The Essentials

The most essential things you will need going on a biking trip.

Tubes:

Tubes cost from between 5 to 10 euros. So it is well worth bringing a spare tube or two. Especially if you are starting out as a cyclist. Altough easy and all as it is to repair a puncture it is also easy to make a mess of it. I have found in the past that bike shops frequently tell you that the wrong size tube will work in a certain tyre, when they don't have the correct size. Well guess what, they don't!! So if you are being that they will work by your bike shop, just go somewhere else that will help you and tell you the truth.

Puncture repair kits:

Even if you bring a spare tube you should still bring a puncture repair kit. I have often gotten two punctures in one outing so bring a repair kit as a backup. There are now self adhesive pads on the market which require no application of glue. You literally just peal the back off them and stick them over the hole. these are very effective and fast, i would recommend these!!

Nutrition and Hydration:

These two elements of your trip are possibly the two most important things you have on your trip. Without them your chance of making it up a tough mountain is slim.

 The best thing for your hydration is water, other sports brands will say that the likes of lucasade and powerade will be best. That’s a lie. There is nothing better for hydration than water so I would suggest bringing a couple of bottles of it with you. And drink a small amount often rather than a large amount every hour or so.

For the nutrition side of this fruit will be the best things for energy, the likes of bananas, oranges, kiwi, melon and water melon. These fruits will release a lot of energy over a long period of time! After a long tough cycle, your muscles may feel tight stiff and sore. What you will need for that is protein, protein can come in meats, poultry, and fish. Protein can also come in a powder and turned into a shake when mixed with water or milk. If your muscles are sore I would recommend getting protein into you within half an hour since your cycle to get the best results.

So where do you put all this stuff?:

Cycling jerseys come with pockets at the back so you can either stuff all the gear into them or you can buy a rucksack. There are some great rucksacks on the market that are small and lightweight and perfect for carrying the essentials. You can even fit some rain gear in them if you need to. Alternatively cycling jerseys and jackets are designed with pockets in the back that can carry quite a bit of stuff so you could invest in one of these.