The burning question is, do I take the rack off my bike, in a feeble attempt to look sporty and reduce weight? And if I did that, should I go the whole hog and remove my mudguards? (The answer to this latter question is NO! I hate faffing around with mudguards)
I'll probably leave the rack - if I took it off then some important bolts and stuff would inevitably have disappeared when I came to refit it - but I'll swap out my rack pack for a wedge bag and take less in the way of tools and emergency stuff. As it's mainly flat, a bit of extra weight isn't going to make any difference.
I'll take some food, as the advertised "energy gels, bars and hydration tabs" don't grab me and the BBQ doesn't come until late in the ride. But not my usual huge stash of sandwiches, pork pies and malt loaf.
Decisions, decisions.