What do I pack?

jimmyboyb

I have my first sportive coming up in a month and not really sure what to take around the way? Its 110K

I was thinking the following

- Water/Drink
- Emergency repair kit - levers, pump and puncture repair patches

So things I was thinking about was do I take a spare innertube? Do I take some food? Am i better with CO2 instead of a pump?

Except drink I have none of this at the moment so a good kit would be nice... i was thinking of this - http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/gea ... 575/39125/

philwint

IMO always take a spare tube on every cycle. You don't want to be hanging around waiting for the glue on a patch to dry. Ditto a pump. CO2 if you are in a hurry, but you wouldn't want to fun out of cartridges

ddraver

Yep, that giant thing would be fine with a tube or 2

Take a few more things to eat than you think you might need just in case

Put your phone in a ziploc bag to keep it dry and stuff a tenner and some ID in there too.

Waterproof jacket if you have one small enough and the weather suggests it ll be useful.

Gpfanuk

A taxi would be a good idea! 110K for your first Sportive? You'll shame us all :-)

diy

I reckon the weight of a compact pump vs CO2 and few cartridges is evens. Personally I would take a multi tool with a breaker too. Sometimes you need to make adjustments, but its not just about getting going again as quickly as possible its about getting going without needing recovery. When you are doing a big ride, its so much easier to limp home than wait for recovery.

A multi tool can fix so many extra things.

ddraver

^ Good point, well made! I sort of assumed that was in the bag...my bad

diy

Personally I would go for the smallest bag you can and either stick the pump on the frame or in your back pocket.

You also want a road bike specific pump as not all pumps are useful for 100psi tyres. Worth spending a bit more on a pump tbh. I have a topeak rocket race which I have used several times and find its good enough to get 100psi back in without killing yourself - its also only about 7" long. Can fit in a pocket or on a cage.

jimmyboyb

Thanks for the good advice....

With regards to food... i know this will be personal but... do i just take a mars bar or two or go for those gel type things?

diy

cheapest option is:

dollop of syrup, dollop of butter, dollop of brown sugar, melt together and add porridge oats until you have something vagely resembling post-crete, add chopped fruit as you wish and squidge in to a baking tin. cook for 20 mins until brown. allow to cool and cut in to small blocks and wrap in cling film.

otherwise known as flapjack. I'd aslo complement with a caffeine*, vitamin, sugar salt, drink additive.

the holland and barratt iso powder is good and its 2-1 + 1p at the moment.

*Though caffeine is a diuretic

ddraver

you don't NEED a gel. You need something that you can preferably eat whilst riding without slowing down, and that won't mess with your stomach nd that won''t melt in your pocket (for some people, that is a gel)

Given that this is your first long ride, the first point is probably not so important so just take something sugary that you know well. To be honest it can be whatever you like...

Monty Dog

Minitool with chaintool + spare chain link
1 spare tube + sticky patches + tyre lever
There is likely to be food at the event, but don't rely on it so take what you need.
Food and drink - work on half-1 bottle per hour of riding. You can likely get water but need to carry sufficient sachets of energy drink powder. Look at the High5 packs of powders and gels - far cheaper than buying singly.
Depending on weather, roll-up jacket in back pocket too.

jameses

My equipment list/prep for a sportive:

In the saddle bag:
Spare tube (x2 if you are really worried and can fit it in)
Tyre levers
Emergency self adhesive patches (these are variable; I've found the cheap Halfords patches to be very good, the more expensive Topeak fly paper to be rubbish)
Multi tool

On the frame:
Mini pump (this is sacrilege to some)
2x water bottles (you can probably get away with one at this time of year, since there will be feed/water stations every 30 miles or so)

In your back pockets:
ID card
Phone
Emergency tenner (these three in a ziplock bag to prevent sweatiness)
Packet of fig rolls (maybe not as efficient at getting carbs into your bloodstream as gels, but roughly 1/20th the price per calorie)

Eat well the night before, have a normal sized breakfast a couple of hours before the start.
Drink plenty of water in the hours before getting on the bike to make sure you're hydrated from the word go.
Get there a good 45 mins before you intend to set off to give yourself time to register and make sure the bike is set up as you would like (best to have a little ride to check it's all working smoothly, especially if you've dismantled anything to get it into a car)
Take a piss before you start.
Enjoy the ride!

jameses

"wee-wee"? Since when has bikeradar started censoring our posts?

jameses

Oh, and don't start in the first twenty minutes or so, it's just depressing to be constantly overtaken for 4-5 hours!

smoggysteve

I take it for 110k run there will be a few feed stations, find out how far along the route they are and try to carry not much more than you think you need to get to the first one to resup. If you think you can get away with just one water bottle, use the other to pack in all your powders/potions you like to add to your water. A cheap with the top cut off will do.

vmaxphil

disposable gloves saves riding with greasy hands if you get probs

jimmyboyb

Thanks for all the advice! Its a great help...

My favourite idea was fig rolls.. I love fig rolls!

CiB

Blimey - 110k, so 60+ miles in real money. That'll be about 4 hours then if you don't rush so you'll need one reasonable snack - a cheese sandwich is good, or some malt loaf. A gel will help if you think you're close to running out of energy but isn't a substitute for food.

A couple of tubes & co2 cannisters plus tyre levers will do you, and the triumvirate of phone cash + keys rounds it off. Unless your bike regularly snaps chains or has major components breaking off there's no need to carry enough kit to rebuild it. I used to do it following well-meaning advice from various sources but after yet another 100 miles where miraculously the bike worked just as well as it always does the tools & spares were relegated to the garage. Apart from one chain breaking (due to re-use of a Shimano pin) I don't recall ever suffering a major failure. Carry a pocketful of tools & spares if you want to but you'll just be taking them for the ride. Same with pocketfuls of food. 4 hours? A couple of sandwiches at most, and a gel.

Start well fed (weetabix, porridge etc) and well hydrated, keep drinking and you'll survive it. And set off with the first wave if you can. You'll be dropped by the quickest riders (who don't automatically always go off first at the front anyway) but eventually you'll be caught by and settle with a group at a pace you're comfortable with.

rgliniany

Gpfanuk wrote:

A taxi would be a good idea! 110K for your first Sportive? You'll shame us all :-)

i was aiming for 110km as well for my first a few weekends ago..... but due to a tool cutting me off and forcing me to choose between falling onto about 25 grand worth of fellow bikers steeds or a dismount over a kerb and banging up my knee i could only push out the 90km ride...... great fun though.... you will always find the extra energy to push on in a group.... cant wait till my next one!!!!

greasedscotsman

A map? I wouldn't rely on sportive being very well signed.

lakesluddite

Which Sportive is it by the way?

It will probably be one that somebody on here has done before, so will be able to advise you all the better, eg what the terrain is like, likelihood of punctures, adequacy of signage etc.

Anonymous

I read that it takes a minimum of 3 days to hydrate properly for a running event, so have always done the same for cycling too.

CiB

Carbonator wrote:

I read that it takes a minimum of 3 days to hydrate properly for a running event

I reckon four & half hours on a bike at a steady pace isn't the hardest thing you'll ever ask your body to, so setting off with a good breakfast and enough fluids down your neck before you start plus enough to drink en route will do the job. Depends if it's a scorchio 80 degrees plus or a wet & windy cold day as to how much you need, but there's no need to go mad. And any decent sportiv will have food stops with enough drink to refill bottles.

Maps? Never done a sportiv that wasn't well signed, and the presence of lots of other riders going the same way is a good clue. Plus which the trend these days is to provide each rider with a map anyway.

Don't over-think these things. Roll up with two full bottles and a bite to eat if you want and a couple of gels and you'll be fine. When you start doing 100+ solo you probably want to reappraise your approach but a 63 mile sportiv isn't the same as that.

greasedscotsman

CiB wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

Maps? Never done a sportiv that wasn't well signed, and the presence of lots of other riders going the same way is a good clue. Plus which the trend these days is to provide each rider with a map anyway.

I've done a few where I've gone off course. The presence of other riders going the same way could mean they are lost as well. And yes, I did mean take the map with you if they provide one. Or just a photocopied A4 in a document wallet, not a full OS Landranger!

Anonymous

CiB wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

I read that it takes a minimum of 3 days to hydrate properly for a running event

I reckon four & half hours on a bike at a steady pace isn't the hardest thing you'll ever ask your body to, so setting off with a good breakfast and enough fluids down your neck before you start plus enough to drink en route will do the job. Depends if it's a scorchio 80 degrees plus or a wet & windy cold day as to how much you need, but there's no need to go mad. And any decent sportiv will have food stops with enough drink to refill bottles.

Would agree, but as hydration was mentioned and no one would say it was un-important there is no harm in doing it properly.
It is not exactly hard or expensive to do and if you are properly hydrated prior to the ride there is less need for fluid on the day.
Why spend time drinking and wee'ing when you could be riding ;-)