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Before I went, I started writing a post on the equipment I took on my ride, but I soon stopped when I realised I really needed to road test it before publishing. So, here I am, safely back in the UK and it’s now time to share the things I packed for my trip. I tried to pack as light as possible, although I’m sure I could have done better. Without further ado, here it is:

Non-cycling clothing

• T-shirt
• Shorts
• Trouseres
• Trainers - some lightweight minimalist running shoes
• Pants
• Socks
• Clean clothes to pack into bike box for the destination

Cycling clothing

• Jersey
• Bib shorts (2 pairs)
• Socks (2 pairs)
• Base layer
• Sunglasses (dark + clear lenses)
• Shoes
• Summer gloves
• Gilet
• Rain/bad weather gear
• Light raincoat
• Overshoes
• Cycling jacket (blue Cannondale) for evenings as well
• Winter gloves
• Arm warmers

Bike stuff

• Spare inner tubes x 3
• Tyre levers
• Dry lube
• Duct tape
• Lock + cable lock
• Padlock
• Keys for lock and padlock
• Front light and back light
• Helmet
• Cleat covers
• Pump
• Garmin
• Garmin mount
• Phone handlebar mount
• Multitool
• Puncture repair kit
• A few energy bars
• Water bottles
• Pedal spanner
• Bungee cord
• Front light mount
• Spanner

• Tube valve tool

• Bike box shipping docs

Everything else

• Razor
• Shaving oil
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Moisturiser
• Deodorant
• Suncream
• Lipsil with suncream
• Medication
• USB charger plug
• Charging cables (1xUSB C, 2xmicro USB, 1xmini USB, 1 USB host mode cable)
• Clothes washing soap
• Chamois cream
• Go Pro
• SD cards
• Passport
• E111
• Travel insurance
• Phone cover
• Kindle
• Earplugs
• Headphones

Electronics

• Nexus 6P phone
• Bluetooth keyboard
• Mouse
• Phone stand thingy

This list was pretty bang-on, save for a few little tweaks: turns out I needed two t-shirts, so I could wear one while the other was being washed, same goes for socks. I also needed new brake pads pretty quickly, and when I was in the middle of nowhere, so a spare set of them would’ve been handy. It may have also been prudent to pack a spare USB charger plug as it’s very easy to leave behind in a hotel room, and without a charged bike computer and phone life would’ve been quite difficult.

Computer equipment

I toyed with taking a laptop with me so I could route plan on the way, but I baulked at both the extra cost of even a cheap second-hand one, and the additional weight. In the end I decided against it and took only my phone. I had a grand plan of uploading videos from the Go Pro every evening via my phone, but that ended up being too much like hard work; firstly, Three’s roaming policy has a data cap, and secondly, hotel wifi just isn’t up to the job.