The café stop. Whether your goal is to achieve sustained endurance efforts, or enjoy all of the social aspects cycling has to offer, in my eyes at least, stopping at a café is an integral part of a successful ride. Besides, there are only so many snacks you can carry in your back pockets.
With so many options to pick from on the menu, it can be too tempting to always opt for the gooey double chocolate cake. But is this really the best fuel for your ride? We share our favourite café stop foods, perfect for all types of ride.
Short or low intensity rides
If you’re riding up to about 30 km or at a relaxed pace, serious refuelling isn’t really a necessity as your café stop is more about enjoyment.
Food: Banana bread or a small flapjack is perfect. These sweet treats provide a quick carbohydrate boost without being overly heavy.
Drink: A flat white or cappuccino adds a touch of caffeine for focus, while still keeping things simple. Want a healthier option? A small black Americano has just 10 calories! When the sun is shining, beer tastes the best but we do not advocate drinking whilst riding 🙂
Target Carbs per hour when riding: 30g
View this post on Instagram
Medium rides or moderate-intensity efforts
Covering 30 to 60 km or pushing yourself a bit harder? You’ll need a balance of carbs and protein to keep your energy up and support muscle recovery:
Food: Time to have a little more than some cake… A panini or sandwich with lean protein like chicken or hummus is a great choice. It’s filling without being overwhelming, and the mix of protein and carbs is ideal for recovery. It’s also really comforting especially during a cold winter ride.
Drink: As well as a coffee, a freshly squeezed juice or smoothie offers hydration and a natural sugar boost.
Target Carbs per hour when riding: 30g – 60g
Long rides
If you’re tackling over 60 km or pushing yourself to your limits, you are of course going to need to eat and drink more to maintain a good level of performance.
Food: Go for something substantial, like poached eggs on whole-grain toast with avocado. This combination delivers high-quality protein and slow-release carbs to sustain you over the long haul. Energy balls or protein bars are also excellent for quick and portable refuelling. Not every café will offer these, so a flapjack is a good alternative with slow-release carbs.
Drink: Not many cafes are going to sell electrolyte sports drinks but lots sell coconut water which is a natural and brilliant way to replenish salts and keep you hydrated. If you’re craving something comforting, a hot chocolate can provide both carbs and a touch of protein (if made with milk).
Target Carbs per hour when riding: 60g – 90g
View this post on Instagram
Emergency-I’ve blown to bits
We’ve all been there. Hit the dreaded bonk from not fuelling properly. For anyone who has not bonked or is new to cycling, bonking is a term used to describe when your body runs out of readily available energy in the form of glycogen, the primary fuel source stored in the muscles and liver. Depending on how hard you have depleted your glycogen stores will be the main factor in determining whether or not you can be rescued.
A firm favourite of mine is chocolate fudge cake (choc fudge not essential: any cake is better than no cake), double espresso and a 500ml bottle of full fat Coke (the red ambulance!). If this doesn’t get you back to some sort of normality quickly, nothing will.
A final note…Stopping isn’t bad, but getting cold is!
I’d happily put myself forward as CEO on the board of essential café stops when cycling, but there are occasions when stopping isn’t really an option.
If possible, avoid sitting outside during cold periods. Even though it may be sunny, cycling kit really isn’t great at keeping you warm when you’re not moving.
If you are soaked through, it’s time for a splash and dash at the local fuel station because unless you’re standing next to an open fire, you’re going to get colder. Keep riding and get home. Secondly, spare a thought for the other people at the café. No one is going to want to be sat next to a sopping wet cyclist, nor are the café staff going to want to have to clean up after you.
Finally, have you considered what you are going to do with your bike when you stop? If it’s left unlocked outside of a café, it’s not covered. Either take your bike in with you or lock it to an immovable object using an approved lock. For more info on locks, check out our bicycle security blog here
