The 35 will be more of a ride than anything else. The racing will in all likelihood be on the 109 mile distance. I did my first ride earlier this year (25, 51, 80, 100) and settled on the 51. The 80 and 100 had 3 mountain climbs and I felt like only doint the single one on the 51.

My riding buddy, also riding the 51, started up front with the fast group and ended up getting quite a ways ahead and it took me an hour to catch up to him. Once I caught up, we had about 6 of us that all settled into the same rhythm and rode at a moderate to strong pace. It was a lot of fun and challenging.

Once things settle down and the longer distances split off, find a group that you can keep up with. If you are faster that those around you see if you can catch riders ahead of you.

I did stop in to one rest stop at 41 miles to fill up a bottle with Gatorade, but it was like a 15 second stop. With 3 water bottles you shouldn't have to stop unless for trains or traffic.

Above all, push yourself when you can and have fun. To learn pack riding, find a local club. It is less of a hazard to learn in practice rather than in a race.