I like being part of the event, earning the T-shirt, the same as when I take part in a 5K or 10K run. Signing up gives me an incentive to ride my bike more leading up to the event. If you're not riding with a group of friends, you're really riding by yourself anyway. For at least much of the ride, even for a slower rider, there is some amount of traffic control, and hopefully the farm dogs are controlled for a good part of the event's day.

I re-read my initial post and will stand by those comments. I in no way said that rest stops should be kept open for stragglers, or that the finish line should be staffed into the early evening. I was only stating a little dismay over someone saying that someone had no business riding that distance. I suppose people shouldn't walk marathons, either, yet they do....even if the finish line closes and there's no support.

Brian