Sources see Race Touring Packlist: Megathread
🛠 Gear
| Category | What the Pros Used | Lessons & Specific Remarks | Top Pick(s) | Runner-Up(s) & Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bike Frame | Herbert: carbon endurance; Strasser: aero endurance; Frank: titanium No.22 Drifter; Jananas: Aethos S-Works. | Comfort > aero. Endurance bikes are “race bikes with manners.” Titanium = indestructible, steel = repairable anywhere. Heavier riders (90–100 kg) often prefer stiffer carbon or Ti to prevent flex under load. | Specialized Aethos, Canyon Endurace | Fairlight Strael (steel, repairable), No.22 Drifter (titanium), Trek Domane (ISO Speed comfort), Giant Defy (value endurance), Surly Midnight Special (budget steel, can take racks) |
| Cockpit & Aerobars | Almost everyone: Profile Design Supersonic Ergo+, SLC50. | Aero bars = both aero and survival. Gives new positions to prevent numb hands. Short reach (SLC) works better for small riders (<170 cm), long reach for taller/heavier riders. | Profile Design Supersonic Ergo+ (SLC50 for short torsos) | Deda Tribar (budget), Redshift Clip-On (adjustable, heavier), Vision Metron (stiffer for >85 kg), 3T Clip-On (lightest, less adjustability) |
| Saddle | Jananas: S-Works Power Mirror; Frank: Selle San Marco Open Supercomfort; many Fizik/ Selle Italia. | Saddles are 100% personal. Copying pros is risky. Lightweight riders often prefer short-nose saddles (less pressure), heavy riders sometimes need more padding. | Specialized Power Mirror, Selle Italia SLR Boost Endurance | Fizik Argo Adaptive, Brooks C13 (for heavier riders needing hammock flex), Selle SMP Dynamic (extreme cut-out for pressure relief) |
| Wheels | DT Swiss ERC 1400, Roval Alpinist, Hunt + dynamo. | Dynamo = baseline. Deep rims (50 mm+) not useful in crosswinds. Lighter riders benefit from shallower, heavier riders can stabilize deep rims better. | DT Swiss ERC 1400 + SON Delux/SON28 | Hunt Aero Disc + SP Dynamo, Roval Alpinist + SON28, Zipp 303 Firecrest + SP Dynamo (stronger for 90 kg+), HED Belgium R + SON (bombproof alloy) |
| Tires | GP5000 S TR 32 mm (zero punctures). | 30–32 mm = sweet spot. 50 kg riders can get away with 28 mm, 100 kg riders should run 32–35 mm at higher PSI for stability. Tubeless reduces flats but bring plugs + 1 butyl. | Continental GP5000 S TR (30–32 mm) | Schwalbe Pro One TLE (30–32 mm), Vittoria Corsa N.EXT TLR (32 mm, puncture belt), Panaracer GravelKing SS (32–35 mm, rougher terrain), Michelin Power Cup TLR |
| Groupset | SRAM eTap AXS 46/33 + 10–36. | Sub-compact gearing saves knees. Heavy riders: 46/33 ideal. Lighter riders: 48/31 GRX gives lower climbing gear. Spare batts mandatory. | SRAM Force/Red AXS 46/33 + 10–36 | Shimano GRX Di2 48/31 + 11–34, Shimano Ultegra RX mechanical + 11–34, Rotor 1×13 with 10–46 cassette (1x option for simplicity), Campagnolo Ekar 1×13 |
| Brakes | SRAM Hydro discs. | No one trusts rim brakes. 140–160 mm rotors. Heavy riders (90 kg+) → 160 front + 160 rear. Light riders can get away with 140 rear. | SRAM Red AXS Hydro | Shimano GRX Hydro, Shimano Ultegra Hydro, TRP HY/RD (mechanical-hydro hybrid) |
| Bags | Apidura Racing, Evoc Boa prototypes, Restrap, Tailfin. | Modular setup is king. Top tube bag for food, saddle bag 5–8 L, frame pack for tools/clothes. Light riders: smaller volume = discipline. Heavier riders: can carry more, but beware faff. | Apidura Racing Series, Evoc Boa 8L | Tailfin Aeropack (rigid, aero), Restrap Race Aero, Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR, Cyclite AeroBag (for aero nerds), Apidura Expedition (larger, more versatile) |
| Clothing | 1–2 bibs, 1 jersey, full weather kit. | Two bibs = consensus for hygiene. Small riders sometimes rotate 1; bigger/heavier riders sweat more → 2 bibs minimum. | Rapha Cargo Bibs, Gore-Tex Shakedry/Pro Rain Jacket | Assos Mille GT Bibs + Castelli Idro Jacket, Pas Normal Studios Mechanism Bibs + Alpha Light Rain Jacket, dhb Aeron bibs (budget), Velocio Concept bibs |
| Weather Layers | Down jacket (Strasser, Jananas), fleece warmers, gilet. | Nights in Alps get near freezing. Riders <60 kg lose heat faster → jacket essential. Riders >90 kg sometimes gamble with fewer layers. | Rapha Pro Team Insulated Gilet, Patagonia Nano Puff | Montbell Plasma Down, Decathlon Forclaz Trek 100 (budget down), Assos Mille GT Winter Gilet |
| Sleep System | Strasser: bivvy only. Isaacs: full mat+bag. Jananas: Traveller + Thermarest + DIY footprint. | Decide: hotel-first (bivvy only) vs. bivvy-first (mat + bag). Small riders often chill faster → warmer bag needed. Heavy riders compress mats more → choose thicker pad. | Sea to Summit Traveller + Thermarest Uberlite | OR Helium Bivvy + Exped UL Mat, Alpkit Hunka Bivvy + Klymit Inertia Pad, Cumulus X-Lite sleeping bag |
| Electronics – Nav | Wahoo Bolt 2, Coros Dura, Garmin Edge 840. | Double redundancy. Phones used only as backup. | Wahoo Bolt 2 + Garmin Edge 840 Solar | Coros Dura + iPhone, Karoo 2 + Garmin eTrex (off-grid capable), Bryton Rider 750 (budget) |
| Electronics – Lights | Dynamo Supernova M99, backups: Exposure MK12, Lupine Rotlicht. | Dynamo = backbone. Backup lights mandatory. Light riders: smaller beams OK; heavier riders descending fast need more lumens. | Supernova M99 DY + SON28 | Exposure Strada + Lupine Rotlicht, B&M IQ-X + Cyo Premium (budget dynamo), Outbound Road Evo battery light |
| Electronics – Power | Herbert: failed with 5k. Jananas: 2×10k. | Capacity AND recharge speed matter. Cold reduces battery life (esp. iPhones). | Nitecore NB10000 (light, fast charge) | Anker PowerCore 10000, Zendure SuperMini, GoalZero Flip (solar hybrid), Shokz OpenRun Pro (if audio needed off phone) |
| Tools & Spares | Pump, levers, Dynaplug, hanger, cleat, screws. | Spares reflect personal scars: Frank always carries cleat, Jananas carries screws. Heavy riders: tire plugs used more often (pinch flats). | Lezyne Pressure Drive + Dynaplug | Topeak Roadie Pump, Sahmurai Sword, OneUp Plug Kit, Silca Tattico mini pump |
| First Aid | Blanket, pads, compress, painkillers. | Minimal but crucial. Painkillers = performance kit. | Adventure Med UL .3 Kit | DIY kit (ibuprofen, blister pads), Compeed hydrocolloid pads, Kinesio tape |
| Other | Sunscreen, toothbrush, buff, chamois cream. | Morale items are as critical as watts. | Eucerin SPF100, Oakley EVZero | P20 SPF50, Julbo Aero glasses, Buff Original EcoStretch |
⚡ Tactics
| Theme / Question | What the Pros Experienced | Lessons & Specific Remarks | Options & Approaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 pacing | Frank & Strasser overpaced climbs, ruined legs early. | Don’t race until Day 3. The Balkans punish bravado. | Light riders: risk less, stay below FTP% to avoid glycogen blow. Heavy riders: watch knee strain; use power meter zones strictly. |
| Sleep vs. Ride | Strasser skimped, got slower. Isaacs invested in sleep kit. | 3h quality > 1h shallow. Earplugs & mask weigh 10g, save watts. | Hotel-first: carry cash, plan CP stops. Bivvy-first: test outdoors in training. Mixed: hotel if weather, bivvy if timing fails. |
| Hotels vs. Bivvy | Strasser: hotel default, bivvy backup. Isaacs: outdoors often. Jananas: ultralight proven bag. | Decide style. Carrying both = rookie mistake. | 50 kg climber: need warmer bag (less body heat). 100 kg rider: compress mats more → thicker pad. |
| Nutrition Access | Herbert: buried food = wasted minutes. Jananas: cockpit snack bag = win. | “If your Snickers is in saddle bag, it’s on Mars.” | Always: cockpit bag for bars. Heavier riders burn more kcal → need larger snack volume (two top tube bags). Light riders: smaller stomach, graze more frequently. |
| Minimalism vs. Redundancy | Isaacs: carried extra bibs & spares. Jananas: doubled electronics. Frank: spares only for cleats. | Everyone duplicates different things. Choose based on your scars. | First-timer: err on redundancy. Veterans: cut down to essentials. Risk-tolerant: ultralight (but risk scratch). |
| Durability vs. Aero | Frank: aero wheels for “style,” but GP5000 for reliability. | Aero vanity fine if no reliability cost. | Aero: deep rims, marginal gains, crosswind risk. Durable: alloy rims, heavier but bombproof. |
| Electronics Management | Herbert’s 5k power bank failed. Jananas ran 2×10k. | Battery size + recharge speed matter. Cold halves phone runtime. | Setup A: Dynamo + 1 fast 10k bank. Setup B: Dynamo + 2 smaller banks for redundancy. Setup C: No dynamo (riskier, only works with guaranteed hotel plugs). |
| First Aid & Injury | Everyone carried painkillers. | Pain relief = morale. A blister is race-ending without Compeed. | Options: minimalist (painkillers + blanket), moderate (bandage + antiseptic), heavy (tape, pads, gloves). |
| Experience Curve | Strasser: overpacked TCR #1, refined later. | Every rider improves gear after each TCR. First attempt = expensive lesson. | Journal every failure. Drop unused gear after race. Add items you missed. |
| Unsupported Mentality | Strasser: shocked by no crew. Herbert: “no safety net.” Jananas: “no compromises.” | Unsupported = mindset shift. | Train unsupported: do 2–3 day rides with no hotels, no resupply planning beyond gas stations. |
| Micro-Stops | Frank: cut faff to seconds. Jananas: modular bags to avoid unpacking. | “Faff = minutes, minutes = hours.” | Rule: nothing important lives at bottom of saddle bag. Practice 2-minute resupply stops. |
| Weather Adaptation | Alps cold, Balkans heat. Strasser’s down jacket: rarely used but vital. | Pack for extremes, not averages. | Hot-first riders: light kit, risk cold nights. Cold-first riders: heavier layers, slower climbs. |
| Recovery Terrain | TPR (Frank): no recovery, pure climbing. TCR: some highways. | Terrain density dictates pacing. | If route is dense climbs: train low-cadence endurance. If route has flats: aero bars and pacing in zone 2 matter more. |
🔍 Gear Notes & Nerdy Annotations
- Tires & Width
- Continental GP5000 S TR 32 mm was almost universally praised for running tubeless with zero punctures.
- Some riders still carried an Aerothan tube as lightweight spare (Jananas). A detail: one Aerothan + one “oldschool butyl” — because Aerothans can still fail at valve/plug points.
- 28 mm is still used by racers obsessed with aero, but pros like Frank emphasize 30–32 mm because: less fatigue, more grip in rain, fewer snakebites.
- Annotation: “The few minutes you might save on aero 28 mm, you lose twice over if you flat once in Albania.”
- Saddles
- Frank stayed loyal to his Selle San Marco Open Racing Supercomfort, Jananas swore by S-Works Power Mirror 155 mm.
- The annotation here: comfort is so personal that copying a pro’s saddle is more likely to wreck your race than help it.
- Journal note: Try the saddle for 300+ km back-to-back, not just a 5-hour training ride.
- Aerobars
- Almost every rider runs Profile Design. Jananas used the Supersonic Ergo+ SLC50 — not the lightest, but ergonomic.
- Annotation: This is one place “style and aero” matter (Frank admitted he partly chose his wheelset for looks). Aero bars are both speed and survival — they let you rest wrists and sit upright.
- Electronics & Power
- Herbert’s “too small” 5,000 mAh battery pack is a cautionary tale. Jananas doubled up: Nitecore 10k + RoHS 10.4k.
- Annotation: capacity alone isn’t enough; recharge rate matters. Some power banks recharge so slowly from a dynamo that they’re dead weight.
- Redundancy is remarkable: Jananas ran two GPS units (Coros + Wahoo) — not because of paranoia, but because “navigation crashes are race-ending.”
- Spare SRAM eTap batteries — a tiny but critical detail. Forget them once, and your race is over if a shifter dies.
- Clothing
- Jananas had pee-friendly Rapha Cargo bib prototypes. That’s an innovation worth noting: bathroom breaks can be time-sinks.
- Isaacs carried multiple bibs for hygiene. Herbert & Wilson stuck to one.
- Annotation: the “two-bib consensus” is new. Earlier TCRs saw one bib as standard. Now, skin health is considered performance gear.
- Sleep Systems
- Isaacs: invested in proper mat + bag because he planned outdoor sleep.
- Strasser: minimal, leaned on hotels, but still carried enough to avoid hypothermia.
- Jananas: cut his groundsheet out of a Decathlon tent footprint.
- Annotation: the DIY hacks (groundsheets, trimmed liners) are signs of experienced racers. They cut what doesn’t matter, keep what does.
- Tools & Spares
- Spares reflect personal scar tissue: Frank always carries a spare cleat (because he’s lost them before).
- Jananas even carried “the most critical screws” for his bike. That level of foresight is remarkable — a lost bottle cage screw can rattle you insane at 2 a.m. in the Balkans.
- Annotation: pros don’t just carry tools, they carry what has failed on them in past races.
- First Aid
- Almost all carried minimal kits: disinfectants, painkillers, a rescue blanket.
- The annotation: painkillers are not luxury. They can make the difference between finishing and scratching with inflamed knees.
⚡ Strategy Notes & Nerdy Annotations
- Day 1 pacing
- Frank explicitly confessed to “burning too many matches” on early climbs at TPR.
- Annotation: every TCR aspirant wants to race the field early, but the data shows this ruins legs by Day 3.
- Pro tip from journals: “Arrive at CP1 fresher than you think you need. The Balkans will punish overexcitement.”
- Sleep quality vs. hours
- Riders carried earplugs and buffs as eye masks. Strasser highlighted that getting to sleep quickly is more decisive than sleeping longer.
- Annotation: a €3 pair of earplugs may save you more performance than a €300 lighter wheelset.
- Food access
- Herbert lost minutes digging for snacks. Jananas had a Rapha Snack Bag up front.
- Annotation: “If your Snickers bar is in the saddle bag, it might as well be on Mars.”
- Redundancy vs. Minimalism
- Jananas: doubled devices. Isaacs: doubled clothing. Frank: doubled cleats.
- Annotation: everyone duplicates a different thing. What you choose to duplicate shows your philosophy — and your scars.
- Durability vs. Aero
- Frank literally wrote “Style and Aerodynamics matter” when choosing his dynamo wheelset — but still prioritized durability in tires.
- Annotation: pros indulge in aero vanity only when it doesn’t threaten reliability.
- Experience Curve
- Strasser admitted: he overpacked at his first TCR. Afterward, he cut gear with confidence.
- Annotation: no blog post will spare you from carrying something unnecessary your first time. It’s part of the learning cycle.