Yesterday was my 4th week in a row on the group ride I've been doing. The easy parts are starting to feel easy, and the hard parts are starting to go by quicker. My recovery time is still terrible, but my power output is definitely improving. I've also been religious about getting on my trainer on Tuesday and Thursday nights for about 30+ minutes each session, which has most definitely been a big part of my Sunday gains. Tuesdays I tend to focus on strength and power, including 2-3 max. effort intervals. Thursdays has been a focus on high cadence (90-120 rpm) with low load.
This weekend I will be rolling on new-to-me wheels (used set of Shimano C50s) and tires (Pirelli P-Zero). A good friend gave me a bunch of free 10-speed (7800) parts and I'm working on sorting out the rest of the system for a slight upgrade to the old 9-speed stuff. The 9-speed group will be hung on a Bianchi I'm building for my daughter, which will get either my current Ksyriums, or a set of Rolf Vector Pros.