The NJ 600 was flat and windy. Not too bad, although I did a lot of the 1st day headwinds by myself because I was too weak from eating issues to stay on anyone's wheel. I did 8 bonus miles because I got distracted and my garmin wasn't giving me off-course warnings.
I was going to leave the overnight at control closing, 5am, but got out at 4 because I woke up at 3 and felt fine. This was good, because I'm pretty sure the people that left later got to ride into more headwinds. It was a really well supported ride. A flat course and 5 am start really makes for a civilized experience. I'm not a big fan of sufferfests. I think that ride was as good a preparation for PBP as any stupidly difficult 600k. PBP is not particularly difficult at all. I think it's the easiest 1200 I have ridden. The thing that makes it difficult for Americans is jet lag, or at least that was true for me. And also, there are no Wawas in France, so foraging off of the economy isn't quite as easy as it is in the U.S. I found it difficult to adjust