Good and Bad days part 2

Last week (7/12-18) saw the return of a typical riding week for me with 6 days of riding and one long ride day.
As I logged mostly Hains point rides with one day taking the custis/W&OD trail the first 5 days and logged a total of 90 miles until Sunday. Yesterday (7/18), I decided to ride the MacArthur Blvd to Potomac route, with the dreaded Old Angler's Hill. A 2 mile 4-6% grade that can stop you on your tracks after a mostly flat cruise of 20-24mph. And kicked me it did, I felt good in the morning until that climb. Upon reaching the Potomac shopping centre, I stopped for a good 5 mins to catch my breath and consumed a Gu Gel before continuing on Falls road.
The one thing I did not like about yesterday's ride was that I did not know half of that route, so guessing and hesitation took the brunt of my energy. All in all I liked that route: Capitol Hill - Dupont - Palisades - Potomac - Tuckerman - Rock Creek - Georgetown - Capitol Hill; a total of 52 miles with some good climbing mid ride. On Mac Arthur Blvd, I was able to hook up with a TT trainee and was on his rear wheels or better until Old Angler's Hill. I am still not quite sure on how and why I cracked on that hill like that. Although the length of Mac Arthur Blvd travelled under 20 mins was quite a feat.
At Rock Creek, I again was able to hook up with yet another TT trainee and kept up on the flats, again travelling Rock Creek from the base of Kensington to the Gates within the District line in about 25 mins......real good time.
In summary, it was a great ride that started at around 7:12am and made 41 miles round trip with just 2:08hrs. Gu gels and Gatorade kept me sustained, but I can still feel the underlying leg and thigh cramps/strain. I liked that ride; with climbs, there are also downhills, which I travelled in excess of 31mph that was pure joy!
I need to familiarize that route or find better thru-ways to make it a smooth and continous route without detours.
In summary I logged roughly 145 miles last week with a few of those rides were fast intervals.
Just several days ago I thought that I'm actually enjoying the challenge of climbing, but that Old Angler Hill made me think twice. Perhaps I did not prepare the climb properly and better luck next time.