My wife and I did the metric century route. We enjoyed the ride, but the pavement condition in spots is terrible. You can't really enjoy the scenery on the trip down Sheridan Road back towards Evanston. You're too busy watching for killer potholes.

The rests stops were great. Well stocked and the staff was quite friendly. Last year they had a jazz quartet that played at the last rest stop. I didn't see them this year. I don't know if they stopped playing before we arrived or if they didn't make an appearance at all.

Some riders seemed more concerned about their elapsed time for the ride than their safety or the safety of others. Too many people zooming by without announcing themselves. I particularly liked the lady triathelete in fully aero gear (aero helmet, aero bars and full tri-bike) time trialing along the bike path! That may not have been her best idea, as I saw her again at the last rest stop with a bandaged elbow.

All in all, a good ride. My wife and I will probably do it again next year. We'll probably get there earlier, though. I'd like to finish earlier in the afternoon. Local traffic in Evanston was pretty heavy when we got back. Add to that the riders trying to maintain 20+ mph in residential neighborhoods, and the last few miles were a little crazy.

Al