Actually, much less of a mess.

The recipe for moving 120 bike riders through a congested city is not an easy one. In this case a lot of concessions were made to keep the group together- namely, aggressively blocking intersections so the that riders could run red lights and stop signs. Last night there were a group of riders who were controlling every single intersection as if they were the bicyclist's police force. For most of the first half of the ride, I was annoyed, but tolerant of it, but when 100 riders pulled up to the Druid Hill half way point almost as a single group I was beginning to appreciate the effect. Without these unlawful blockers we'd be strung out across miles of city streets, unable to encourage slower riders, unable to help riders take the correct turns, unable to assist riders with mechanicals or falls and pissing off many more drivers than were pissed off last night. THAT was what it was like 3 years ago.

What's the alternative- not hold the ride?