Second time riding this race with the first being in 2022. Similar conditions with clouds, drizzle, ~60°F temps and punchy north winds for most of the ride. Rob, Wally, Tim F and MC started the wave ahead of me (21 mph) while Jack B started in the 23-mph group and his friend Tom began with the first wave (26 mph/Cat 1-3). Unlike 2 years ago, my wave did not stay/worked well together and was splintered after about the first 7 miles. I rode with the occasional stragglers working together to fight the headwinds for the remaining 30 miles up to High Cliff State Park. As each successive wave came up, I hopped on for 10-15 minutes to take advantage of the draft. Stopped at each of the first three rest stops with the third being at High Cliff Park. Headed south from there and picked up solid tailwinds on South Lake Shore Drive and County G through Marytown. Skipped the last stop and took advantage of the 7-mile sweeping downhill back into Fon Du Lac. Overall pace was not as high as 2022 but the ride went well overall. Rob set a PR for the ride, MC finished in third place for her age group and Tom finished first in his group (24.3 mph average). Plan to do this again, probably in 2026.