I did the bike portion of the full distance four times on four winning relays. I can’t imagine that they could safely put a largely increased field size on the course as it has existed the last few years. They’ll have so many crashes in the first mile it’ll be brutal. And as you said, crossing the draw bridges in packs … nightmarish. And can you imagine if it’s wet in those metal bridges?
So much of the charm of this race was the unique way the course was set up and it worked well for the field size they had. I doubt if bigger will be better for this venue.