was mostly fun and games. When I got back to the house, I made a lap around the block to get the trip distance to 40 miles. Concentration was good. I had some things to think about. But, I think it was the morale that got me through. The weather was very cooperative. Balance and form was good. Ailments were minimal. The left leg was still showing signs of soreness in the shin muscle. It didn't escalate to a cramp, though. The GI cooperated. Gear worked perfect. The battery bank kept the GoPro charged. Nutrition was good. I had minimal hunger pains and the body was in agreement when I fed. Other notes, I saw about 10 cyclists today. There was a glider or two at the WS airport.