Even though the Estrada Real seems to be made for cycle tourism this kind of travel still seems to be in its fledgling stage. It was therefore a bit complicated for us to find reliable information to plan our trip. We found a couple of useful blogs in Portuguese but still where unsure on e.g. how much altitude difference we would have to face, where we could stay the night how good the signposting of the Estrada Real would be. Online we mainly found expensive accomodation - mainly fazenda hotels and ´chique´ pousadas and therefore decided to take a small and light tent - just in case! Regarding the signposting and altitude differences we hoped to find a better map in Ouro Preto...
During our preparation period Flavio mainly took care of the bikes and spare parts and I studied maps, blogs, googled for sights, hotels, camping grounds... The hardest part of the planning definately was minimizing weight and at the same time being prepared for all eventuallities. We finally managed to put all our stuff in one 30l Deuter Transalpine backpack, a smaller light bag and another 18l backpack. We decided for backpacks and against panniers because we needed ´free hands´ to carry our bikes to the bus stations and also would be more flexible when leaving the bikes and stopping for sights, restaurants or shops on the way. But we took a bunch of big plastic bags (bin liner) and elastics with us so we could put the backpags on the carrier rack without getting dirty. A positive side effect of the bin liners is also that they look much less attractive then brand new paniers or backpacks and might not lead pick pockets into temptation :-)
When we called the bus company going from Rio de Janeiro to Ouro Preto they informed us that we had to put the bikes into a box and if on hand, bring the sales check or another proof that the bike was ours. Thank God there is a bike shop really close to where we live and it was no problem to get two bike boxes.
After a lot of careful consideration we finally decided on taking the following equipment with us:
Personal...
- cycling clothes
- one set of ´normal clothes´
- 2 thin towels
- toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo etc.
- insect repellent
- first aid kit
(- we didn´t take sun cream but you might need it if not used to the sun over here)
- bin liners to protect bags and clothes against the dust
- thermos bottle
- knife and spoon
- camera and recharger
- cellphone and recharger
Bike...
- patches to fix flat tires and 4 spare tubes
- a set of spare break pads
- tachometer / odometer
- small brush (e.g. toothbrush) and cloths to clean the bike
- lubricant spray
- tool kit
Camping...
- small tent (Azteq Mini Pack 1.75kg, http://www.azteq.com.br/produtos/detail.aspx?id=15)
- sleeping bag
- light camping mat
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