Are you going on a cycling holiday or joining a bikepacking race? At the end of April I cycled Italy Divide, an unsupported bikepacking race from Naples to Lake Garda. An important part of the preparation consisted of figuring out what I had to take with me. This is the – extensive – packing list for Italy Divide. And a list of what I would have done differently.
The bicycle
- Canyon Inflite AL SLX
- Wheelset: DT Swiss CR 1600 Spline
- Tires: Schwalbe G-one 35mm
- Groupset: Sram Rival HRD
- 40 single chainset and 11-35 cassette
- Selle Italia Lady flow saddle
Bikepacking bags
- Apidura Handlebar Pack 9L Backcountry
- Apidura Accessory Pocket 4.5L Backcountry
- Woho Saddle Bag Stabilizer
- Apidura Saddle Pack 14L Backcountry
- Apidura Top Tube Pack 1L Backcountry
- Small waterproof bags
- Apidura Food Pouch plus 1.2L+ Backcountry
- Foldable backpack
Accessories
- 2 x 750 milliliters water bottles
- BBB lock microsafe
- BB Strike 760 Lumen Headlight
- Mini spare light
- Rear light
Sleeping gear
- Hunka Cosmetic Seconds / Lego Bivi
- Alpkit Numo Sleeping Mat
- Quechua Forclaz Ultralight sleeping bag
- Exped inflatable air pillow
Clothing
- Bib shorts x 2
- Jerseys x 2
- Rapha base layer x 2
- Socks x 2
- Sports bra
- Sidi Genius S-Pro mtb shoes
- Giro Atmos helmet
- Oakley Radar glasses
- Castelli Gabba long sleeves
- GribGrab Progel cycling gloves
- Summer gloves
- Arm warmers and leg warmers
- Castelli rain jacket
- Sportful sleeveless windbreaker – fluorescent yellow with reflectors
- Buff
- Cap
- Casual pants and shirt
- Casual shoes (lightweight)
Repair
- Schwalbe SV17 50mm spare tire x2
- Squirt Long Lasting Lube
- Break pads x2
- Bontrager Air Support High Volume hand pump
- Tire levers x2
- Tire stickers
- Multitool
- Ty wraps
Food
- Sis Hydro Lemon and Nuum Boost tablets
- Born energy Banana Flavour gels
- Muesli bars
- ORS
- Spork
- Opinel no.7 pocket knife
- (and lots, lots of food that I bought on the way)
Hygiene & medical
- Factor 50 sunscreen
- Hygienic wipes
- Lip balm sun protect
- Paracetamol and Ibuprofen
- Small first aid kit
- Assos Chamois cream
- Sudocrem
- Comb
- Hair elastics
- Tweezers
- Toothpaste and toothbrush
Navigation & electronics
- Wahoo Element Bolt navigation
- Sony Cybershot camera
- ENDU spot tracker
- iPhone SE (with Komoot app)
- Explore 9000 Powerbank
- Cables for telephone, wahoo and camera
- Spare battery camera
- SD card
Other
- ID card
- Route map per day with distances between villages and towns
- Bank card x 2 and credit card
- Insurance card
- Cash, 200 euros in 10 and 20 bills
What would I change?
What would I have done differently with today’s knowledge? I learned a lot from my first real bike packing race. Also with regard to things that I should or should not bring for bikepacking.
The bicycle
The bike itself? I wouldn’t change the bike itself. The Canyon cyclocross bike was at home in the technical climbs and descents and was particularly suitable for parts in the forest and the Strade Bianche. There were more parts than expected where you had to hike a bike, but with an MTB I probably wouldn’t be able to cycle there either. The relatively light cyclocross bike made climbing easier and the walking parts where you had to carry your bike much were more comfortable. Even though I had 35 mm tires I could cycle the stones of the Via Appia which was epic.
What would I change? With the gearing I had I could cycle on most of the climbs, but given the number of really steep climbs a larger cassette would probably have been more comfortable. A flare handlebar would be an improvement, so that you could store a little more luggage at the handlebars. The tires were perfect for the ever-changing surface – from mud to gravel, big rocks and the Via Appia. Next time I’ll use the 40 mm G-one tires, though, for some more comfort.
And for the wishlist: a wheel set with dynamohub. Charging the Wahoo and phone en route with a powerbank works fine, but charging the lights is more difficult. And you don’t want your lights to stop midway (or midnight) through your ride. So I need to save up some money for a wheel set with dynamohub and better lighting.
Clothing
There was more snow and it was colder at the finishline than expected. That’s why I stopped the race earlier. In terms of clothing, I needed more rain gear and winter clothing. A warmer (rain) pants and jacket, thicker gloves and a lightweight down jacket. And glasses with photochromic glasses since you cycle in bright afternoon light, dusk, darkness, and everything in between. And also important: the Sidis are ideal off-road shoes for me, but they are too stiff and not suitable for walking so many kilometers over rough terrain. So in order to prevent blisters and numb toes, other off-road shoes must be bought.
Are you missing something on the bike packing list?
4 comments
How did you find the woho stabiliser? I have a. Apidura 14l expedition whale tail and like the idea of the stabiliser. Keen to km now your thoughts.
Thanks
The woho stabiliser works well. Only after a lot of offroad riding I noticed that the screws became loose. So check and tighten in time.
HI, can you let me know the rating of the sleeping bag you took and if you think it was warm enough
The sleeping bag had an R-value of 2 I believe, which wasn’t that warm because the sleeping pad I brought wasn’t very well insulated.