As I sit waiting for my own personal first cyclocross race this Fall, I thought I'd put together a list of everything I'm going to take to the upcoming races. In past years I've simply thrown it all onto the garage floor, this time I'm trying to be a little bit smarter with a digitized checklist.
Did I miss anything in my list below? Let me know, @RideCX on Twitter or send me a message on the RideCX Facebook page. Here's what I came up with:
Bikes / Frames
- Primary bike
- Backup bike, if you are lucky enough to have one
- Your primary wheels
- Your secondary / pit wheels
Accessories
- Printed driving directions to venue (or on your mobile phone)
- Printed race day schedule (or on your mobile phone)
- Your racing license
- The waiver for the event, if you can fill it out in advance
- Trainer or rollers if you use them
- Pit bucket, sponges, brushes
- Folding chair
- Popup tent
Components
The sky is the limit when it comes to components. Bring a spare everything if your budget permits, but if that's not possible the most common items to break are:
- Rear derailleur with cable
- Chain
- Derailleur hanger (specific to your frame)
- Extra tire / tube that matches your wheel i.e. tubular, tubeless, clincher
Tools
- Floor pump
- Chain lube
- Degreaser
- Grease
- Tire levers
- Set of metric hex (allen) keys
- Torx T25 or other Torx bit, if your bike uses them
- Handheld pressure gauge
- Philips screwdriver, small enough to fit your derailleur limit screws
- Pedal wrench
- Cassette lockring tool
- Chain whip, if you bring multiple cassettes
- Adjustable wrench
- Torque wrench - the full size one probably stays at home, but a compact one like the IceToolz Ocarina is good for adjusting cockpit components like a slipped seatpost or a stem that is knocked out of position during a crash
- Tire sealant like CaffeLatex or equivalent
Personal Items
- Cycle computer or GPS
- Race number, if the promoter issued it in advance
- Timing chip, same as above
- Toilet paper
- Hand sanitizer
- Chamois Cream
- Embrocation
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses with multiple lenses (tinted, clear, etc)
- Safety pins
- Rubber bands or hair clip for those with long hair
- Razor and shaving cream
- Strap for heart rate monitor
Food and Drink
- Cooler
- Drinking water
- Water bottles
- Powder to make energy drink
- Recovery drink / powder
- Energy Gels
- Box of protein or meal replacement bars; useful in case there isn't food at the venue or you have a long drive
Clothing
- Cycling shoes
- Helmet
- Undershirt / base layers
- Skinsuit
- Extra shorts
- Extra jerseys
- Wool or knit cap
- Multiple pairs of socks
- Rain jacket
- Arm and leg warmers
- Long and short finger gloves
- Extra shoes with cleats already mounted
- Sports bra
- Comfortable, casual clothing to wear to / from the event like a tee shirt, jeans
I like to keep the tools in a single toolbox so I can simply grab it and go, confident all the tools I use are inside. For the clothing, I have a large Timbuk2 travel duffle bag with multiple compartments and I keep all the 'cross apparel in it. When it's laundered after a race it goes right back into the same bag.