Team HRAdventure
is racing in Georgia in a couple weeks and, in reviewing the mandatory
gear list, I started thinking about the weight of my pack. While
the course is secret, for a 30-hour race I can guess the following
distances/times:
- Paddling: 25 miles or 5 hours (give or take -- hopefully less in our Sundowner canoe!_
- Trekking: 25 miles or 10 hours (give or take)
- Biking: 40 miles or 15 hours (give or take)
Obviously, these are just my guesses based on prior races and
elevation, weather, density of vegetation, quality of trails, and other
factors will all play in to this.
Now, for the Paddling legs I won't need to be carrying a pack; my
drybag will handle it; weight isn't such a concern while in the
boat. For the Trekking and Biking legs, however, weight is an
issue. We're required to have a fleece top, midweight pants and
bottoms, waterproof layers, and some other things that will add bulk
and weight to our load. Besides the mandatory race gear, I'm
going to be bringing plenty of water -- water is by far the heaviest
thing in my pack -- and food. There's no reprieve for the
Trekking leg; I'll have to shoulder the load 100% for the duration of
the hiking/running/crawling.
When Biking, however, I have some other options. Anything I can do to lighten the load on my back will be
very welcome
around hour 20 of the race. I considered putting my entire pack
on a platform mounted above the rear bike wheel, but this would take
some engineering ingenuity and I'm not sure I like the idea of doing
something that dramatic. Instead, I've warmed to the idea of a
handlebar pack that could hold some of the items that would otherwise
be in my backpack. I'm thinking food and maybe a hat and glovees
and some other items -- nothing too heavy to throw my biking off
balance, but maybe a pound or two worth of stuff. Small things
like this can make a real difference after several hours of riding!
On a quick online search, I turned up this
handlebar pack that has a map sleeve built in. Interesting.
Ortlieb has a few
handlebar bags to choose from. Also interesting, but pricier.
As I see it, these are the pros and cons to using a handlebar bag:
Pros
- Offset some weight from my back
- Easy access to items in the handlebar bag
- Map case mounted on the bag (so Mike can use the Axis Gear bike map case exclusively)
Cons
- Changes the weight of my bike more to the front
- More crap to potentially mess with brakes and shifters and bike lights
- Added complexity (something else that can break) and remembering what is stored where. In a race, there is a lot to be said for simplicity!
I'm going to swing by the bike shop and see what my options are.