Hello Voxwomen friends!
I am writing this blog from Tarragona where is taking place a super cool event called Mediterranean Games, a sort of mini “Olympic Games” where all the Countries facing Mediterranean Sea can participate. The atmosphere is really exciting and we are staying in a kind of mega hotel which hosts 5 different countries. Actually, to go everywhere you need your pass and the system used is really quite the same of Olympics. Security is checking every person in and out of the hotel, there is a long queue every moment of the day at the restaurant, boxing players eating burgers and ice creams, gymnastic athletes eating salad and tomato! I am really glad to be here, is always nice to have the chance to race for your Country and be in touch with all the Italians sportsman and sportswoman competing in different disciplines. Our trip here has been already very successful as Elisa Longo Borghini and Erika Magnaldi got respectively gold and bronze medal in the road race last Wednesday. I am staying here few more days to compete the time trial together with Lisa Morzenti.
Today, I want to talk to you about something a bit more easy and relaxing than my last blog :-): as summer is coming and some of you may be planning your holidays with your bike in order to have a super adventurous and funny time, I am going to give you a quick guide of what you really need to put in your bike bag and your suitcase.
- Bike: nowadays almost every train and every airline allows the transportation of your bike. Regarding trains, you need to check the rules of bike bag sizes, as it’s different from country to country. Italian trains, for example, admit the transportation of bike in every FRECCIA train, while in regional trains is not always allowed. Regarding airlines instead, there is a very big range of bags specially made for the air transportation and personally, having used different kind of brands in the last years, I would recommend to buy a soft bike bag with an iron runner to fix the bike on the front and back fork. Two lateral pockets will contain your wheels, which you do not have to forget to inflate before your flight. Soft bags are the lighter and more comfy solution, and when going to holidays or training camps, you can put inside something else, like spare tyres, helmet, some bike clothing and tools. My personal suggestion is to pack your bag wrapping it with pluriball, especially the very tiny and fragile parts like levers and rear derailleur (it’s highly recommended to disassemble your rear derailleur and your pedals, but do it JUST if you can reassemble it later!) Hard plastic bike boxes may be a bit safer for our bikes but most of the times you can’t put inside any other item a part from your bike and your wheels.
- Clothing and accessories: If you manage to put all that is necessary to rebuild your bike in your bike bag, then filling your personal suitcase will be the easiest and funniest part. To decide how much stuff you need to put in your bag, first you need to think where are you going and how many times you want to ride your bike. If you are going to a warm and sunny place, I would recommend to bring 1 kit if you won’t ride every day, 2 kits if you will join your bike every day. The same works for socks, gloves and undershirts if you are used to wear them. One pair of sun glasses is fine, but bring two kind of lenses, you would maybe need the transparent lenses for a cloudy day or a late ride. Your bag is going to be a more heavier if you have planned to spend your holidays in a cold place, as you are going to need 1 or 2 thermal jackets, thicker underwear (the merino long sleeve jersey from Rapha is the best!), winter bibtights and then shoecovers, hoodies and gloves. Usually winter items take longer to dry, so always bring a spare pair of everything, especially if you want to ride everyday. Shoes are the only item which ALWAYS need to travel in your hand baggage, as if your bag doesn’t reach your destination (believe me, it can happen!) shoes are something really personal and while it’s easy to borrow or rent a helmet or even a bike, with shoes solutions are always hard to find.
Now, you just need to weight your suitcase and verify how many kgs are left for your swimsuit, party dress, high heels and make up products :-)! ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!
Elena
