I did the ride today and thought it was well supported (good variety of food at end, helpful repair team) and one of the friendliest rides I've been on (people were throwing out audible warnings for cars and bad terrain moreso than I've seen in other rides.)

I did the 25-miler and had to say that it was a bit hilly and challenging in some spots but found it very doable and absolutely gorgeous. Sounds like the 14-mile ride was a bit tough for beginners but people came through with smiles on their faces. I didn't speak to anyone that did the 46-mile ride so I can't comment on that...

My only complaint was that I didn't have some sort of access to a map (or cue sheet) prior to arriving at registration. (I did walk-up registration so perhaps they send it out prior to the ride?) I couldn't decide between doing the 20-mile or the 25-mile rides and would have liked to see the course prior to arrival. Other than that, everything was great.

I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. By the way, I wouldn't worry about going to the ride alone. What I noticed is that there were a lot of us that came alone. By the end of the ride, we all got a chance to meet a lot of area riders just by striking up conversations with folks as we pedalled along. (However, since this was such a great ride, I am going to make sure that some others make the haul from the VA/DC-area friends to help support it.)