I rode this last year for the first time. Be prepared for A LOT of sand. Get very comfortable riding sand! Day one is pretty quick in my opinion, espescially if you don't do the hard routes. I was in Barstow by about 2pm, and I was taking my time. Day two is much longer. Don't take a lot of long breaks, keep moving. I didn't get to the lunch stop until almost 4pm and it was dark by the time I got into Vegas. Once the sun goes down it gets pretty cold out there so bring a jacket, keep it in your pack or strapped on the back of your bike. Bring a balaclava, not only helps with the cold in the mornings but also with dust, there is a lot of dust at the start of the day when people aren't spread out. Try to get your gps route the night before day 1. The flyer said the gps routes would be given out in the morning, but people were able to get it the night before, it will save a ton of time, the line was very long the morning of day 1. Hit the trail early and don't pass up any gas stops. The banquet is great, lots of free stuff and give aways and good food. I will definitlely be doing it again. It was pretty exhausting (I'm 52 and not as spry as I used to be) but I really enjoyed it. Have fun!
