Texas - Cowtown Classic - thoughts?

I didn't see a thread on this - I was thinking it might be popular since so "local", but I haven't seen/heard a thing about it. I looked at the map - looks like a lot of turns and chip seal? How's the traffic control been in the past? Is the ride well organized? What's at the finish?? I like the free shower! I'm sure I'll do the 62.

Check for ride reviews at www.bicycle-stuff.com (http://www.bicycle-stuff.com). Be sure and submit yours on rides you go on as well.

I did the 40 mile route. I wasn't so sure about it since it was the first time I had been on a bike since the Goatneck in July--5 weeks off!
Course:
I had read some of the reviews and was concerned with all the turns not being marked. But, I thought the course was really well marked. I had no trouble with it at all. Most of the roads were pretty good with some being glass smooth. But, there was one section that was essentially a dirt road. Really rough corner, which I took very slow, only to find that it was at the start of an uphill section. It kicked me pretty hard! Generally the rougher sections were marked well. There was traffic control at just about every intersection. I was pretty well pleased with the course.
Rest stops:
Each one was well stocked and the volunteers were very nice and helpful. Snacks were the generic cookies/banana/oranges. Nothing salty but since I had brought my own Sunflower seeds I wasn't too concerned. I didn't go into the school after the ride so I have no idea how that was.
Sag/support:
I only saw one sag wagon the whole day. I also saw two vehicles that were part of the ham radio support team. Maybe I just missed them.
Organization:
I registered on the day of the ride and it took all of maybe 5 minutes. The staggered start went smoothly. No complaints.
Overall impression:
I was pretty happy with the whole experience. I enjoyed the route and thought it was challenging enough without being brutal. I will probably be back next year. This wasn't quite as nice as some of the other rides I have done this year but it is definitely worth doing again.

When I posted that, I was trying to decide if I wanted to do it. The night before, I decided to ride here locally on Saturday morning and save the gas (driving to S. FTW) and registration fee. I ended up puting myself a route together and riding about 60 miles. However, riding "by myself" isn't much fun - I'm just not fast enough to ride with the groups, so I ride by myself anyway!

Which bike did you ride? If you did 40, I'm guessing you rode the 7.3 FX?

I rode the 60 miles. Horrible. They should call it the "Trailer Park and Dog Tour" instead. boring scenery that wound through trailer park after trailer park, lots of dogs jumping out at you and chasing you down, and some rough roads. But the worst was the gravel in nearly every corner. Not sweeping the turns in the days before the ride in an unforgiveable, not to mention potentially litigious, sin.

I won't be back.

I rode the 20 mile route and my son did the 40. My son mentioned the trailer parks but didn't come across any dogs. The 20 mile route was nice with little traffic and marked patrol units controlling traffic at every intersection. I've got a short video of the ride posted on my blog http://rattrappress.blogspot.com. We both enjoyed it and will do it again next year.

Nice. Cool camera. I couldn't mount on the top of my helmet though.

Nice. Cool camera. I couldn't mount on the top of my helmet though.

Thanks, It's hard to beat the price and it's simple enough to use.