Thank you. ALL of this sounds like me (aside from having a racing background).
I'm actually right up the road from San Marcos (in Oceanside), and BWR was one of the reasons I was thinking gravel might be a nice path for me. And honestly, as far as my racing designs go, not finishing last = a podium for me, and top 50% age group would be a win.
Now I need to decide if I get a THIRD titanium bike in the hope that my wife will not recognize that it's new...