Packing a couple of days earlier than I wanted

Jeroen Sijbom

10 Mar 2026 — 3 min read

Last Wednesday coming off the bike, I felt like I was hit by a train. After an easy endurance ride, it felt like I just completed the Cape Epic. I skipped 2 days to recover and tried again on Saturday. Same result.. Turns out I have a virus that attacks only the things you need for riding; energy and good legs. Not the best timing, but also not the worst. I had a lot more time to pack and hopefully I'm back once I'm in the West Cape!

The bike

So what do we bring on our journey? It's a long list of bike components, clothing and nutrition. But most importantly of course is a clean bike:

And for this event we decided to use tyre inserts (see picture below). Meaning when we run flat, and the tyre sealant cant stop it, we can still continue riding. You are basically just running on very low tyre pressure. We even have plugs to use when we have bigger holes. So we reduced the risk of losing time because flat tyres quit a bit.

Nutrition

We are well prepared when it comes to nutrition. Apart from having a nutrition plan for every stage (eatmyride app), we trained for months using the same products. I already packed it per stage, based on the plan, so I don't have to do that during the week. Based on the length of the ride, altitude meters and your profile, it will calculate the carbs you need. In my case:

4 bottles with 85 grams carbs. 2 at the start and 2 at feed zones
3-6 Bloks chews 75 grams of carbs
3-6 Energy gels 40 grams of carbs
1 caffeine gel for the extra kick in the last hour

This is what it look like packed and ready to go:

Clothing

Since its the end of the summer in South Africa, we can expect hot days. So the basic outfit is just our custom jersey, bib-shorts and socks. But you need to be prepared for days in the rain or cold. So I brought a jacket, rain jacket, gilet, arm warmers and leg warmers as well.

Top this all off with most needed bike tools, helmet, shoes and lots of other essentials and you and up with below selection:

To get this on the plane we both have a special bike bag where everything fits in easily. I do think I'm a bit over the weight limit though 😳

SO now it starts! I'm in the train towards Ingmar and tomorrow we will fly to South Africa!

Until then, keep chasing! (and removing a virus)

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