Top 5 Things to Bring to a Gravel Race

What should you bring to a gravel race? Obviously you need a functioning bicycle and all your regular riding gear. But what about the special supplies for race day?
I've participated in dozens of gravel races, and talked to scores of riders from UCI pros to everyday riders to the winners of Unbound, BWR, SBT, The Mid South and more. Based on all that, here are my top 5 things to bring to a gravel race.

Based on all that, here is what works for me, and hopefully what could work for you too. Here is my top 5 things to bring to a gravel race.
O:00 intro
0:51 hydration pack
3:15 CO2 and breaker
3:43 tire plugs
5:07 TPU tubes
6:48 a sense of humor!
My favorites:
USWE Outlander Pro hydration pack: alnk.to/ge3A2N5
Dynaplug tire repair: tinyurl.com/2m...
CO2 cartridges and breaker options: tinyurl.com/3m...
TPU tubes: tinyurl.com/y9...
Trevor Noah: www.trevornoah...

[@mitchee66]

PSA - Hydro bladder storage. After washing and drying I store mine in the freezer to inhibit mold growth. Been doing it for years and never have I pulled out a bladder from the freezer and found mold.

[@gravelroadsindia]

😀😀

[@andrewblakesley4202]

Thank you, great tip

[@sjbachar15]

Lol I’ve stuffed so many cut up plastic cups or bottles into my bladders to let them dry. Im trying this immediately

[@unknownKnownunknowns]

Ditto

[@tmayberry7559]

Photo sensitive glasses for changing light conditions. Battery bank e mek (emergency medical kit) for you or someone else.. definitely a chase vest with pockets (how else are you going carry Xtra CO2 cartridges and med kit bacon strip) and last but not least a picture of Ben Delaney smiling (for when all your plans go sideways) 👍😁

[@roncelaya4115]

Love #1 of 5 things to bring. Bring a smile, cold beers, and fitness. Ride on!

[@chadpendy7346]

Love #5! Probably the most important as this thing is supposed to be fun!! I would add that in conjunction with laughing off the set backs, that you attempt to serve in some way, your fellow cyclist. There is no better feeling than helping others and who better to help than a fellow member of our tribe in need?

[@cycodre]

TP for those unplanned pit stops!

[@curtbohling]

Great info! Did the Standard Deluxe this past weekend, perfect perfect in the whole event. Your channel is a fantastic asset!!

[@VictorElGreco]

I would add some neck thingie or other by which you can prevent yourself from inhaling a truckload of dust. 😝

[@matthewhuff5250]

Great video, I really enjoy them and always look forward to the next one. Thank you for the tips, I am a noob to the gravel racing scene and really appreciate the info. Keep up the great work!! 🤙

[@ScottFrey-d9e]

Great context, Ben. I would flip #5 up to the top of the heap. :)

[@craigstephenmcdonald9915]

Excellent I’m new haven’t even got the bike yet but doing plenty of research cheers

[@The2808erik]

Ride now tubes are also very good TPU tubes and cheaper than aerotan or tubolito.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I have not tried those. Thanks for calling them out.

[@daniels.2720]

Gravel Racing ???...I'm just here for the bouncy Jazz 'Outro' ... ((From my Top Cycling Journo of course = keep it Up Ben !!))

[@toddeyster7557]

The Osprey hydropacks are fantastic and open up for easy cleaning. I hate bite valves so have retrofitted with the Ultraspire valves. It is a high flow that lets you get a lot of water in a short amount of time. If you use your phone for navigation, an extra battery is a good idea.

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Good vid man, I like all your great vids, great advice and I follow them

[@Choccytube]

#1 tip is the most important. Whether racing, training ride or general ride, just enjoy and not take it too serious, if you can't laugh at yourself, somebody else will. This is one of the most endearing things about cycling, the ability to be consumed with cycling, but see the funny side too.

[@gabrielcontreras3993]

Again, great advice!

[@MorganBrown]

I commute with an electric inflation tool. Probably weighs 4x co2 cartridges, takes up about 3x space as a cartridge. I don’t have an exact equivalent in terms of how many tires it can inflate but I like being able to do partial inflations without opening a new cartridge

[@janemf]

A+ content, brother justin

[@roddinandracin1153]

Good info, just not a fan of wearing the hydro pack, usually have a couple extra bottles attached to my seat

[@luma3163]

Try Sahmurai Sword 2.0 for tubeless. You can put in your bar ends. In my opinion the best solution for Gravel and MTB.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Ah, cool. I hadn't heard of that one. Where/how are the bacon strips housed? In the same bar-end as the tong tool, or in the other one?

[@luma3163]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney On one side of the bar-ends you put the tong tool and on the other side you put the file. I have the beacon strips on both sides. Fixed it with some tape to the tools. The beauty of the Sahmurai Sword is that you have the tools and the bar-end plugs in one piece.

[@iammikeDOTorg]

Honorable mention to a quick link!?

[@falcoperegrinus82]

My problem with bladders/hydration packs is they always give the water a plasticy taste in my experience.

[@alexmurdock9101]

I've been using Stan's sealant for years, but CO2 makes it congeal. What works with CO2?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Hmmm. Lemme ask around on that.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

What do you bring to a gravel race that you don’t normally ride with?

[@scottseaton1049]

I put a Big Air style of air canister strapped to my seatpost. I typically will not carry a pump or multiple co2 cartridges during a race, just the Big Air. It’s very old, I’m not even sure if you can get them anymore. I never see anybody else with one. They were common in mtb races years ago. It can fill a 40mm tire to 80 lbs, so, in theory I can top off a slow leak several times. It’s very light weight. I think it is actually filled with propane, so I could also make some coffee with it. 😊

[@jeffs5519]

Top tube pack. Like with the hydro pack, gravel rides take us places where stores aren’t available for supplies. You eat/drink what you brung.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

@@jeffs5519 Good shout.

[@GummeeH3]

personal experience: an extra pair of cycling shorts and an extra pair of shoes. You WILL eventually need both. If you don't, someone will. Money. Depending on the course, you may be stuck between aid stations and be bonking.

[@mogulmayhem]

Listen up, sweaty dads, gravel racing is SERIOUS business.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Very serious. 🤣

[@adamclark8105]

store the bladder in the freezer

[@jhouston14]

Great tips Ben. Here's one tactic I've used that accommodates cool early am starts and blazing afternoon temps, when I'm still far from the finish. I use an arm warmer as an ice sock around my neck. Aid station ice chests are usually well stocked:4-6 cubes provide welcome relief for an hour or so...

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Ice is a thing of beauty, eh? I use pantyhose for ice socks sometimes.

[@stevenagy7152]

Why most amateur racers/riders don’t use a hydration pack is beyond me, to think that you can stay fully hydrated and fueled when going at your limit without one is folly. Try reaching for that bottle in a tight group on a fast descent.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Yeah, you're just a lot more likely to drink more, right? Particularly in the first hour or two when it's still a big hairy bunch.

[@manabiker]

#1. for cleaning Camelbac/bottles,, Efferdent, Polident denture tablets, they clean ever nook an cranny, even the hose.. #5 Joke, when was the first bicycle race,, drum roll please, when the second one was built !!!!!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Good shout on Efferedent. Would never have thought of that!

[@pizzathehut2001]

in the plan A B C D i use bacon strips because the dart has a metal tip, which punctures the tube straight away, also i fill one of the little soy sauce fish from my sushi lunch with lube

[@newttella1043]

That metal tip seems over kill.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

I had never considered the metal tip/tube situation should you need to put in a tube later. Good point (pun intended). Also - love the soy sauce fish trick. I have a little bottle in my bag. A sushi fish is cooler...

[@Robsibis]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney The metal tips pull off fairly easy. Just have to remember to do this before you throw a tube in. I forgot this step at the last race of the year but was fortunate that the tip was pushed sideways and didn't puncture the tube.

[@trouthunter4250]

I love #1. Outside of a few lucky souls, we are all doing this for fun. If you are not having fun, you are doing it wrong.

[@marcowalther7867]

Nice one! To add: top up sealant before the race. And, don't try new water supplement at the event's beginning. You might be stuck with having to drink plain awful stuff all day.

[@tmayberry7559]

Try adding cucumbers to your drink mix to extend water storage in the body.

[@marksoutham2481]

Speaking of water supplements - I’ve become a big fan of roll-top bladders, vs the screw on lids. Late in an event is not the time to find your screw lid has seized itself so tight so that you can’t top off or refill your bladder - or that the threads are so gummed up you can’t tighten it enough to stop leaking…

[@JayLato]

Buy a pack of 20 RideNow TPU 60mm tubes and they come out to about $7 each.

[@nelsonglover3963]

Who on earth needs 20 emergency tubes that you can patch

[@davidwargin1766]

All great tips - number one is the top! Tip 6 - depending on weather, have a very light rain jacket (I use wind jacket) at car. Sometimes those heavy downpours can drop temps quite a bit.

[@ThegearlockerNet]

Source Bladders are great to use and easy to clean

[@bprocket]

Inner tube vs. Cush Core??? Plan on changing to tube or plan on riding a flat with Cush Core for support?

[@newttella1043]

I worry with Cush core, should you really need to put a tube in, like in a torn sidewall situation, you'll struggle to remove it to put in a tube and sidewall patch. I can't imagine you can ride too long on a cush core and not ruin your rims. Or am I totally wrong?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Cush Core is more there to prevent a pinch flat than as a longterm run-flat solution. I mean, you *can* ride on a completely flat tire with an insert, but it feels like garbage. I'm with Newt - if and when you need to put in a tube, then you gotta wrestle with a sealant-covered snake and then put it.. where? Around your shoulders like an old-timey TdF rider with a tubular? All that said, some riders do swear by inserts as The Way.

[@bprocket]

@@TheRidewithBenDelaney The issue of where to put the Cush Core if you need a tube is something I've considered. The other concern for me is getting the tires on and off. Some of the tires I've used need the Hulk to get them on. I'm not sure I want to struggle with a stubborn tire during a ride. Anyway, thanks for the input.

[@stevenr5149]

I would love to see a companion video on your non-gravel race list--for when you just want to enjoy a ride.

[@maartenthomassen]

Co2 cardridge in tubeless tyres ??

[@tjohnson200]

Good tips and really good production quality of this video.

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Does the clasp for that Uswe bag get in the way of your heart rate monitor?

[@AlexanderMckee]

Is that Jamie Bestwick at the end haha

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Indeed!

[@gareth.broberg]

Used tip number 1 on my first gravel race! My ' support crew' didn't arrive a half way point with my fuel for the second half of race. Apparently the coffee shop stop in town was more important.. Thought of the 'sense of humour rule' and rode on with a smile. Great tip!

[@LTBlightthebeam]

Is the revolt your personal bike?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

No, just a test bike that I'm dragging my feet on returning because I love it.

[@evanm.2300]

@TheRidewithBenDelaney I know u said in a video the Luaf seigls is overkill for u. But is it that much of a burden to own in ur personal opinion for ur taste. And if so, if u put their rigid fork then do u think ud like it enough or alot?

[@evanm.2300]

​@@TheRidewithBenDelaneythe comment i made above was for u. I messed up on sending it with ur " @" properly lol

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

@@evanm.2300 As luck would have it, I just got a rigid Seigla in for text with the new Apex. Test video to come. It's a touch slack for my taste, but I generally really like it.

[@Cyberjenne]

#1 seems so obvious but is such an important reminder. Thanks. 😉✌️

[@billysimmons3061]

Love the idea of a tubolito but in my experience they have not worked for me. I've tried to use two and both failed immediately.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Hmm. I wonder if you put them in after a flat and whatever caused a flat was still in the tire and punctured the tube. Possible?

[@billysimmons3061]

In one case, the issue was right at the stem. As soon as I input air from the co2 the tube popped. Maybe I just got a bad tube. I ended up borrowing a latex tube from a buddy and that held without issue. They are great because they don't take up space but not sure I can trust them now.

[@nononsense2688]

I never tried the other tubes but those orange Tubolitos gave me a very bad time bringing them on gravel almost immediately. They ride fine for me on road but could not handle forest potholes, luckily had a butyl tube on me.

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

Bummer. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@uknowbass]

Next time I’m putting 3 ounces of sealant in each tire. I wanna hear it slosh around!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

😁

[@jeremysweeten2792]

What ENVE wheels you riding on that Giant Revolt?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

AG25s

[@ludwigbarnes3058]

Great tips!! What size of tire ya using in this vid?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

40mm - still with 2 Dynaplugs in there holding strong from Unbound 2021!

[@joelell1]

Ben - Curious, what seat post are you using there in the Revolt? How do you like a round 30.9 vs. the stock D-Fuse?

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

ENVE post. The give of the stock d-Fuse feels great, but I've broke two of them in quasi-crashes.

[@scottseaton1049]

I have the same bike and I love it. The d fuse seatpost does flex nicely and I would hate to change it, but I don’t want issues during a race or miles from home. How did you break the post? What part of the post broke? Is the enve seatpost noticeably stiffer? Have you changed the flip chip in the back? I have not yet, but I’ll likely try it. Thanks!

[@TheRidewithBenDelaney]

@@scottseaton1049 Clipped a pedal, which pitched all my weight and momentum onto the nose of the saddle, and it snapped at the skinniest part.

[@wescheslak9408]

Great video. Thank you.