Thanks - I enjoyed that, as many of the issues you went through resonated with me as well.
I spent the first two days thinking 'This is crap. I'm never doing this again. Bloody stupid...', but on finishing, it was by far the best ride I've ever done. And while I'm more than likely to be signing up in 2025 again, I can certainly relate to the thought that I don't want to, because it might just spoil the experience I had this year.
But useful tips: I need some aero bars, and I definitely need to get off the bike & take photos a bit more.