Based on the last Gates ride I did (2017)
1. Is it steady? Yep, plenty of chat stops, it is Retrobike after all.
2. Is it flat? Yep, 90m of climbing over the whole route, though I suspect Garmin was over egging that.
3. Is there a pub stop? Yep, though you do get teased by it from the wrong side of the water earlier on.