I rode the Baytown Gator Ride today. There were four different distance to choose from--I chose the 63 miler. I finished in 3:05, which included a ferry ride across a body of water after riding @13.5 miles. The first 81 bikes to get to the ferry were on the first ferry ride. So, we got there, sat on the ferry until it filled up and then took off. It was soooo flat and fast! I was able to hang with these big shots from a couple of Houston bike clubs for about half of the race. The thing that killed me was all of the turns in the course! Every time we would come to a turn the uprights would slow way down and then accelerate out of the turn. I'd have to work like crazy to catch back up to them after each turn. At 30 something miles I just couldn't answer the call. I still mirrored their pace on the straights, but I just couldn't span that gap!
I would recommend the ride to any recumbent, as the only hill was going over this big bridge in the first five miles.