I think I've done the L.A.T.E. Ride six times now. The first three were pretty fun, and the last three I've done just because I didn't have anything better to do at the time.
When I first started doing the 25 mile midnight-til-dawn ride, the course meandered through River North, Old Town, Lincoln Park... pretty congested areas for a Saturday night (actually, Sunday morning). But even with the stop-and-go, it was fun riding through actual NEIGHBORHOODS. The last few years, they've set up the course to avoid congestion and head everyone up Elston, which for the most part is pretty heavy on industrial/retail areas for a long stretch and not very exciting.
Plus, the congestion of the old route usually meant we'd hit the lakefront at Foster just as the sky was beginning to lighten up, and the ride back to Grant Park along the lake was accompanied by the sun rise. Now, the Elston-heavy route is so fast that if you want to see the sun rise before you get back to Grant Park, you have to stop somewhere along the way and wait for it.
So the last three years, I've said I probably won't do the L.A.T.E. Ride again. I'll probably say that again next year, but we'll see what I'm doing the night of the ride. I may end up back there one more time (although every year, the muscles are a little more sore and the recovery is a little harder too).
