I live about 60 miles northwest of Augusta but have not done much riding in that area. A major road leading out north out of Augusta is Rt 27 and it has good paved shoulders.
Mid-October can be downright nippy, and we have even had snow squalls up here in my area. Come with full gloves, headband, and warm tights, not to mention upper body warm stuff! But on the nice side early October is "leaf peeping" time and the fall colors can be beautiful. Great stress reducer. Good luck.