Re: the terrain, that's part of the appeal of the ride...a throwback to a simpler time. Before there were mountain bikes and gravel bikes and other specialized types, people rode 'bikes' over all kinds of terrain. If you look at videos from the Tour de France or Giro d'Italia, even as late as the 80s many of those mountain passes weren't paved and the race still went over them.
"A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure." - Segal's law
- BlackHills