I was asked to give some advice to women preparing for the Race Across South Africa, a 2,200 km non-stop, self-supported, self-navigated mountain-bike race from Pietermaritzburg to Paarl.
Riding the Freedom Challenge taught me many lessons. One of the funniest involved the contents of the two-litre support-station ice-cream tubs and the amount of “essential” personal care you can convince yourself you need before a long race.
Pack for the reality, not the fantasy
On an endurance route, simplicity wins. The most useful kit is the kit that solves a real problem: staying warm, keeping feet and skin healthy, eating enough, navigating accurately and repairing the bike. Everything else has to earn its space.
Long races have a way of making priorities very clear. Comfort matters, dignity matters, and humour matters more than either.