Secret Training Race Day Personal Care Kit

One of the products that has got me through the recent race season has been the Secret Training Race Day Personal Care Kit. Developed by SIS founder Tim Lawson, the small zipped bag contains all the essential pre and post-race care products you need.

Preparation is really important if you want to get the most out of any bike ride or race, and equally caring for your body afterwards isn't just about cleaning the bike. With that in mind, the Care Kit includes everything you need to prepare the body for a ride, and everything you need to clean up after.

There is start oil for warming up cold legs, chamois cream, sunscreen and lip balm and, for pinning your race number to your jersey, a small metal of safety pins. For after the race, you get a post-race wash spray, two microfibre body cloths, a pack of hygiene wipes and hand sanitiser.

It's everything you need before and after a ride. Now, there's nothing to stop you buying all the components separately and assembling the pack yourself, but the beauty of the Secret Training Race Day Personal Care Kit is that is all comes ready to go.

I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical when it first arrived, but I gave it a chance and after a couple of rides and races, I found myself converted. The bag now lives in my kit bag so travels with me to all my races. It's so handy having everything you need instantly accessible. It comes in very useful when you have no choice but to get changed in the car - oh the glamour of amateur racing.

There's also space in the bag to customise it with any extras you might need, and it has become a regular travel bag for trips away and events requiring a bit of travelling, so you can stick some deodorant, toothpaste and brush, spare contact lenses and anything else you might need in the bag.

Each of the products works well. The chamois cream in particular is excellent, very similar to something like DZNuts or Chapeau Chamois Cream in consistency. It's a small tube though and doesn't last long, but you can buy replacements from the Secret Training website (so you could buy any other products individually if you don't want the whole Care Kit).

Having a tin of pins has become very useful on a number of occasions, I'm now never short on pins. Yes you could buy a bag of pins from the shop but I'm just not that organised. This just shows the attention to detail put into the Care Kit.

The start oil works just like any embrocation, but it's very runny and can be quite messy to apply if you're not quick to wipe it in. I'm dubious about its benefits, but then I'm not a fan of embrocation generally.

The other products works just fine. The sunscreen smells lovely and is easily applied, the post-race wash works a treat at remove dried flem, encrusted salt and road grime, and the hand sanitiser is a nice addition.

Each of the products can be bought individually, useful when you run out, with the whole kit costing £49.99. That seems quite a bit, but each of the products is competitively priced compared to similar offerings from rival companies.

It's a really well thought out bag with all the essentials you need for before and after a race. Even if you don't race, it's useful for regular cyclists, either to have at home or keep at the office.

There's been plenty of development of care products for the bicycles we ride, but there is now a growing market for care products for the cyclist, with new brands coming to the market all the time.

With this debut care kit, Secret Training have established themselves with a really well thought out products that provides everything the performance cyclist needs before and after a race, ride or event.

Verdict

Everything you need before and after a race in one handy zipped bag