x2 for RV's answers. Here are some of my preferences:
Gloves - I always wear gloves, but more for as a safety apparatus than for comfort. If I go down, there is a good chance I will put my hand down and rash up my palm. So, I put the gloves in my bike shirt pockets and put them on after I am rolling and comfortable on the bike.
Shoes - like RV said, the stiff platform is important for power transfer. Your running shoes are made to bend at the ball of your feet. If they bend when you peddal, some of the power your legs transfer to your heel at the ankle is lost in the bend. Bike shoes are worth it. Plus, you get to tell the story of the first time you fell down because you forgot to take your feet out of the clips!

I took a bad fall once and lost a lot of flesh off the hands, so it's gloves for training but not for racing. Now I have a hideous Frankenstien scar on my right pinky knuckle. My career as a hand model is over forever!

Cadence high, shift often.

Don't skimp on the shoes/pedals. You'll just be back at the store soon looking for something better. and you will be amazed at the increase in power, control, and comfort.

1. I don;t wear gloves for racing, but I typically do for training since the rides tend to be longer and spent on road bike where the position puts more pressure on the hands.

2. For short hills I upshift or stay in gear and stand. Longer hills I'll downshift and climb seated.

3. Good pair of shoes and clipless pedals is a must.

Gloves save flesh, wear 'em. They give better grip on the bars too - both in aero and climbing if you have to get out of the saddle. Wiping sweat out of your eyes is easier too because of the cloth on the back of most gloves. And, indeed, the cushioning saves nerve damage in the hands.

The length of the hill, the wind pressure, momentum - all affect the shifting decision. The longer the race, the more you need to conserve the energy by staying in the saddle.

Shoes become more important as the ride gets longer. Feet fatigue and bike shoes are designed to relieve the pressure on the arch, to transfer power more efficiently (as has been noted above) Treated well they will last you a long time. The few seconds it costs to change them in a race is usually irrelevant and more than earned back by the increased efficiency - you will ride faster wearing bike shoes. 189 TdF riders can't be wrong.

PoC

25 days is completely possible. The human body can go anywhere from 60-80 days (depending on how much body mass you have stored up.) I was not delusional in the slightest. In fact I believe it did help me to find a certain bit of enlightenment about the world around me and about my body.

After a couple of days you don't even feel hunger anymore. Sure, you want to taste stuff. You see a pizza and think wow that looks so good, but you don't feel the hunger in your stomach. The human body is made to fast, we just stopped using this ability when we stopped being nomads and started having constant food supplies.

At the time I was probably 19-20 percent body fat. I wouldn't suggest fasting for that long if you are in the low teens or under 10% body fat. I also wouldn't suggest it if you have a really high metabolism.

There are a lot of good books out about fasting. One doctor in texas did studies on 10's of thousands of people over I think 40 years and he said that many chronic illness can be healed with fasting.

I felt extremely healthy while fasting, my body felt very clean and able. I did get fatigued fairly easy though, If i went up a couple flights of stairs my legs would start to burn, but then it would subside almost instantly when the activity stopped.

I also found that my hearing and vision greatly improved (this was also proven by an eye exam I took right after the fast, I used to wear a slight prescription on my eyes but now I need none. The body takes all of these impurities and cannabilizes them to keep you alive while you fast.

I think I will fast for about one to two weeks during each off-season to cleanse my body. It was a great experience.

To add to your pedals, i highly recommend tribars. I just got a set today and used them, the difference in speed and comfort is amazing for a mere 120 bucks.

I now have $80 pedals, $200 shoes, and $120 tribars... on my $75, 28 year old bike. The irony could be cut with a knife!

-Alan