Greg Kline made an outstanding video of this, the first 400 km: https://youtu.be/RqT0BYWsin0 There is an album of shared pictures from participants at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tpt1VpkWUxYZ4aRs7 Ride's web page: https://pchrandos.com/borrego-springs-600k/ ================= I started late , next to last, and about 37 minutes after most of the group. I told Pete not to wait, and so he started about 25 minutes ahead of me, and I didn't catch him until I reached the nature preserve (approx. 5 hrs later around mile 87). We had a great tailwind for many miles (probably starting around Banning at mile 135'ish), but it was kicking up a fierce dust storm near Palm Springs, and we were sandblasted when we crossed an overpass across the I-10. The winds seemed to die down as night approached, but when we made the turn at Salton Sea to start climbing toward Borrego Springs the wind was back, and was right in our teeth all the way to the top. Pete had a rear flat shortly after we made the turn, but we were near a street light and he had me hold his bike up while he replaced the tube. Pete has a new, oversized seat bag, so he had to pull everything out to get to his tools, but it really only took an extra couple of minutes when all was said and done. They are very handy when out on the road in desolate areas, particularly with an overnight stop. Pete and I got in early enough to pick out a spot between the vintage RV's that served as our overnight base, and made use of poolside type chaise lounges. Riders that came in later had to just grab any available space on the gravel around the camp site. =============== Day 2 (7:05 stopped at overnight control) Rode with Pete, who allowed me to sleep in a bit. I only had 3 hours of sleep before starting the ride Saturday, so getting close to 5 hours of rest helped a lot. The later start meant it was a little warmer descending from Ranchita after going over the top of Montezuma Grade. For myself, I'd say a 7AM start would be just right, allowing for daylight riding the whole way, and warmer temps descending from Ranchita. As it was, we had no worries, in spite of the headwinds on the way back. We had plenty of time to stop for a big lunch in Oceanside, and still finished with more than an hour to spare. The headwinds slowed us down for basically the entire 25 miles from the I-5 in Oceanside to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. And from there - I'll admit I was not thrilled with climbing all the rollers back to Willie's home over the last 15 miles or so, starting just N of San Juan Capistrano, LOL. Other than the wind, it was a beautiful, sunny day for cycling, and the winds were not punishing and would not have been a problem on a normal ride with reasonably fresh legs. ---------------- 2.3 mile, 11 minute gap in the data at mile 353.8 when the battery on my Garmin died until I noticed and plugged it into an external battery. ---------- Compare the metrics here on Montezuma Grade with the 2018 Oceanside DC, when I was in some difficulty with the afternoon heat, etc.: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/29093968 > this ride: 127 bpm on Montezuma Grade; 1:46:38 (0 stopped) *vs* > 2:49:51, w/ 18 min stopped (not including much walking), and an avg HR of 133.0 bpm