Don’t let anyone persuade you that bikepacking is glamorous. It’s most definitely not. Picture a puffy-eyed, sweaty cyclist shovelling in pastries on the go, crumbs flying everywhere, and that’s pretty much the look I’ve been going for.
All jokes aside, over these past two weeks as I’ve ridden through France, Belgium, a smidge of Germany, Switzerland and now Italy, I’ve been conscious of making sure I’m getting enough carbohydrates to allow me to ride pretty much all day and staying hydrated in the relentless heat.
There has been a fair amount of food on offer but there have also been times when I’ve been so rural or shops have been closed and I’ve had to adapt.
Keeping up with carbs
I started off this trip with a few packs of Precision Fuel and Hydration carb chews and carb drink, and this stuff has been fantastic. The chews are super-easy to digest and taste like Turkish delight, and it’s easy to slosh in a few spoonfuls of carb powder into my bottle every day.
However, there’s something about real food that just hits better so I still have a few chews and a bit of carb powder left. It’s good to know that if I can’t find food for whatever reason I can dip into my own carb supply.
I found great solace and joy with the baguettes in France and making delectable sandwiches. These were mainly packed with some sort of tomato pasta sauce and cheese, though at one point I switched to pesto, which then leaked in my bag; karma for the upgrade I guess.
My routine in France was to find a boulangerie early, get a few pastries and a baguette, and find the fillings later. One day in a rather rural area I missed every food store possible and ended up having a plain baguette for lunch. In all fairness it was a good baguette.
In Italy, it’s been pizza, pizza and more pizza and now I am keen for pasta.
Hydration
On day two I was pedalling through Belgium and ran out of water. It was hot and I was an idiot, to put it frankly. Luckily I met a man closing up his restaurant and he kindly helped me out but I learnt a good lesson that day: always fill up with water when you can, otherwise you will regret it greatly.
Raff Hussey, who’s a sport scientist and athlete support for Precision Fuel and Hydration, told me to get a mini bottle of Robinson’s squash to add to my water when it gets boring. That was a truly brilliant piece of advice and has helped hugely. I would like to find another mini bottle.
Switzerland was a dream for water – water fountains are everywhere and the water tastes great. I picked up some electrolytes and caffeine tablets in a bike shop there too, which have been a lovely addition to my liquid intake.
I’ve recently taken to having one bottle mixed full of whatever is on offer – be it iced tea, Fanta, lemonade, Oasis… it all goes in to my 750ml bottle and I then add water. Sometimes it’s too sweet but sometimes it’s some sort of miracle-making wonder drink.
Sugar rush
I think I might need to go to the dentist, since I just can’t seem to escape sugar. It is everywhere – in the delicious pastries, the chewy cereal bar, and the gelato to which I have become addicted. It’s the perfect mid-ride pick-me-up and the ideal post-ride celebration. I can see myself having it pre-ride one day too.
Sometimes I need and want the sugar, but other times I wish I brought my electric toothbrush (a note to Cyclist deputy editor James Spender: I have in fact got a lightweight bamboo-bristled non-electric toothbrush, much to my dental detriment).
Of course, it doesn’t help that I love chocolate brioche and that has heavily featured in all countries.
A few surprises
I definitely wasn’t expecting to become so attached to tins of sweetcorn. Both refreshing and nourishing, those little tins feel like the non-tropical world’s watermelon. At least that’s how I was seeing it until Italy when the real deal stepped up. It’s not the easiest thing to transport on a bike, though.
Fresh apricots have also been a delight whenever I can get my hands on them, and for some strange reason most mid-mornings I find myself craving fruit juice, so I duly oblige. There have been moments on the bike where I have dreamt about eating a boiled egg too. I think I must have needed protein.
I have no doubt there will be some weird and wacky foodstuffs to come, I just hope they aren’t all beige. Stay tuned for more updates.
another great story, thank you. sounds like you are finding good quality food to eat, no just processed stuff. Trips through Europe makes you notice how accessible good food should be, and fruit picked when ripe for eating rather than for transporting.