It's been a while since I've ridden this route. Today was ideal. It's in the upper 40's, I wore the standard winter kit with knee warmers. The wind was from the South East. The legs felt pretty good from the start. I was sufficiently warmed up by the time I reached the summit of OTR. I made it there in good average time. The way out to WS was mostly moderate tempo. The Highline climb was more of a drag while out of the saddle. But, no redlining it. There was a direct headwind on the way out. So, I was having to save some matches for later.
After reaching WS, I headed back, no stopping. The wind was mostly tail at this point. The first quarter mile was mostly allowing the legs to dial in the change in tempo and wind direction. The body felt good. So did the knees. The highline climb was super fast. I was able to dig over the top. Nearing maximum, but still a bit in reserve. The following downhill was fun. Reaching speeds approaching 40 MPH. After making it back to OTR, I was able to relax a bit and enjoy the descent. Mariposa was aided by a modest tailwind. Always nice when that happens. From there it was mostly fun and games. Concentration was good. I had a few things to think about. The music helped. There were minimal gremlins out there. Balance and form was good. I think the saddle needs to be rotated CCW a bit. Seems like I may have over rotated it going CW. Gear worked perfect. Ailments, minimal signs of soreness in the knees. Nutrition was good. No hunger signs. Other notes, no other cyclists today. I saw a glider being towed by a propeller plane at WS.