Finally zipping up the bags!

Packing for a month and a half in a different hemisphere seemed like a daunting way to start my season. But after 10 months of no racing for me I was actually excited to lug out the suitcase and get ready to hit the road. I didn’t really pack until the day I left for the tour down under and tour de langkawi. The 2 days before I was crazy balancing training and recovery with tying up loose ends in preparation for leaving colorado for the rest of the season. I refinanced our mortgage, caught up with some friends I won’t see for a while, made a bunch of food for the freezer for my wife to live off of the next 6 weeks, paid the bills, accidently crushed my Blackberry in the car door, and then started packing. Thankfully this trip the races are in the summer heat and a far cry from the snow, cold and wind of my colorado home!
So that was a good start, I didn’t have to pack a pile of warm clothes. The other plus was most of the 09 Garmin-Slipstream clothing was waiting for me in Oz, so I didn’t pack hardly any riding clothes. Hopefully its all there or it will be a long month in a single pair of bike shorts. So what else besides the obvious cycling gear gets tossed in my bag for an extended trip abroad? Not a whole lot if you’re me actually. I’m sort of a minimalist in the packing department. My roommate Dave Z at a race last year was astounded that I had everything I needed for a week of racing in my tiny little overhead bin sized bag! Dave takes the other approach, taking enough clothing to tackle mount Everest. He hates to be cold! I typically look at the weather forcast, add a little optimism, and pack accordingly. If I forget some warm piece of clothing I’m sure I can always borrow some from Dave! Thanks dude! The little things that make the road feel homier are also important. Laptops are regular travel items, but I never bring mine to races, as I would rather focus on recovering rather than searching for free wireless so I can watch U tube or something. Of course then I’m stuck doing this update on my Blackberry. Oh well. One more thing to get lost, stolen or broken. Instead I bring a big stack of books to feed my voracious reading habit. Right now I’m reading a book about Zen and a book that talkes about how French people became so French. Its pretty funny. Our sougniers normally only launder our race clothes, so you gotta just bring a pair of jeans, a couple T shirts, a pair of shorts and underwear, all dark colored so you can wear em longer, and that’s all ya really need. What else? My travel french press and some of my Just Go Harder coffee so that my mornings are never ruined by crappy race meal coffee.
Red gum. You can’t find red cinnamon him anywhere but America and I love that stuff. And hot sauce. Pretty often you gotta add some flavor to the race meals. Hot sauce gives some kick and makes you a little happier about your overcooked pasta and canned green beans. Which, I unfortunately just realized at this moment, I forgot to bring. Its sitting on the counter of my kitchen. Damn. Oh well. I always forget to bring one thing, whether I’m going to town to run errands or leaving for a long trip. It never fails. But really at the end of the day, as long as you have your cycling shoes, your blackberry, and your passport, you can get through just about anything.
Thanks for checking in