I was at Arastadero park yesterday on the gravel bike and it occurs to me there are a few steepish pitches of gravel road there to try. They just laid down some deep gravel on a couple stretches if you need practice on that too. It’s a smallish park but if you ride the single track too it makes for a handy training ground.
You’ve likely seen some threads about needing good brakes for the descent off Cypress Mtn. It’s a long, sustained descent over uneven surface. I’d give some diligence to brake evaluation too.