One success and one miss as this was a combo ride (BBG and Lap of Florida). I was out the door and my starting receipt was 4:36am. I had made the decision to head to Perdido Key first. The plan was to bank time all the way around to Homestead and then "spend it" getting to Key West and returning to Marathon for the 1500 mile receipt.
I made great time, at the expense of a little lower fuel mileage, and actually arrived in Pensacola 90 minutes ahead of my schedule. The first fuel stop was 5 minutes total. Getting from I-110 to Perdido Key is a 24 mile "city" ride. I gave back 20 minutes of the time and crossed the bridge to Perdido still ahead by over an hour. The bridge to the Flora-Bama Lounge (or the Shell station across the street) is 4 miles distance. It should take no more than 5-6 minutes and it would have. Except that Flora-Bama decided to have a parade, floats and all. On a Tuesday??? I spent 35 minutes "in the parade". I stopped for a picture and a bit of sand and water, fueled, and was on my way. The 90 minute reserve was down to 30! First leg of 515 miles complete.
The next leg was to Fernandina Beach and I planned to arrive no later than 5:30pm. I was able to keep up the pace across I-10 and there was not much traffic on the I-295 loop. Heading north on I-95 was a different story. The construction south of the airport is a mess and the LEO's seem intent on stopping anyone and everyone that exceeds the 60mph limit. Add heavy traffic to the mix and I'm into my bank again. While the "city" ride here is shorter, only 12 miles, the traffic is heavier. End result was that I was an hour behind. Still well ahead of the 24 hour pace for the BBG.
The sun was going down. My night vision isn't the best but I can still crank it out when necessary. Heading south, I went through the construction near the airport and again in downtown JAX. It slowed me down but didn't have a big impact on my time. I was still doing well through Vero Beach. The construction on I-95 was forcing me to slow down. That night vision thingy!! At the next fuel stop, I discover that I'm still about an hour behind. Having learned a lesson from the rally at the Founder's Feast, I stopped the GPS route and selected Key West..."calculate"..... arrival 3:38am! ??? That can't be right. Time to crank it up. I hit Ft Pierce and finally got on the Turnpike. I was makig up time BUT Key West was a stop. I still had to reverse route and get back to Marathon by 4:36am. Addiing in a fuel stop (now up to 10 minutes...getting tired!), I had to get from Key West to Marathon in 30 minutes.... oops.
I fueled in Pompano and spent a couple of extra minutes looking at the route (not that there is a choice to the Keys), the time, and the reality that I would not complete the BBG. Missing by 30 minutes is no different than missing by a year. I had to determine which I wanted more... the BBG or the Lap of Florida? With 10+ hours of time remaining, the ride to Key West and Marco Island was easy to accomplish and get the ride in under the 32 hour mark. But the BBG opens up more rides...sooooo...
I made the decision to continue to Ft Lauderdale and then head across Alligator Alley (getting a "corner" receipt in Naples) and finish the BBG. I knew the mileage from the Turnpike exit to my hourse is 243 miles and I was over 1265 at the fuel stop. 1510-1512 would do it. And I had 4.5 hours to do it. I made great time across the Alley. Considering that I was admittedly tired at this point, I was quite happy to be able to ride that hard. GPS is telling me arrival time is 3:53am, a 45 minute reserve.
The construction between Naples and Ft Myers has gotten worse but I knew about it and planned on a slow 60mph ride over the 31 mile construction area. It was slower than that but I found myself north of the construction and the GPS telling me 4:08am arrival. Still 28 minutes to spare. I'm on cruise and just along for the ride, counting off the miles when.... LEO's all over. I-75 North is closed due to an accident. All of a sudden, this isn't amusing. I HAVE to be at the gas station before 4:30am! The detour was 12 miles total and when I got back on I-75, the time was still showing 4:08am. I made one final push and hung on!!! Pulled into the final receipt stop at 4:02am. Put gas in the bike and ... "clerk has receipt". Not a biggie. Except that the clerk wasn't there. It is 24 hour fuel but not 24 hour manned. So I went to a second pump (actually the one I used at the beginning of the ride) and added a splash. A receipt!!!! It was over.
I'm disappointed that I didn't get to add my name to "Chuck's" very exclusive list BUT am very happy that the BBG is in the books. The last two tries were interupted by a crash (broken leg) and frozen buns. Third time is a charm!!!! I think April is a good time to knock off the Lap of Florida and use what I learned from this ride to accomplish the next...
1. I may consider changing the route and doing Marco Island and Key West first (counter clockwiser from Tampa). Marco is a short ride and a fast ride down I-75. Cutting across US 41 is another place to make time... no one travels that road anymore, especially at night). Getting Key West out of the mix early (BBG or not) allows lots of slab time to pick up whatever time is lost.
2. Don't enjoy the time bank too much... it disappears quickly. For whatever reason, I pushed hard (very hard) until I got to Amelia Island and then slowed the pace, by over 10mph....???
3. Don't second guess your decisions. All the way across I-75, I kept saying to myself..."you should have pushed for the Keys".
The Lap of Florida is a fun ride and mixes slab and scenic roads. 32 hours is a challenge but can be done without a BBG included. I had assumed that one was necessarily for the other to happen but my ride told me otherwise.
It was fun. I got to use my heated gear (28 degrees in Live Oak). And I knew I had a cheering section watching me gobble up the miles. Hopefully it added some fun for everyone even though SPOT couldn't find the Keys. :-)
