Originally Posted by
Koyote
I’m curious why you think that saddlebags would be disallowed in races. After all, race directors have strong interests in everyone making it back to the finish line under their own power.
Century Road Club Association, the organization that hosts all the local licensed criterium and stage races in my neck of the woods, explicitly forbids lights, pumps, or saddle bags on participants' bikes during road races. I just assumed that was standard protocol for all such licensed races.
(Admittedly I have no idea what standard protocol for
off-road races might be.)