Today was a big one. I decided to head out to Keene and decide where to go from there. I got out a bit late, but the weather was cooperating. I wore the usual spring kit with arm coolers. I brought three bottles. One of which I put in the mail locker. I made it to the summit of Keene in good average time. The legs were a bit heavy and some mild body aches. By the time I reached the summit of the descent, it dissipated a bit. I cruised the downhill. There was some traffic from behind, so I was having to up the tempo. I put in two digs over the risers. I reached the base in about 28 minutes. I headed back without stopping. The legs felt good. It didn't take much time to get warmed up. I kept the tempo steady, no heroics. The knees felt good and my back was cooperating too. The lesser of things was my concentration. I just couldn't get it to stabilize till later in the ride. As I was approaching the summit, I was beginning to think about the next destination. I decided to head up Banducci, then through the Alpine Forest to get back. I stopped at the mail locker to pick up a bottle. Shortly after, I got back on the road. The legs were heavy, just from standing there for a minute or two. I didn't bother to check the time at the top of OTR. I changed the GoPro battery when I got there. I headed up the Banducci Wall with some traffic mitigation. I kept the tempo steady, no heroics or red-lining it too much. It was more or less the same to the summit. I took a few moments to feed a Clif Bar, then I made my way through the Alpine Forest. The rationale was not so much the extra mileage, but the sheer steepness of the climbs. They were brief, but steep in gradient. Exactly what I will experience if I do the Caliente ride. The legs felt good. I was having to weave my way up the steep gradients as I anticipated. When I got over them, I actually felt lost for a few moments. The route is difficult to recognize while doing it in reverse. I ended up pulling over and checking my GPS. I managed to navigate and find my way back to the familiar roads of the Alpine Forest. As I was descending, there was another cyclist on his way up. I recognized him from Keene. He was on his way down, I was going up. The descent was fun, going over the speed bumps. Descending off the Banducci Wall was a treat. From there, I got back to OTR. There was some traffic mitigation. It gave me incentive to go faster. Definitely helped. After getting over Mariposa, I just had to retrieve my bottle from the locker and head back home. Concentration was the lesser of things on this ride. Too much wandering, hints of gremlins too. Perhaps it was the sheer mileage I had to cover and some lingering preoccupations in my mind. Balance and form felt good. Nutrition was good. No hunger signs I had most of the two bottles of Gatorade. Some water. A bit of disagreement while climbing to the summit of Keene. Mitigated by diluting with water. I fed at the summit of Banducci. Gear worked flawless. The GPS guided my way in the Alpine Forest. Ailments, some hand numbness. Shaking them helped. The knees and back cooperated most of the way. I had a hint of right lower leg soreness. It lasted about 10 minutes at most. Other notes, only one cyclist out there. A bunch of Motor Cyclists, recreational motorists and some folks at the Loop Monument.