I got notification from the IBA that my ride has been confirmed. I paid the invoice but will wait a bit longer for my certificate. However, it's in the DB now, so it counts to me! 
This ride was my "challenge" ride to validate my abilities before doing a 50CC run. I changed my approach for this ride for two reasons, first, I planned to go through Atlanta and wanted the timing to be to my advantage (minimize traffic), and second, I like to sleep!
I left Mooresville NC at 10 AM on Saturday October 9th, 2021. I headed north on I-77 through WV. The ride moved along swiftly and uneventful until into WV. I rolled into the tollgates realizing I didn't have any cash. (who the heck carries cash any more.) I was able to give them my drivers license info and they do have a web site to pay after the fact. No penalties if you pay it within 14 days (or something like that). The downside to all this was 3 stops that were time-wasters going through the gates. each one went through the same routine with my driver's license. Lesson: check into getting an EZ pass if you plan to do these rides a lot.
I hit a little bit of rain through Wytheville and southern WV. the trip through northern WV and SE Ohio was clear and smooth. My next major stop was near Cambridge OH where I turned west on I-70. Another slight bit of rain as I started heading west but it was brief and it cleared again after that. Getting through Columbus proved to be a challenge because my Garmin was not updated with some new construction that was going on. That and some confusing signage caused a 10 minute mistake. Same thing happened in Indianapolis where I was turning south on I-65. Construction sux, as we all know.
My stops along the way were going very well. I was tracking and staying on time and by the time I reached Indy I calculated I had gained about an hour on my plan. I was making about 200 miles between stops. The C10 could have gone more, but my bladder said it was time to stop. Each routine was the same. Fuel fill, empty bladder, take on fluids, eat something (when I felt like it). I tried to keep stops to about 10 minutes. it seemed to work very well for me and I used this same approach when I did another SS1k.
Nighttime started to hit as I made my way down I-65. by the time I made Birmingham to turn east on I-20 it was about 2 AM. It was an uneventful ride down 65, going through Lousiville, and Nashville. There were a few vehicles still on the road for me to chase down, but I also dialed back my speed on one of my segments to better determine how my fuel mileage was going.
After the turn east on I-20 in Birmingham I knew my goal was going to be easily attainable. I was keeping my gained hour even with my reduced speed. I made it into Atlanta at about 5 AM or so. Even with it being a Sunday morning, I was surprised at the number of cars on the road. it wasn't crowded, but still a bit busy. From there is was 2 more fuel stops on the way back up I-85, arriving back home in Mooresville at 9:04 AM. Just 23 hours from when I left, and I felt really good upon arrival.
The primary take-aways from the trip:
1) Leaving at a later time had HUGE advantages for me. I initially planned it that way in order to time my pass-thru of Atlanta, but I found that getting a really full night's sleep helped me a LOT in the early hours of the next morning. past SS1K's I have done I've left anywhere from 2 to 4 AM. I was a lot fresher leaving late.
2) I was pleased with my stops. In the past, doing 1K rides, I've not concerned myself too much with stop times. This time I knew the importance of time-wasters. I tried to be efficient and minimize time off the bike. it worked pretty well and I felt good with it. Since this ride, I had a chance to talk with some other experienced riders who gave me some other tips to reduce stop times. I'm going to give them a try as well.
3) a 200 mile range between stops seemed really perfect. The bladder was ready, the fuel tank was ready, and it was a good timeline for staying hydrated/fed as well. This is going to be a challenge since I've moved from the C10 to a 1500 Goldwing. The GW is not going to give me the mileage range due to limited MPGs when traveling at high speeds. This is going to be important when I do my 50CC.
This ride was my "challenge" ride to validate my abilities before doing a 50CC run. I changed my approach for this ride for two reasons, first, I planned to go through Atlanta and wanted the timing to be to my advantage (minimize traffic), and second, I like to sleep!
I left Mooresville NC at 10 AM on Saturday October 9th, 2021. I headed north on I-77 through WV. The ride moved along swiftly and uneventful until into WV. I rolled into the tollgates realizing I didn't have any cash. (who the heck carries cash any more.) I was able to give them my drivers license info and they do have a web site to pay after the fact. No penalties if you pay it within 14 days (or something like that). The downside to all this was 3 stops that were time-wasters going through the gates. each one went through the same routine with my driver's license. Lesson: check into getting an EZ pass if you plan to do these rides a lot.
I hit a little bit of rain through Wytheville and southern WV. the trip through northern WV and SE Ohio was clear and smooth. My next major stop was near Cambridge OH where I turned west on I-70. Another slight bit of rain as I started heading west but it was brief and it cleared again after that. Getting through Columbus proved to be a challenge because my Garmin was not updated with some new construction that was going on. That and some confusing signage caused a 10 minute mistake. Same thing happened in Indianapolis where I was turning south on I-65. Construction sux, as we all know.
My stops along the way were going very well. I was tracking and staying on time and by the time I reached Indy I calculated I had gained about an hour on my plan. I was making about 200 miles between stops. The C10 could have gone more, but my bladder said it was time to stop. Each routine was the same. Fuel fill, empty bladder, take on fluids, eat something (when I felt like it). I tried to keep stops to about 10 minutes. it seemed to work very well for me and I used this same approach when I did another SS1k.
Nighttime started to hit as I made my way down I-65. by the time I made Birmingham to turn east on I-20 it was about 2 AM. It was an uneventful ride down 65, going through Lousiville, and Nashville. There were a few vehicles still on the road for me to chase down, but I also dialed back my speed on one of my segments to better determine how my fuel mileage was going.
After the turn east on I-20 in Birmingham I knew my goal was going to be easily attainable. I was keeping my gained hour even with my reduced speed. I made it into Atlanta at about 5 AM or so. Even with it being a Sunday morning, I was surprised at the number of cars on the road. it wasn't crowded, but still a bit busy. From there is was 2 more fuel stops on the way back up I-85, arriving back home in Mooresville at 9:04 AM. Just 23 hours from when I left, and I felt really good upon arrival.
The primary take-aways from the trip:
1) Leaving at a later time had HUGE advantages for me. I initially planned it that way in order to time my pass-thru of Atlanta, but I found that getting a really full night's sleep helped me a LOT in the early hours of the next morning. past SS1K's I have done I've left anywhere from 2 to 4 AM. I was a lot fresher leaving late.
2) I was pleased with my stops. In the past, doing 1K rides, I've not concerned myself too much with stop times. This time I knew the importance of time-wasters. I tried to be efficient and minimize time off the bike. it worked pretty well and I felt good with it. Since this ride, I had a chance to talk with some other experienced riders who gave me some other tips to reduce stop times. I'm going to give them a try as well.
3) a 200 mile range between stops seemed really perfect. The bladder was ready, the fuel tank was ready, and it was a good timeline for staying hydrated/fed as well. This is going to be a challenge since I've moved from the C10 to a 1500 Goldwing. The GW is not going to give me the mileage range due to limited MPGs when traveling at high speeds. This is going to be important when I do my 50CC.
