Words by Sour Athlete Leanne Bentley
In August I’ll be taking on the Silk Road Mountain Race which will be the longest, and most remote race I’ve ever done. Because of this, I’ve made some changes to my usual race setup, which I’ll dig into before giving a full breakdown of everything I’m taking. Before all that though, let’s talk about the bike!
I’ll be racing on my Sour Pasta Party. It’s the newest version of the frame which has a slightly slacker front end for more confidence downhill and comes equipped with a UDH and a 31.6mm seat tube. I’ve gone for a raw paint job which I love the look of, and it also saves a few grams which is a bonus.
The Bike
Sour Pasta Party 2025, size M
Manitou R8 120mm fork
Reynolds carbon rims
QVIST rear hub
SON 28 dynamo front hub
Schwalbe Racing Ray/Ralph 2.35”
SRAM GX mechanical groupset
SRAM X01 165mm carbon cranks
Magura Trail Sport brakes
Redshift suspension seatpost
Pro Taper stem
Renthal carbon bar
Profile Designs aerobars
SQlab inner bar ends
The race takes us on a 2000km adventure through Kyrgyzstan, spending a significant amount of time above 3000m, and reaching 4000m on more than one occasion. There are long sections without resupply and a 30km hike-a-bike that we’ve been warned could take a full day to complete. Temperatures can also reach -10 on the low end, and +40 on the high end. Because of these unique challenges, I know I’ll need more carrying capacity than I usually have for races – for the first time I’ll be taking a tent, a sleeping bag rated to -7 and a lots of layers for all weather conditions.
To tackle the extra-long hike-a-bike I’ve also decided to take a second pair of shoes that are more appropriate for hiking. After an achilles injury last year, the idea of hiking 30km in stiff cycling shoes doesn’t sound like a great idea. After exploring many options, I stumbled across some Salomon water shoes that have a proper trail sole for hiking. Because there are many, many river crossings in this race, the idea that I can wear them for two purposes is appealing, and because they’re water shoes they’re also lightweight and quick drying.
To store the shoes and the tent, I’ve installed a lightweight Mica rack with some Tailfin cages to strap the shoes to. I’ve made a lightweight dry bag for the top with a big stretchy pocket to stash an extra layer and some snacks. To top it off, my friend Aaron 3D printed me a custom mount for my dynamo powered rear light.
From chatting with friends who’ve raced SRMR before, I’m preparing myself for long stretches of washboard, and because of this, and just the general length of the race, I’ve installed a Redshift suspension seat post to smooth out the bumps and keep me comfortable for longer.
For the long stretches without resupply I’ll also be bringing 4 freeze-dried meals that I’ll cold soak, and a big bag of Tailwind endurance fuel.
The Bags
Carrie Gere Ultra 200X frame bag
Carrie Gere rack bag
Carrie Gere 11L drybag
Tailfin 3L Top Tube bag
Carrie Gere Supply Vest
Sleeping kit
Tarp Tent Rainbow Li
Cumulus X-Lite 400 sleeping bag
Therm-a-Rest Neoair Xlite
Exped Ultra pillow
Kit
Albion Sleeveless mesh baselayer
Mountain Hardwear Crater Lake sun hoodie
Albion Women’s ABR1 Pocket Bib Shorts
Sweet Protection Helmet
Alba Optics Sunglasses
Extra layers
Albion Body Warmer
Albion Ultralight Insulated Jacket
Albion buff
Icebreaker merino thermal top
Albion Zoa Rain Shell
Albion Zoa Rain Trousers
Albion Zoa Mountain Jacket
Albion Zoa Shorts
DexShell Ultra Thin Waterproof socks
Merino liner socks
Merino liner gloves
Decathlon MT500 waterproof mits
Carrie Gere Alpha Direct pyjamas
Salomon Techamphibian 5 water shoes
Eat/Drink
2L Evoc bladder
2x 500ml Soloman soft bottles
Snowpeak Titanium spork
Sawyer Squeeze water filter
Tailwind Endurance Fuel (845g bag)
SIS hydration tablets
10x SIS Beta gels
4x Firepot XL meals
Tools
Silca multitool
Leatherman Squirt pocket knife
Silca Gravelero pump
Dynaplug Racer Pro
2x Schwalbe tire levers
Spare derailleur hanger
3x Spare brake pads
2x Quick link
Spare cleat + 2 bolts
60ml Sealant
Schwalbe innertube
Schwalbe Aerothan innertube
Park Tool pre-glued super patches
Hypalon patches & superglue
Needle & floss
Zip ties
Safety pins
Electronics
Iphone
2x USB-C cables
Anker 325 Powerbank 20,000mAh
Wall charger
Nitecore NU25 UL head torch
KLite dynamo MTB light and charging unit
Supernova 5v rear light
Polar H10 heart rate monitor
Wahoo Bolt
Toiletries/Medical
50SPF sun cream
50SPF lip balm
Nappy cream (for saddle sores)
Hand sanitizer
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Wetwipes
Tampons
Imodium
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Water purification tablets
Bandage
Tape
Steristrips
Antiseptic wipes
Emergency blanket
I’ll be spending a whole month in Kyrgyzstan, heading out almost 2 weeks before the race to slowly tour the first 250km of the route. Because the race quickly hits 4000m, it’s not possible to rock up a few days before the start – a decent acclimation period is needed. I’m excited to explore the country at a more chill pace before getting fully into race mode.
– Leanne –
