Veneto Trail Kit List

I’d categorise the Veneto trail as a bikepacking trip, where I was prioritising comfortable & sufficient night’s sleep, rather than riding all night. As such, my Veneto Trail kit list had a few extra home comforts – more than I’d carry on a race – but not as much as I’d carry on a longer tour.

The thing with Europe, especially Italy, is you’re never far from food or a place to stay the night. The Veneto trail doesn’t require planning for prolonged period without resupply.

In retrospect, the days were hot & humid, the nights cool at altitude & the thunderstorms abysmally wet. Very typical of any race/bikepacking event in the European Alps in summer.

So, what to pack for the Veneto Trail?

Bike: I took my Pace RC529. A steel frame hardtail, 29’er wheels with 2.35 XC tyres, enduro front end with 140mm Rockshox Pikes & steep seat tube angle. It’s the perfect bikepacking bike. A wide range drivetrain to make my uphill life as easy as possible. XC tires are perfect for bikepacking, ‘gravel’ tires are not – I like the comfort of higher volume & added puncture protection – where would be on the brakes and slowing down over long & fast descents for fear of puncturing, I could just let it fly.

Apidura bar bag: Thermarest Vesper UL32, Exped SynMat HL, Montane Prism primaloft smock & additional warm/evening off-bike layers.

Apidura frame pack: personal hygiene ‘stuff’, first aid kit, battery pack, chain lube.

Apidura top tube pack: midge net, head torch, cables/plug socket.

Apidura accessory pack: dehydrated meals x4 & coffee paraphernalia.

Salomon skin 5; 2l water bladder + water filter, day snacks & pump, Inov8 stormshell waterproof.

I ride small frames, so better water storage – for me.

Tools (pliers, multitool, levers, chain tool, needle/thread, tubeless plugs, tyre boot) will be in a Lezyne Flow bottle cage tool holder thingy.

Tailfin: Terra Nova Laser Compact 1, Primus Lite+ stove, bike spares (mech hanger, cleats, gear cable, brake pads etc.), additional base layers, socks & undershorts. I build & maintain my own bikes, therefore tend to be quite over cautious with tools & spares – not because I don’t trust my handiwork, but because I have it & therefore think I’ll be annoyed if I need it and don’t take it! I also tend to have the same caution in regards to layers; ‘what if’ is that perpetual question that I need to solve as I start to re-enter the world of ultra-distance racing.

Some additional thoughts following the Veneto Trail over on my knowledge section.