Patrick, Eire, Dakman, Salsa, Rahul,
Thank you very much for a ton of pointers; it was extremely useful and timely. It helped me firm up my plans and prepare my gear. And Malika for the encouragement

I opted to use my roadbike. Just now I got it refurbished, and it is damn comfy now!

So, hopefully, after the trip I will be able to add to the "cycling routes" section with a route for beginners!

Until then,
bye (in this thread),
and many many thanks
and happy dusting of bikes