crmbt 2012 planning

With the Tour de Kota behind me, and the 2012 version of the CRMBT scheduled to start in less than four weeks, I'm starting to plan what I need to bring, what and how to carry the things I want with me on the bike, and just generally go over the route for each day to let my excitement build. For me, it's part of the fun of doing a tour like this.

 As for carrying things on the bike, I don't have a rack on my Madone and don't want one. I've used an ultralight backpack to carry rain gear, arm and leg warmers and such, but I don't really like to have it on my back for a long ride. I did add a small box on the top tube to take some of the "stuff" out of my jersey pockets. It gives me easy  access to my camera, sunscreen, and a snack. That gives me room for some of the rain/cold gear in my jersey pockets.

While on the TdK I wore my heavy Bontrager rain jacket on the mornings when it was cool as we started and it seemed like there might be rain later. The only drawback was when it warmed up and I stuffed it in my middle pocket, I resembled the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Maybe I should plan on taking advantage of the volunteers at CRMBT. In the past they had Ziploc bags available to put your name on and drop off gear you no longer needed. Then you could pick it up at the end of the day.

I'm going to go start packing, unpacking, and packing again now. But, if you check back I'll be taking a closer look at each day's route, and the towns we'll be visiting in August.