very familiar routes. beautiful! observations and constructive suggestions on my first Giro Bello... *The 8:00 start time for the metric century had no send off. nobody official presiding. wasn't sure what to do. *there was no ambient music and no public address system announcements at the start or the end *I arrived at the finish line at 4:00 p.m. just 8 hours after I started for a 65 mile ride. I averaged about 11 mph and I stopped at all the aid stations. somehow it took me just under 8 hours and I left about 8:15. when I arrived the food line was being shut down and the beer vending was closing it. apparently the permit for the alcohol ended at 4:00. I think I got the last beer. not good! there were a number of people who were coming in after me who had done the century who didn't get beer or food. I could either ride faster, or the alcohol permit could be extended for 1 hour. 🙂 *I think there should have been Marshalls at some of the busier intersections such as River Road crossing *The volunteers at the stations and the SAG were wonderful, dedicated, and always had a 😀