Hellenic Mountain Race Pack List

In late May I lined up at the start of Hellenic Mountain Race. A 900km / 30,000m off-road race through the Pindus mountains in Greece.

At the inaugural edition last year, weather conditions were so bad that only 25% of racers made it to the finish. When I was packing for this race, early weather reports looked slightly more promising, but knowing that good weather is never a sure thing in the mountains, I still packing everything I would need to stay safe in bad weather. During the race we rode through a wide variety of weather patterns from bad storms to incredibly hot midday sun. 

I toured 360km to the start line from Athens over 4 days and then chilled for 3 days before the race started. I took a Tailfin Aeropack for normal clothes for before and after the race, which I removed and replaced with a smaller seatpack for the race itself.

I always pack relatively cautiously for these events while still trying to be considerate of weight. Luxury items included my two cameras, which weigh about 500g combined.

The bike

Sour Pasta Party
Rockshox SID Ultimate 120mm fork
SRAM Eagle mechanical drivetrain
Actofive crank
Magura brakes
Duke rims
Hope 4 rear hub
SON Dynamo 28 front hub
Crankbrothers dropper post
Schwalbe Racing Ray/Ralph 2.35” tires

The bags

Carrie Gere Supply Vest
Carrie Gere frame bag
Carrie Gere stem bags
Tailfin Aeropack / Apidura seatpack
Tailfin top tube bag
Topeak front roll harness

Sleep system

Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt (5ºC)
Katabatic Pinon Bivy
Thermarest NeoAir Xlite
Exped Ultra Pillow

Clothes

– Worn
Pedaled Merino long sleeve base layer
MAAP Alt_Road long sleeve t-shirt
Pedaled cargo bibs
Colourful Standard sports bra
Pedaled/MAAP socks
Pedaled x Fizik Ergolace shoes
Alba Optics STRATOS sunglasses
Pedaled buff

– Carried
Goretex Shakedry raincoat
Goretex Rain pants
Sealskin waterproof socks
Sealskin waterproof gloves
Rapha shorts 
Haglofs lightweight down jacket
Merino leggings (for sleeping)
Mountain Hardwear AirMesh Hoodie (for sleeping)
Merino socks (for sleeping)
Bandana

Tools and spares

Multitool – Topeak Mini 18+
Mini pocket knife – Leatherman Squirt
Mini pump
Tire levers x2 – Pedros
Plug driver – Dynaplug Racer Pro
Tubeless valve remover tool
Chain lube + microfibre cloth
Needle & floss
Quick links x2
Small bit of chain
Innertube (normal)
Innertube (lightweight)
Pre glued patches
Tire boot
Spare valve core x2
Safety pins
Zipties
Electrical tape (wrapped around pump)
Spare derailleur hanger
Spare brake pads
Spare cleat + 2 bolts
60ml sealant 

Electronics

Phone – Iphone 12 mini
2x USB-C cables, 1x Lightning cable
Wall charger
20,000 mAh Power Bank – Anker 325
Headlamp – Nitecore NU25 UL
GPS – Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT
Dynamo setup (front light & charger) – kLite MTB
Rear light – Supernova 5v
Heartrate monitor – Polar H9
Camera – Ricoh GRiii
Action camera – GoPro Hero12 Black w/ bite mount

Food & Water

2L water bladder
500ml soft bottles x2
1L water bottle – Nalgene Ultralite
Spork – Snowpeak Titanium
Empty ziplock bags – loads
Electrolytes – Powerbar
Carb drink mix – Tailwind Endurance mix
Protein drink mix – Tailwind Recovery mix
Water filter – Sawyer Squeeze

Toiletries & Medical

Small toothbrush
Small tube of toothpaste
Nappy cream for saddle sores
Teatree & lavender spray
Wetwipes
Tampons
50SPF suncream
50SPF lip balm
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Imodium
Antiseptic wipes
Plasters
Bandage & tape
Steristrips
Purification tablets
Emergency blanket
Tic remover

What’s in each bag

Front drybag

This is purely for sleeping stuff that really can’t get wet, including sleeping clothes and quilt.

Toptube bag

The toptube bag is for electronics. My dynamo cable feeds through the port at the front of the toptube bag and into the K-lite charger which is plugged into my battery pack. My rear light cable also feeds into this bag through a channel in my frame bag. When it starts to get dark I can plug it in without stopping.
 

Frame bag

The frame bag is for quick access items that I’ll need throughout the day including tools, food, toiletries and medical stuff.

Stem bags

The stem bags are for things I wanna grab with the most convenience including suncream, snacks, electrolytes, action camera.

Seat pack

Spare shorts and socks, bivy, sleeping pad, pillow. 

Supply vest

2L of water in the rear pocket and 2x 500ml soft bottles up front for liquid calories and electrolytes.

The main bag is for rain gear. This is kept separate from all other clothes/sleeping stuff to ensure nothing else gets wet. By keeping it in the vest, it’s quickly accessible if the weather turns.

The front pockets are for my phone, camera, gloves and bandana for quick access.