As the snow starts falling here in Colorado tonight, I can’t wait for the warm weather and beaches of Maui at the XTERRA World Championships this weekend.

Of course, packing for a race like this is NOT something I look forward to. This is my first XTERRA Worlds, but as they say in the West, it’s not my first rodeo. I’ve packed my bike and gear on airplanes for dozens of races over the years.

Here’s how I’ve found is the best way to pack my bike in a hard case for a flight:

1. Remove both wheel and skewers
2. Take off the pedals
3. Remove the seatpost
4. Reduce tire pressure
5. Remove handlebars and stem
6. Remove deraileur hanger (with derailuer attached)

Place your wheels in disc up and then add the foam padding. Weigh your box and check the weight limit on your airline’s website to see how heavy your box can be. Add as much other gear as you can (shoes, helmet, race food, etc). DON’T put you CO2 canisters in the box (best to buy them at your race destination if you can).

Here’s what I’m bringing to Maui: my Giant Anthem Advanced bike, my Giro Ionos helmet, lots of GU Energy Gel packets, a Hydrapak Gelbot that holds water and GU, Nike cycling shoes and Nike trail racing flats-both with SOLE Custom Footbeds inside, my SixSixOne gloves, extra tubes, Squirt chain lube, a Blackburn pump and a couple of tools.

Tags: XTERRAWorld Championships, Giant Anthem, GU, Giro, SOLE Footbeds