Ready for the Okitsu Classic 600k -- On the Road to PBP

Tomorrow I will try my last event needed to qualify for PBP -- a 600km Kanagawa Audax brevet out of Okitsu, on the Shizuoka coast.  I completed this ride two years ago, in 2013, under less than ideal physical condition (very sore ribs and back from a fall off my bike a few days before the event), so I may be a bit overconfident this time, especially as the weather forecast looks good.

The course heads west along the coast, then inland, up the Tenryu River and over some very nice passes to Iida, Nagano.  From there the route goes north, via Shiojiri then all the way to a point north of Azumino.  The return is via Chino, Hokuto, Hakushu (past the famous Suntory distillery and source of their "Minami Alps" bottled water), Nirasaki, Minami Alps city ... Minobu and down the Fujikawa.  The last ~200 kms of this ride is now very familiar territory for me -- I must have ridden it more than ten times in total.

I will ride the Renovo Firewood Lavender edition, which I have transformed from a beautiful show bike into a long ride machine -- SP Dynamo hubbed front disk wheel, wire running to light along the rear seat stay, under saddle bag, crowded cockpit and (maybe ... depends on the final weather forecast) an ugly rear clip-on fender.  I also added a second layer of (very ugly matte grey) bar tape for additional hand padding -- I have ordered some beautiful Dipell leather bartape, but for the time being this will do.