That Feeling of Panic

With Mike coming in two days to pick up both me and Rocket for the ride to Tennessee to join the group heading to Hyder, I am starting to panic about preparations.  I thought I would just ride like normal and be able to compete, but it looks like the decision to not use an auxiliary gas tank was a bad one.

I ended up buying a 1 1/4 gallon spare tank that fits well on the rear rack.  I should only need it on a couple of runs where the gas stations are far apart, but I will have to stop twice on normal days where the gas stations are spaced well.  I can plan on 130 to 140 miles on a full tank, plus an extra 80 using the spare.  But using the spare costs me one extra stop unless I can get super mileage.  I still want to finish well, but it will be behind the fast guys and girls who can run the entire day without stopping.

It is also going to be colder than I expected and I didn't go for heated or super winter gear for the cold days.  So today, I looked to improvise by seeing if my Bilt rain jacket would fit over my old, armored mesh jacket.  It does so I am feeling better now.  I can layer up with a long sleeve tee shirt, turtle neck, sweatshirt, mesh or Alpinestars jacket with the rain jacket over.  That should work fine as I rode through northern Indiana last year in 41 degree weather with less to keep me warm and I was fine.  That was a 600 mile ride from Chicago to eastern Tennessee that was very cold for half the day.

Then I realized that I would like to use a Spot, so I ordered it today.  It should come in on Friday.  Now I have to get it set up.