Rest Day + What I Packed

September 17, 2024

I sleep in, awakening naturally at 11am and have a huge breakfast. I walk it off to the grocery store to buy more food. The weather doesn't look good, so I decide today will be a full rest day. I'm going to do my laundry and inventory the things I've packed. My Tevas have picked up a funky smell so I run them through a vinegar bath and a hot wash cycle. I've lost my buff, but I don't think I'll replace it.

Then I veg out on the couch with more TV and more food.

I'm packing pretty light. I have a stem bag (sunscreen, phone, cable lock), top tube bag (medkit, tools, parts), and 10L saddlebag. My fanny pack holds my passport and wallet. It's secured with the saddlebag bungee. Whenever I head into a store, I take just the fanny pack and phone. My off-bike clothes are one pair of shorts, one pair of joggers, a long sleeve hoodie, sandals, and sunglasses. I have one pair of bib shorts, one long sleeve jersey, one wind jacket (not cycling specific, but only 31 grams and folds into a jersey pocket), two pairs of socks, two sports bras, and a pair of gloves. I have a Wahoo Bolt and a Garmin Varia. I swear by the radar taillight. It's made me a much more confident road cyclist.

For personal care, I carry decanted moisturizer and conditioner. I have used hand soap as facewash, body wash as detergent, even the weird men's thirty-in-one products as shampoo. But my face moisturizer and Olaplex conditioner, you can pry from my cold, dead fingers.

Endorsement time. My saddlebag is Giant's H2Pro series, which has a cradle frame that you leave attached to the saddle rails and seatpost. The drybag is easily mounted and removed from its cradle. There's a valve to push out all the air. With all the buckles, I'm unaffected by wag when I ride. Of course, the additional weight changes the bike handling, but I'm overall extremely happy with the product. I compared options from Apidura and Ortlieb and I picked the Giant option for the convenience of the cradle frame. Love it!

In the afternoon, I give my bike a good cleaning. Dinner is gazpacho and another salad. And more Emily in Paris.

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