So with Trans Baviaans just around the corner I was surfing the internet to find some last minute tips and tricks for the last countdown post. I don't know if you guys are familiar with velo tales? Velouria has done the Trans Baviaans at least 10 times, I am suspecting more. He was kind enough to post the list that he has been using since his first Trans Baviaans to pack. He posted this originally in 2008. Over to Velouria!
" With my fifth Trans Baviaans coming up this year, I thought I would put up some handy tips and hints. Here is an email I got 5 years ago (copied verbatim), and I still use it as a guide:
1.Spare battery or light
2.Spare clothing if it gets wet
- 3 pairs of cycling pants
- warm clothes for the evening
- rain jacket
- half jacket for windchill
- arm warmers
- booties for cold and rain
- 3 pairs of socks for ride
- extra socks in evening
- earwarmers
- balaclava
- hoodie
- 2 pairs of gloves - one for warm and one for cold
- legwarmers or long bike pants(leotard type)
- newspaper can be used in early morning and discarded
- plastic bags for shoes if it rains.
The guy who wrote this was quite worried about getting cold - half of that stuff is overkill, but rather have too much warm stuff, than too little.
3. Camelback drinking system or water bottles
4. Energy drinks and bars - get not only sweet ones, but also muesli type - one may get sick of sweet stuff, so consider potatoes, sandwiches, coffee and rusks, fruit.
5. Spare tubes - chainbreaker, spare link, spare tyres, pumps, chainlubrication, spare chain, puncture kit No wonder it takes the back markers so long - they are virtually shipping an entire bike shop through the Trans Baviaans bit by bit. Remember, it is a team event - each person doesn't have to carry their own spares.
6. First aid kit - Somehow this has ended up in my CamelBak for 4 years now. Thankfully we have never had to use it yet.
7. Camera - Nice to have - the scenery is quite spectacular, and now that the backup vehicles don't go through the Trans Baviaans anymore, proof that you rode it is harder to get.
8. Tents - Some people do sleep along the way, or you can sleep at the finish. Obviously, this goes in the backup vehicle, and not in the CamelBak.
9. Water - in the backup vehicle
10. Bakkies - Although with the vehicles no longer going through the Baviaans Kloof, any vehicle will do.
11. Trailer - DO NOT TAKE A VENTER TRAILER THROUGH THE BAVIAANS KLOOF. Been there, done that, destroyed a trailer. And it wasn't even ours!
12. Space blankets
13. Gas stove and gas for coffee - No wonder it took us 18 hours
14. A light that works off either gas or car battery.
15. Wood,grid and meat,bread/rolls - you could do with it after eating energy bars all day! Very sound advice - why isn't this #1? Probably less likely.
16. Sunscreen
17. Sleeping bags
18. Prozac and condoms - Only joking We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.
19. Helmet and sunglasses
20. Towel and toiletries
21. Spare legs and neck
