Underground,

Your plan isn't crazy - it's actually a good one, I think. The only thing I'd miss is hanging out in LaGrange, but the payoffs you describe (sleeping in Sunday, hotel room, not part of the mass start Sunday in LaGrange) are all HUGE advantages!! I've slept in a team tent in LaGrange twice, and I can tell you I don't miss it at all. Last year I rented a popup trailer with my ride buddy and a generator and we parked it at LaGrange and it was perfect. This year we've rented a small RV and are dong the same thing. God love A/C and Heat - they make all the difference in being comfortable! The key is to not get caught up in the mass start at LaGrange on Sunday morning - it takes FOREVER to get out of there!!!

I'm riding with St. Arnold and starting inbetween Katy and Brookshire, but my ride buddy and I are just planning to start EARLY (6-ish) to get ahead of the crowd. The lunch stop in Bellville is NUTS - very crowded and can take forever if you plan on eating lunch there. We're also planning to not ride the park but will be riding the challenge route on day two, as the road out of LaGrange on the lunch express route is really rough. Keep in mind (waitforme) that Day one also has hills, not just day two. So, if you haven't done any hill training, try and get a little in before the ride - it'll help if nothing else to learn the tempo and get down a proper shifting routine for getting up and down the rollers. Sounds trivial, but it's helped me tremendously!

Good luck everyone!