Man, your coming to my Backyard, and I don,t know what you,ve read, or been told, (which I,m sure is valuble info), but my advice is to just ride the first couple of passes slow and enjoyably, and take in the beautiful sights and veiws, and when you get to the store, and take a minute or two to reflect on the ride you have just encountered, decide then, how YOU want to ride the rest of the ride. I have riden the gap on MANY differant types of bike,s, and I LOVE my BUSA, but it is not the fastest of my stable, at the gap, but it is my favorite bike to take there. Just stay in YOUR limits and will have the ride of your life.