Hey, I rode it this year at 2.8w/kg and I struggled. It was mostly fine power-wise throughout the week, but I spent a lot of time on course which led to not much time after the ride for self and bike care before it was time for bed. I DNFed on the final day because I failed to pay attention to hydration and it was hot that day.
One thing to pay attention to is bike handling skills. There’s a fair bit of riding in sand, standing water, snow, etc. Some of the descents were pretty fast and chunky. One guy was sent home this year after he broke his SECOND helmet.
So, that all sounds scary, but I had a great time and signed up again for next year. It’s a fun, challenging, course. There’s lots of moto support and the race organizers keep solid track of where everyone is. Even though I was slow, I never felt like I was in danger of mechanical or crash and being left hanging.
The camp vibes are amazing. The food is great. People are super friendly and helpful. It’s tons of fun to see the pros go by at crazy speeds and chat with them in camp. Cam Jones came this year right after his Unbound win as did Sophia Gomez Villafañe (sp?). Payson McElveen did a podcast every night that was great gossip from how the pro race was going and Serena Bishop Gordon hosted a “fireside chat” talking about women in gravel that was pretty interesting.
I’m signed up to go again next year as well. I’m interested to see how the reverse direction course works. It won’t be just a reverse of this year but, if it were, it’d mean longer, shallower climbs and steeper, less chunky descents.