First in-person TdC ride in three years due to the pandemic. Cloudy, cool, damp & drizzly start that stayed pretty much the same all ride, except the WNW winds picked up significantly after about an hour. Started out solo on FRT & VLG trails and then traveled over many familiar roads throughout the course. All westbound segments (Jericho, Beith & Thatcher) were brutal into those winds. Met up with Steve O, Bill N, Bobby D & Jos (from Plainfield) at the Big Rock rest stop and rode with them for the remainder. Really helped to have the five of us rotate pacelines to "manage" the headwinds. After the Maple Park rest stop, the return trip was much easier, though the crosswinds on southbound stretches were sometimes dicey. I decided to spin more easily than the others coming back and caught up with them at stoplights. Nice celebration at the end, with free food and beer, to reward the ~350 riders who helped raise over $380,000 for diabetes research towards a cure. Proud to have completed my 22nd consecutive year supporting this.