Originally Posted by
unterhausen
I would be curious if you have to explain yourself for the aerobars. They are legal for official riders as long as they don't extend past your brake levers.
I find the mini-aerobars that don't extend beyond the brake levers to be pretty pointless. I use aerobars for comfort, and the mini models offer minimal comfort IME. I agree that full aerobars would make me stick out in a crowd, but I expect they'll only be doing bike checks at the controls, not road-side stops. Anyway, that's something to be decided later.
Originally Posted by
unterhausen
You have to have reflective gear. They started including their reflective gear in the entry, so everyone has the same reflective vest.
This is due to French laws about cycling at night. The laws are not normally enforced except for during organized events (but the rules haven't been invented by the events, which many people assume). I'd be certain to comply with the French law regarding reflectives at night despite not having the official vest.
Originally Posted by
unterhausen
If your lights aren't up to their standards they may harass you for that.
I'd be using German dynamo lights, probably similar to half the field, plus some backup battery-powered models. Obviously, no flashing lights for group riding.
Originally Posted by
unterhausen
Food might be an issue.
I live about 40 km from the French border, so I regularly do long rides there in the Jura and the Alps. All that's needed is a little planning to know which towns have grocery stores, their location and opening hours, plus some extra space in the bags and extra bottles to get through the nights.