Georgia SR600 Preamble

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13091666

The planning for the Super 600K in Georgia began a few weeks ago when the expected list of riders were tentatively identified and the maps and cue sheets that Brian (the route organizer) had were provided to us. There were also ride reports from Brian and Robert's recent ride of the course.

Early in the planning, the decision on how to get to Georgia was discussed. The HCR and LSR riders both desired to drive and neither team of riders wanted to depend on a single driver for this long trip. We discussed renting a Capps van in Austin and then driving up to Dallas to pick up Dan and Mike. Rob, Russ, and Jeff would load their bikes first and then we would add 2 more bikes and 2 more riders. With 4 drivers we would be covered. The second option was for each group to drive themselves using available transportation options at their discretion. It should be noted that Dan Colvin was already in Tennessee so he was not part of the equation. Wayne Dunlap was on the fence about going so we didn't know if he would be with us or perhaps fly himself and his bike to Georgia.

In addition to getting the riders and dates nailed down, there was work to update the RWGPS maps, improve the cue sheets, and arrange for overnight accommodations. The whole team of riders pitched in to make this happen. Jeff and Dan arranged the overnight hotels. The HCR riders had separate reservations for Helen, GA and Hiawassee, GA, but there was a group lodging arrangement in Tellico Plains, TN. In addition, Dan Driscoll had spoken to the people in Tellico Plains and arranged for groceries to be delivered to the cabin ahead of our arrival (Ensure, pizza, Pop Tarts, etc). We all agreed to pitch in and share the cost of these groceries and each rider made a few suggestions on what they wanted to see included.

Most of my time was spent on updating the RWGPS maps for day 1, 2, and 3 to ensure that we had accurate cues, service/control points documented, and start/finish tweaks that included the routing to the hotels. We then transferred this data to a Google Sheet and made an Excel version available for download.

As we got closer to departure date, we made the decision to drive in 2 groups. Russ had offered his truck to get us to Georgia. In the final days before departure, Russ backed out due to an injury. I offered to step in and drive myself and Jeff to Georgia. Given that I would have to do all the driving, we opted to break up the drive into 2 days with an overnight stay en route to get some sleep.

Some more good news came from Dan Colvin who offered to drop off groceries for us in Hiawassee. This meant we would not have to search for food when we arrived to the hotel on day 2 either.

We agreed to use the Splitwise application to track expenses. This app is great. You add expenses and then indicate who was involved and what percentages you prefer to use (default is to split equally). It takes all the guesswork out off the math and you no longer have to care about keeping track of who owes who. The app will generate a sette-up for all parties when you are done tracking expenses.

One other big problem occurred for me during planning. I had dropped my bike at The Peddler the week before departure for a tune up and a new tire. The shop called me on the 15th to inform me that I had a crack in my seatpost tube. I was stunned. The photos the bike shop sent me made me gasp!

I was in a panic because all my plans rested on getting myself and my bike to Georgia. I contacted various friends to explore alternative bikes. The main problem is finding a bike with a frame size and setup that is similar to mine. This is not an easy task. My friend James offered me his Salsa Casseroll and I agreed to meet him on Thursday to pick up the bike from storage and take it to the bike shop. Back when I first started rando, I used to ride miles and miles with my friend James. His preferred rando bike was this Salsa. It has bar end shifters, 9 speed, and a triple chain ring. The bike frame size was close to mine, but I was worried about the differences in how the bike was setup. Still, it's better to have a plan B just in case.

When I delivered the Salsa to Peddler, I got the chance to talk to Finley about the problem. He pointed out that there are 2 pieces of metal involved in the seat post. There is the outer tube and the inner sleeve. The crack formed at the place where the sleeve ends inside the tube. We talked about if it were possible to put a longer seat post in place, but that was not an option because the tube gets smaller towards the bottom so a longer seat post would not help. The news that the inner sleeve was intact made it possible to consider a short term repair while I considered longer term options. I had no idea how long the bike had this problem. Finley couldn't tell either, but said that there was enough added support in the stays and the top tube that the seatpost tube would hold together. We discussed fixes to the Salsa and I went home to consider another solution involving tape.

After leaving the bike shop, I headed to Lowe's near my house and bought a product called FiberWeld. This is typically used by plumbers to repair leaks. It's a tape that is made with fiberglass and soaked with epoxy. You dip the tape in water and then wrap the pipe as tight as possible. You then wrap the damp tape with a bandage to hold it in place until the epoxy sets. You remove the bandage and then the tape sets to a metal consistency in about an hour.

The goal with using this solution was to add support around the crack. The main concern was that the crack might start to make noise as the 2 pieces of the tube rubbed against each other. Adding the tape would support the tube.

I practiced using the tape on a shovel handle in my garage. I used a small piece and successfully wrapped it around the handle and got it to set. It worked as advertised, hard as steel. I tried to remove it after it set. No way. It's on there tight!

I then took a deep breath and applied the same solution to the bike. I had to do two separate wrappings because the first one shrank up a bit as it set and only a part of the crack was covered. I used a second application of tape to fully cover the crack. I then added a piece of Gorilla tape to hide the patch. The Gorilla tape was silver and sort of matched my frame.

V was patched and it took the bike for a test ride on Thursday morning after I was sure the tape had set. Everything went well on the test ride and I decided at this point that I would proceed with my original plan to take V with me to Georgia. In the mean time, many of my friends contacted me with offers for loaner bikes. I am truly blessed and thankful for all the support I received from friends and the bike shop.

After riding with our church group on Tuesday, I went ahead and loaded up the bike and my gear for Georgia. I knew I would be busy with work all day so I made sure to get as much done in the morning and to be ready to leave as soon as work was over for the day. At around 3:15 PM, I left my house and headed to pick up Jeff. We loaded his bike and headed up I-35 towards Waco. Our plan was to drive as far as Shreveport or Monroe (along I-20). I opted to wait and see how I felt before deciding where to stop. Jeff pointed out that we didn't need to be in Helen until 4PM because the hotel would not be ready for check in until then, We figured out that we could sleep a few hours and then drive the rest of the way to arrive by 4PM. As we got into Louisiana, I opted to drive to Monroe. We got into the hotel around 11PM and slept a few hours. We arose early, had coffee and headed up the road. We grabbed a quick bite to eat a convenience store and gas station. We continued our drive in light traffic and arrived, as planned in Helen. We unpacked the van and moved things into our room. We then headed to dinner. It turned out to just be myself and Jeff as Dan and Michael had opted to eat elsewhere and then get to bed early. I ate a huge bowl of pasta and Jeff ate most of a pizza. We picked a place called Big Daddy's that was walking distance from the hotel.

After dinner, we headed back to the room and I finished setting up the bike and getting things ready.We would check out of the hotel in the morning so I arranged for leaving the van in the parking area with the hotel manager. V was all set up and ready to go. Because there was no drop bag service, I was carrying my clothing changes in my trunk bag. I packed my compression tights for sleeping, an extra pair of shorts, and a base layer wool jersey to keep me warm on descents and cold nights. I also brought my heavy gloves. The bike was quite heavy with the added gear.

We set the alarm for 2:30 AM and turned out the lights.