I did the first two GFNY's but last year's experience was a total turn off. They were either totally out of or short of food and sports drinks at all but one of the rest stops and the lines for the bathroom were too long. In all, i think i spent about two hours standing in line for the port a potty or for water at the rest stops. I noticed that the for-profit organizers' response has been to blame the riders. This year, they've eliminated the timed hill climbs and are only going to time you from start to finish probably hoping that the doped up riders bypass some of the rest stops to ease the congestion. I also received an email berating the participants for taking too long to finish the ride with a stern warning that if you fall behind their schedule, they will divert you off the course.
These are people who seriously need to get a clue. They need to study how NYCC runs their "Escape NY" event and learn how to run a proper mass cycling event through Northern NJ and Rockland County. NYCC's entrance fee is $40 v GFNY's $280. You'll be much better fed and hydrated at the NYCC event and the organizers won't blame you for "riding too slow" or "lingering at the rest stops". God forbid you try to relax and have a good time at a mass cycling event.