I was possibly the last rider to start. I felt surprisingly good, as two days beforehand I was having trouble just standing up out of the car during the drive back from Seattle where I finished the Cascade 1200 on Tuesday. I was hoping to catch Andy, Chuck and Johnny (who started at 5:45AM), and possibly even see Michael and Donato (slim chance, they having started at 4:30AM). I checked-in only at the first stop and did not get off the bike. However, I flatted on Lake Sherwood Rd. and lost time, and I figured that killed any chance of a sub-12 hour ride, so I relaxed a little bit more. I did not have any reserves of strength or energy to speak of, and rode conservatively on climbs and in the headwind on Mountain (heading toward Santa Paula). However, I was otherwise able to get up to 20-22 mph on stretches and maintain a reasonable pace for the ride. I caught Chuck, and then Andy and Johnny just before reaching Santa Paula. Chuck and Andy stopped in Santa Paula for water, and then Chuck suffered his worst ever leg cramp(s); Andy arranged a SAG ride back for Chuck. I waited at The Summit while having my traditional chocolate milk shake; Johnny came along soon, but, having stopped to help Chuck, Andy was 39 minutes in arriving. The rest of the ride was pretty much uneventful, but the weather was good (warmish inland, but delightful along the coast); it was a fun day of riding all the way around. I missed a few turns but quickly recovered, except I overshot the turn for lunch and added 1.3 miles, and we also went off route leaving Ojai before getting back on track in Meiners Oaks. The rest stops were not as well stocked as usual, running out of some staples, presumably because of the extra demand caused by a hundred or more riders that signed up the morning of the ride (including me!). Notes on some metrics: - 19 min. lost with a flat tire at the top of Lake Sherwood Dr. Also found a thorn in my other tire that had not punctured; - 39 min. stopped at The Summit waiting for Andy; - 1.3 miles and 42 min lost with lunch stop (36:49 stopped); > Averaged 19.1 mph at start on PCH to the end of Port Hueneme Rd. > On the return from Rincon, 60.4 miles, I was pulling Andy and Johnny and we averaged 18.5 mph with a long stop (24:40, almost as long as my entire stopped time on Eastern Sierra, lol) in Port Huaeneme. Andy stayed stuck to my wheel, but we lost Johnny here and there... > top of Sherwood Lake Rd (after flat) to Peach Hill stop: 20.3 mi., 18.1 mph; > from Peach Hill to the "catch" of Chuck and Andy at Santa Paula (including climb of Grimes): 18.6 mi., 17.4 mph; > from Meiners Oaks to Rincon (incl. Casitas Pass): 17.9 mi; 16.9 mph; 3:20 stopped while waiting for Andy and Johnny! > between Rincon & Hueneme stops: 26.1 mi; 18.7 mph; 3:25 stopped > between Hueneme & finish: 32.4 mi; 18.7 mph; 0 stopped time So, that 20-22 mph I "think" I was doing at times on flat sections averages down with the rollers and stops to 18.7 mph or less...