Apr 13-20 - another in Georgia

Time marches on.  4 days out of that timespan were spent driving to Athens GA, riding a 600k and then driving back. 

I opted for the M5 which was fun on the twisty roads although I have to admit that it's not quite as comfortable as the X5, seating-wise, and much more difficult from a packing standpoint.  Just me, you say?  Well 1/2 of the trunk is taken up by a spare tire that the car doesn't come with (an old snow tire off the 540i from long, long ago) and packing a bike that doesn't break down is problematic.  I intend to take the M5 to the cottage at the end of the month which will much more of a problem to pack since I'll have a) more personal luggage and the Stainless frame that I'll ship to Mark Beaver.  Coming back, with any luck, I'll have the True North now-repaired Ti frame and of course during that trip, I'll do Hamid's 1200 out of Dulles.

The 600 was tough but I survived.  It had much more climbing than the FL 600 that I had to abandon ... but that's a good thing, a good lead-in to the VA ride.  It was an out-and-back with a potential overnight stop at 200k (Dublin), 300k (Vidalia), 400k (back in Dublin) and 600k, the end.  Most opted to check into the hotel and drop off spare kit off in Dublin on the way south, do the 200k back to Dublin, sleep and then wrap up with the last 200k.  Knowing my riding speed, going 400k before stopping for some sleep would have meant riding through most of the night.  For me, stopping at 300k worked well.  With an 8:45 start (delayed due to thunderstorms), I got to the hotel in Vidalia at 1:30 am, got some sleep and pulled out at 4:30 am.  Yeah, short, but that's typical of 600k's.  I finished up around 10:15 pm back in Athens.  Out of a field of 10 riders, there were only 2 who had elapsed times a bit shorter than me, which was quite a surprise.  Then again, it's all in how long you stop for that brief sleep :).

I didn't pull the plug on a reservation that I had in Dublin until I was running close to the 4pm cutoff or pay-up.  I used the Booking app to cancel that Rodeway reservation and retained the Econolodge reservation in Vidalia.  I was very surprised at the Econolodge which was in perfect shape, much upscale for its 2-star.  As I got close to Athens, I called Sandy to say that I was in no shape to start driving back and asked her to renew my reservation at the Springhill Suites, my starting point.  Had the ride started at 6am, I'd have finished much earlier and would have driven a bit before stopping ... but not at this point.  I left the hotel around 5am after a good sleep but still I stopped about mid-way home for a snooze which typically would last 15 minutes but I woke up an hour later.  That's ok.

I've got a busy few days before things really get hectic ... and tomorrow will likely be a waste because we're getting our 4th Moderna shot this afternoon.

Onward.