anyone do the Indian Peaks off-road tri today?

I'd love some other people's perspective on this race - particularly the mountain bike section.  I found it to be *incredibly* challenging - and in the pack that I was riding with they all agreed that it was the single hardest ride most had ever done- and that includes a woman that finished an IronMan 6 weeks ago.

So at the risk of sounding like a bleeder.  Did anyone else find that ride to be a tail kicker too?  I actually enjoyed the day - and even the ride (it was beautiful), but that was just a mutha' of a mountain bike ride.  And they described it as "rolling hills".....................  I'd hate to ride a mountain with the guy that wrote that!