11/08/2026
I bet he’s reaching for a crisp packet.
I know I always have one somewhere in the tool roll.
Not because I’m especially committed to mid-ride snacks — although that helps — but because an empty crisp packet can be surprisingly useful if you badly cut a tyre and need something to sit between the casing and the inner tube.
It got me thinking about all the slightly odd things cyclists carry because, at some point, they learned the hard way.
So I’ve pulled together 5 less obvious things worth packing for a sportive — the sort of stuff you don’t always think about until you suddenly really need it.
There’s a chain quick-link, disposable gloves, emergency cash, offline route prep… and, yes, the humble crisp packet.
You can get pretty much everything on the list at PAU Run and Ride Trentham.
For the crisp packet, you’ll have to pop into the PAU Café , buy the crisps and make the sacrifice of eating them first. Nom nom.
But what’s the weirdest or most unexpectedly useful thing you always take on a big ride?
And what happened that made you start carrying it? 👇
