Who said being a team manager couldn’t be fun? Mary Moncorge manages consisting of the Gehrig twins, Robin Wallner and Gary Forrest.
Mary is specialising in multi-day enduros this year and will be sharing some of her preparation with Wideopenmag.
The Trans-Cevennes is happening right now in the south east corner of France and Mary is in the thick of it. Here’s how she’s prepared for 5 days crossing the Cevennes.
Take it away Mary!
Photo courtesy of Matt Wragg.
Trans-Cévennes is starting next week and with it we will see the beginning of the season for week-long enduro races across the Northern Hemisphere. The race will take the lucky riders through the Cevennes Mountains of south-central France. With 50 to 60km a day and around 1900 meters of climbing per day for 5 days in a row, it is going to be a gruelling week.
What are the essentials that need to be packed to tackle such an event and be as self-sufficient as possible while way out there on the trails?
A good riding backpack with a 2/3L bladder is essential to carry around all you need day-in, day-out. It is still a race though and even though you are going to spend at least 6 hours a day in the saddle you do not want to over-pack. So do not over do it with a huge pack, as it will be strenuous on the back and the legs. Using a 10 to 14L pack, will allow you to compromise between bringing the essentials and prohibit you from bringing way too much.
Photo courtesy of Matt Wragg.
High-volume pump and an extra CO2 cartridge. Tube and tyre levers should be taped to your bike with the CO2 cartridge and inflator for a fast and easy access to repair on the go. It is always good to have that extra pump that will keep your rubber happy.
Rain jacket. In the high mountains, you need to be prepare for any type of weather. We are heading towards summer and a thunderstorm is never too far away. Also being able to stay warm at the top of a climb before it is your time to go on stage or while at the feed station will prevent you from getting a cold and feeling crappy for the remaining days of the race.
Gloves. The race is in France, long-finger gloves is one of the required protective equipment a rider as to wear but is easily forgotten come race morning. Always have a spare pair stashed away if you forget your main one or if it rains and you want a freshy.
Sunglasses. It is almost summer after all and the wide lens of those are almost as good as goggles while on the downhills, without the overeating while climbing.
Food. We all have our favorite brands come race day or on long ride. Bring a bit more than you need as you want to avoid bonking. While working out, racing, training, you should be eating every 40min to one hour and you can not only rely on gels or chews. They are good for a quick fix when you are on the go but as it is an enduro race and you have a bit of time to spare on the liaisons. Solid food in a must.
Photo courtesy of Matt Wragg.
Fully equipped multi-tool and a pocket knife. You never know what can happen while out in the middle of the nowhere. Having a multi-tool with a spoke wrench, a chain breaker and a quiver of Allen keys will definitely come handy at one point or another as you will have to play McGyver on the side of the trails at some point.
Photo courtesy of Matt Wragg.
Spare parts. Always have at least a cable, a rear derailleur hanger, a quick-link, a valve core and a couple valves (with the tool to remove them) and a few screws and bolts along with zipties and electric tape as I mentioned mention before, you may have to play McGyver on trails.
Photo courtesy of Matt Wragg.
Pills to clean the water and make it drinkable. When you do not know the layout of the trails and where you will find drinkable water, better be safe than sorry thanks to those tabs. One tiny pill per litre of water and you can drink from the stream without being scared of having to spend the next couple of days on the toilet.
First aid kit and a whistle can be added as well, along with an extra tube. Trans-Cévennes has a medical team following the racers which is pretty awesome but you never know how far they are and having a first-aid kit handy is a plus. Of course a cell phone will be added to this pack, for safety obviously, but mostly for Instabangers.
Photo courtesy of Matt Wragg.
