Another ambiguous day. My lower left knee was sore for the past day. I was certain that whatever ride I did would be just a few miles.
The weather is nice. A bit warm, in the 80's, but cool air. I got out the door and decided to try going as far as I could to Keene. The first few miles to the summit of the descent was more or less what I expected. The soreness continued, but didn't escalate much. I raised my saddle height by about half an inch or so. I decided to ride to the first riser and then see how the knee felt. There was construction work on the way down, so I had to wait for a couple minutes. When I reached the first riser, I noticed my knee was feeling much better! So, I made my way to the second riser. It felt even better at that point. So, I was all in. I made my way to Keene. I think it took about 32 minutes. The first few miles of the return trip was mostly testing out the body. I started very modest, allowing the climbing legs to settle in. I felt better as I went. No heroics. Just nice and steady tempo. In and out of the saddle as needed. The landmarks went by fast. The knee never complained, to my amazement. I waited less time when I arrived at the construction zone. I was able to hold no less than moderate tempo to the summit. From there, I was able to relax and enjoy the downhill back to Weston, and shortly after shutting it down after making it up the hill. Concentration was good. I had a few things to think about and the left knee felt better, giving me a boost in the morale. Balance and form was good. Nutrition was good. No hunger sings while on the bike. I went through my Gatorade bottle and some water. Gear worked flawless. Ailments, the left knee was sore for the first 15 minutes and got better as the ride progressed. Other notes, no other cyclists out there today. There were some spectators at the loop monument.