My packing list

EVOC travel case: 22Kg as packed

• Bike with bidon and pump, phone case
• Hex driver set, pedal spanner, zip ties
• Underseat bag with tube, tyre levers, multi-tool, inflater, puncture kit
• Container with chain lube, degreaser, tyre sealant, chux, spare CO2 cylinders, spoke tool, valve tool
• Spare tyre and spare spokes

Salewa backpack: 7Kg as packed

• Knicks*2, jerseys*2, gloves*2, socks*2, cap,
• Arm warmers, spray jacket, baselayer, 
• Helmet
• Socks, hankies, knickers (3+)
• Hat, swimmers
• Shirts (3+)
• Shorts
• Trousers
• Cycling shoes

Salewa day pack:

• Electrolytes, chamois cream
• Tail light
• Handlebar bag, GPS, map case
• D-lock
• Cycling glasses in soft case
• Bathroom bag+basic pharma+sunscreen
• Detergent for four washes
• Camera spare battery, wifi module, charger and gorillapod, USB chargers
• Fresh shirt and undies

Pacsafe shoulder bag: waiting on phone, glasses and wallet

• Wallet, passport, ticket
• GoPuck with the three USB cables, second microUSB cable
• Camera and second lens
• Phone, headphones, Kobo
• Glasses in case

Wearing:

• Light jacket, LS shirt, shoes, socks, knickers, trousers with plaited belt

Dress rehearsal

I travelled by plane to spend Easter with my parents. As well as being about seeing them it was also a dress rehearsal for the Italy trip.

• My touring bike in the Evoc case travelled safely, and even including helmet, shoes and cycling clothing in the bag it was 22Kg.
• The route was plane to Brisbane and then train to the Gold Coast, very similar to the luggage handling I'll have to do via FCO. Coming back there was track work and so we had to change to bus from South Brisbane to Roma Street... no problem.
• The bike case wheels pretty well.
• I rode three days in a row, and the first two days were pretty similar in profile and distance to the first two days from Viareggio to Greve in Chianti. I felt pretty good after each day's ride.
• The camera coped well, especially in terms of battery life. I can easily get two days of moderate use out of a battery, so with two fully charged I'll be in good shape.
• On thing I will have to take to Italy is the charger cable for my Pebble. Not needed for five days but certainly required for two weeks!

All in all a successful trial run. Now I just have to stay in some sort of condition over the winter.

At least I have a few events planned for May and June, the NSW Discovery weekend at Bateman's Bay and Melburn Roobaix and another trip to the Gold Coast in August.

My last booking done!

... well not counting a few train tickets etc. but all my accommodation is now booked.

I finally bit the bullet and booked the night at the Dubai Airport Hotel on the way home. It is about 10 hours from arrival to departure which is more than enough for a good night's sleep. The hotel is expensive, but if I went out and came back in again I'd lose two or three of those hours because of customs, immigration, dealing with my bike in both directions etc.

Weighing it all up

Luggage Allowance

The checked luggage allowance is 30Kg. Based on the Gold Coast trip, the touring bike packed into the EVOC travel case, with wheels, pump, spares and tools is 20kg.

So for my remaining ten kilograms...

The Salewa backpack with the day pack zipped off is 2.3 kilograms. That means seven kilograms of clothing etc. Then I can use the Salewa day pack as my carry on for 6.5Kg of denser stuff (shoes, toiletries...). I'll probably put my cycling shoes in here too.

I will also take one of the Pacsafe shoulder bags, probably the larger (blue) one to hold most of the electronics.

When I arrive at Fiumicino, I'll recombine the two packs, giving me two hands free to handle the bike! Then in Firenze, it will be time to repack into on-bike and off-bike so that only one bag needs to be carried from town to town.

Flights booked

What a saga! The codesharing and the cutthroat nature of the airline business means that it now takes a fair bit of hunting to find the best and cheapest deal. Eventually with bestflights.com.au I was able to get a $1750 airfare which has pretty good itinerary, out via Melbourne and in via Sydney. QANTAS branding the whole way although most segments are really Emirates.

Arrive in Rome at around 8pm on Saturday night, so I'll probably find a local hotel at Fiumicino or in Roma near the train station.

Only drawback is a nine hour stopover in Dubai on the way back... probably worth crashing at the airport hotel.

I got the insurance sorted too.

Which flights?

The September 2014 flights are now becoming available on the web at Emirates. As of today the 24th, the open window goes up until the 16th September, whereas I need the 20th. So four more days until I can book. The price for most flight itineraries is $1615 return.

Right now the best combo for me is:

Outbound

EK0413 leaves Sydney at 21:10 on Friday, and after a three hour break in Dubai arrives in Rome at 13:15 on Saturday, so I can make a 5pm flight or thereabouts from Canberra.

Return

EK0096 Saturday at 22:00 from Rome, arriving after a four hour stop in Dubai at 06:05 on Monday. Plenty of time time make it to work. There has to be some advantage in having an office at BBP :-)

Early Bird fares are out

The Emirates early bird fares for next year are out. They are cheaper than the same fares in 2010 and 2012!

Flights

I asked our corporate travel people at FlightCentre what was the cheapest way to buy tickets for one of the preferred airlines (QANTAS, Virgin, Etihad, Emirates) and when to buy. The answer is that the November travel expo has slightly cheaper deals than the February one so it the best way unless I want to gamble on last minute deals (no thanks). These airlines are preferred because they offer 30Kg baggage allowance which makes all the difference when you take a bike.

So wait until November it is!