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@frank9755 what's your water setup?

This is the bike in normal mode:

Then, for desert mode, pannier attachments on the rack pack zip down. They can easily take a 2l bladder on each side, or a couple of bottles, plus extra food. So I'll have capacity for 6l of water which should be enough. I might even take an extra bottle just in case.

It's still missing the triangle bag between the bottles - custom made one in the post somewhere.

Overall it will be a bit more ergonomic than my TCR setup, with the rack pack being easier to use than an Apidura and a better triangle bag, but might be slightly less aero with the rack struts. Weight will be slightly up, but only because I'll take more spares.

I can't decide on bottles vs bladder for the rack bag. I've not worked out how to drink effectively from a bladder in the back panniers. I guess I need to put the tube between my legs and fasten it somewhere near my bars, but it is pretty long and there is a risk of it ending up in a wheel. Bottles could be easier as I could just reach them out without stopping and swap over. Then just chuck them at Adelaide.

I've not got my racing wheels on yet. Am debating whether to take the mudguards off and put on wheel covers.

I'll be bivvying with the odd hotel stop. I'm not using a dynamo (saves equivalent of 10W higher threshold power + a big faff) so will need to charge at least every 6-7 nights. I could spin it out as I won't need much power in the Nullarbor: no-one could get lost there as there's only one road and I don't expect the phone signal to be great

Good luck @frank9755. Enjoy sizzling across Australia.

Cheers - was thinking about you when I was trying to work out how to carry 6 litres of water on my bike!

So King Sean's advice about always being up the front is right again... :)

'Twas ever thus

Thanks!
Yes, Kristoff is going to be there. But I did spot that neither he nor Mike are yet listed on the tracker. Maybe a bit of brinkmanship, or not got round to it yet

The tracking site is here:
https://indianpacificwheelrace.maprogress.com/?embed=yes

I'm getting ready to fly off on Wednesday. Trying to minimise time away from wife and work means that I'll not have a load of time to acclimatise and adjust to jet lag when I get there (Thursday lunchtime), but I reckon that jet lag is less of an issue if you're not actually planning to sleep long or at regular hours. It may even be an advantage as the winds seem to be worst in late afternoon, when I might be at my sleepiest.

Today's worry is around stock levels of water and grabbable food at the roadhouses. A guy on the Australian Cycling Forum reckons that they'll run out of stuff after the first half a dozen riders have gone through - each buying 8 bottles of water. I guess that won't be a problem for Sarah!

It will help you appreciate the nice smooth roads across most of Europe

I used SPD's for TCR but I'm actually going to use my racing shoes for IPWR, which have Look Deltas, as I've had some ankle issues, and the Deltas give me more stability.
On the TCR I was pleased to have SPD's when I had to walk during gales in Croatia.

I'm thinking more like Aerocoach services. They're not selling helmets and if no helmet was faster there'd be more riders leaving their sessions without helmets.

You get regulatory creep, with a lot of people wanting to be compatible with UCI as well as CTT rules - or not realising and thinking that they do.

And don't Aerocoach use a velodrome? Most of those venues insist on you wearing a safety helmet, so other options don't get tested.

I'd heard the same as @mdcc_tester regarding the relative performances, but I can't remember where so cannot link.

At some point there might be an advance in tech that would mean they could make a safety helmet that could have such a good shape that it could compensate for its extra bulk, but there's been no step change to suggest we are there yet.

Perhaps try stretching on the bike, I discovered that if I stretch briefly but often then I can hold an aero position for longer

I got this idea from listening to your interview on the 24 last year. I now set an alarm for every 20 minutes and use it for stretching (as well as eating / drinking). It helped me a lot during the TCR, so thanks!
Also I agree, those interviews with Wilko are very useful.

What I don't understand is why do you want to take a load of beer that way? I expect you could stop by a couple of monasteries and get a good backhaul load!

Is there much of a second-hand market for these things?

Ealing Bike Hub used to let you borrow one of theirs for a few days...

I thought it was a Bullitt but I've never seen a Douze, so maybe they look similar. It was white with a black canopy, I've not seen another round here. I'll shout next time I see you!
I'm considering between the two so interesting comments on the handling.

Are they even testing no helmet?

Course not - there's no money in it! The last message a manufacturer wants to see is that their super aero helmet is better than all the competition, but worse than nothing, or than a cheap fairing. But a road helmet has got to be worse - its more or less doubling the size of your head!

Spotted a Bullitt in Ealing on a couple of mornings last week, riding down Sutherland Road / Sutherland Avenue, with an enclosed canopy. Looks good and goes like it rides well.
Also DHL seem to be using them for cargo bikes in town.

Experiment with foods on long rides for sure.

This is as at least as important as all the training. So easy to come unstuck on a 24 by not having the nutrition nailed down. My error on my first attempt was to drink at daylight rates a bit too long into the evening so then I had to pee about 20 times in 2 hours.

The lanes towards the end were sketchy as fuck in the dark with dynamo lighting.

Dynamo lighting has its faults but even I wouldn't blame for the state of roads in the Chilterns

Good article!

Bugger - physio has told me not to ride for a week to let knee and ankle niggles settle down. Just when the decent weather has come :-(

Save £2 to enter Willesden's Sunday Reliability

See you there.

I gave Edgware's one a miss last weekend in protest as they were charging £15!

I've entered the 100km one so may see you at the start. Looks like it will be a nice day.

https://cyclingtips.com/2016/10/video-race-to-the-rock/

Thanks
Yes, accessibility on the go is worth a lot.
Frame bag + bladder would be better from that PoV, and I might be able to get more than 2 litres of water in the frame + have a bit of space left over for other stuff.
What are the best frame bags?

Indian Pacific Wheel Race in Australia

Today's issue is luggage: I reckon I'll need to carry up to 6 litres of water and a day to a day-and-half of food. Current thinking is 2 x 1 litre bottles, as for the TCR, plus 2 x 2 litre bladders.

I'll need at least an extra 4 litres of space for that over what I had on TCR plus probably another couple for food (and batteries!). That will most likely have to go behind me, either:

• upgrade to the biggest Apidura saddle pack, and strap a few extra bits off it if needed - probably the best option from handling point of view but not mega convenient
  
• lightweight rack with dry bag strapped to it - probably no heavier, aero not bad, handling not quite so good, not wonderful for access but quicker to get on/off and pack than Apidura
  
• light rack + one of those rack packs which has zip out panniers. Looks shit, a bit heavier, but better to access, and the pannier bits can zip away when I don't need the water carrying capacity.