I figure we'll do it one of these days just for the experience, but I'm somehow turned off by the number of riders. I've done the Ride for the Roses for several years with over 6,000, but several thousand more than that seems to make me not want to deal with it.

If you want a hotel room, book early.

Here's a link to some a local web page with lots of reviews, it might give you some idea of what people think of the ride.

http://www.bicycle-stuff.com/reviews...gust/H_H_H.htm