MAGNUM XL 200 - CEDAR POINT, SANDUSKY, OHIO

I expected to like this coaster a lot more than I did, especially as it was ahead of its time.   The ride started out well enough, and the fact that the lift hill stretches over a considerable area (see photograph) added to the tension and anticipation.  The first drop of 190 feet was truly awesome – what a rush! - but from there, things sort of went downhill, no pun intended.  This coaster offers some SERIOUS airtime – even in the tunnels I was floating out of my seat -  and that would be fine except that I repeatedly got whacked in the legs by the lap bar.  Magnum XL 200 was only the 3^rd steel coaster I had ridden, and after experiencing Millennium Force (Cedar Point) and Nitro (Six Flags Great Adventure), I expected a smoother ride.   Smooth or not, it was an interesting ride to say the least, with no shortage of thrills.   The overbanked turn three quarters of the way through the ride was beyond terrifying.  Never in my life have I ridden a coaster on which I had serious doubts that the train would remain on the track.  Although I didn’t fall in love with Magnum XL 200 the way I did with Millennium Force, I would still give it 4 out of 5 stars.  Objectively, I think it’s a well-designed coaster; subjectively, I think that it would be more enjoyable if it were a little less rough.  For more information about rides at Cedar Point, use the following link to their website:   
http://www.cedarpoint.com/