The event was....eventful.  The group all started just before 7:30 and got spread out by a minute or two before the first rest stop due to rain and the challenge of advancing around thousands of casual riders.  After the rest stop the fun started... a recumbent (DANGEROUS!) brakes hard around mile 30 causing a rider to go fall into the (quickly advancing) UMBC paceline taking out Mike C and Ray.  Mike's injuries were superficial scrapes but Ray suffered a significant arm injury (diagnosed as a fractured radius back in b-more).  Ray rode 15 miles further to the next rest stop then had to wait 4 hours for a SAG ride back to his car.  Aside from this we also witnesed 3 different crashes where ambulances were called.

Beyond the obvious safety concerns of the 8000+ person ride... the route was fantastic and all who finished it were exhausted from the 30 miles of headwind at the end.

Finally, many thanks to the Pacella family for their hospitality in our preparations to ride.