The 76th Birthday challenge was a bit different than the previous ones. The afternoon after I finished putting the water on the mountain, I began to not feel well. I felt like I was coming down with something, and I thought about delaying the ride, but everything had been planned for the next day. The next morning, I convinced myself I was OK. The weather forecast had a wind warning of up to 45 MPH gusts. For either reason, I should have delayed the ride for several days, but I did not. It was a mistake.
The rains had caused serious damage to the road, and it was just recently opened. I was afraid the delay to late April might cause it to be a hot day. That was the one thing that was not a problem. It was a cold morning, and heat was not a problem all day.
I was certainly not at my best, but I completed the ride.
Click this link for the photos and videos.