A saddle bag which attaches to the seat and post rather than requiring a rack is another good option for those travelling light, particularly for shorter attempts or where a support vehicle is arriving at the end of the day. Three-litre seat-pack saddle bags are widely and cheaply available, and ideal for those carrying the absolute minimum and making maximum use of the pockets in their cycling jersey. This could be combined with a triangular frame bag which attaches to the bike inside the angle made by the frame to give extra storage.
Saddle packs and larger rigid saddle bags, which use similar attachments but have capacities of up to 17 litres, are becoming more common and are a great option. Some have an extra expandable area ideal for carrying a waterproof and set of evening clothes (although nothing too heavy).
A handlebar bag is an alternative option. These often have a 6- or 7-litre capacity and can include pockets so that your map or bike computer can be viewed while riding. The downsides are that they often sag when heavily loaded and are tricky to fit to some types of bike. A combination of saddle bag/pack and handlebar bag would provide plenty of storage for B&B-ers.
Other equipment
A basic tool kit should be the first item on your list. A pump or CO2 canisters and inflator, spare inner tube or tubes, tyre levers and a set of Allen keys are essential. A puncture repair kit is a back-up for the dreaded double-puncture day. In your group it is useful to have a good bike multi-tool, including screwdrivers, pliers, a knife and spanners. A roll of electrical tape, a few cable ties and a couple of elastic bands can also come in handy.
A bell is advisable for warning other path users of your approach on traffic-free sections.
Map, mobile phone, money, credit card and GPS device if you use one. Smartphone GPS mapping apps have the drawback of sapping battery power so make sure you have a back-up plan if this is what you are using.
A bike lock, though this will depend on how you are riding the route. If you are only stopping at cafés where you can see your bike and overnight accommodation with secure cycle storage (see Appendix A) then you might choose to go without.
Suncream and very basic toiletries such as toothbrush and paste, comb and possibly deodorant!
Hydration is crucial so water bottles are a must. It is easy to carry two bottles of up to 1-litre capacity in frame cages, but one bottle is fine as the ride never goes a huge distance without passing a shop or other fill-up point.
It is essential to carry some emergency energy food even if regular café stops are planned. Never underestimate the impact that a few calories can make on your ability to get up that hill!
Most other gear is a matter of personal choice. For a three-day ride, most people will want to take a change of clothes for the evenings.
What to wear
Helmets
There is no current UK law forcing cyclists to wear helmets and there are still plenty of people who choose not to. Please do not join their ranks and make sure yours is properly fitted and fastened. Helmets are now lightweight and allow airflow to the head.
Clothing
Most people will find that cycling-specific clothing is useful. Depending on temperatures and personal preferences, cycling shorts or tights are padded in the right areas and improve comfort during long days in the saddle. These items are designed to be worn without your usual underwear.
Cycling vests usually have several useful features. High-vis colours and reflective strips help make you more eye-catching to other road users, and a dropped back means that there is no draughty gap between top and bottom halves of your clothing. Many cycling jerseys and tops also have large easily accessible back pockets – it’s amazing how much gear and food you can cram into these.
A lightweight waterproof is also a must. Cycling-specific models include reflectors, pockets and longer backs. They are windproof and are generally designed to pack away compactly.
Wearing cycling gloves is again a matter of personal preference and temperature. Some people would not cycle to the corner shop without their gloves, whereas others don’t wear them outside of winter. Cycling gloves soak up sweat and allow you to maintain a better grip on the bars. They also include cushioning to lessen the vibration and impact caused by uneven road surfaces. They can also protect the palms in the event of a fall.
In windy or cold weather it can be useful to take an earband.
As well as sunglasses, many cyclists will wear clear glasses in less bright conditions. Others just put up with the odd insect in their eyes and do without. If you are prone to runny eyes when cycling, then glasses are fairly cheap and worth their weight in gold. Contact lens wearers might also find that clear glasses stop their lenses from drying out quickly while riding.
Riders passing the remote Keasden church don glasses in bright conditions (Day 1)
Footwear
The question of footwear might require a little thought. Wear what you are comfortable in. Most relatively firm soled trainers will suffice, and these have the benefits of comfort and saving you carrying extra footwear.
Specific cycling shoes are made with efficient transference of power in mind. The majority now work on a cleat system with clipless pedals and can take a little getting used to. There are several different cleat and pedal systems so you need to make sure yours are compatible; you may need to upgrade your pedals as many lower-priced bikes just come with standard ones. The firm sole of cleated cycling shoes means that little of your effort and power is wasted, but the downside is that they can be uncomfortable to walk in. Interestingly, some studies show that clipless systems actually make many average cyclists less efficient as they encourage upward pulling on the pedals.
Unless you particularly want to waste storage space by taking extra shoes for the evenings, choose footwear that will cover all eventualities (if you are planning to walk around York city centre or up the rough track to Coldstones Cut, for example). Cycling kit companies do seem to have taken note of these problems, with cycling shoes and footwear which looks more like a trainer with flexible or coverable cleat plates becoming more common.
Maps and apps
The maps in this book, along with the detailed route descriptions, should provide everything you need to do the Roses ride and all the day rides described. A Sustrans map of the route is available at the same scale as those in this book. For those who wish to have more detailed mapping, the route is covered at 1:25,000 scale by the following OS sheets: OL41, OL2, 298, 299, 290, 294 and 295. The Ordnance Survey now offers access to all its British maps on computers and mobile devices for a small fee. Other apps such as Viewranger allow users to access parts of OS mapping for a small fee and use Opencyclemap to provide larger scale free maps.
Apps such as Strava have become increasingly popular for logging rides and comparing times and can be very useful for working out an expected average speed and timings. One word of caution: beware of assuming that the distances and particularly cumulative height gains shown on GPS-based apps are exact. During the research for this book the Way of the Roses ride was logged (on one-day, two-day, three-day and five-day itineraries) on apps. The route had been the same but the total ascent data varied wildly from 2272m to 2846m. The actual figure is likely to be somewhere in the middle, around 2500m. The figures at opposite ends of the spectrum were taken from GPS app calculations on a two-day and one-day Roses ride, and my conclusion is that the
