BEST PUB FOOD

[3peaker]

BEST PUB FOOD

Many of our events make reliance of Commercial food outlets for our ride sustenance.  We are not like sportifs where a table of cakes, dried fruit and energy drinks is expected and we ‘grab and go’.

We have time to savour and often a choice, within a town of what to use – supermarket/ café/garage food shelves.

But what about when we use a remote Pub, when there is little other alternate food point en route within many miles or it is a convenient Commercial Control.

I had this dilemma with my recent Gospel Pass200/Hoarwithy 100 routes.  Great routes (so you say-thanks) but can we improve the fayre/price?

Naturally, we are at the discretion of the Landlord and how he is willing to accommodate us.  We are a pain, for unless we include a meal charge in the entry fee, we might call in for a Control but we do not have to buy!  That is, unless the Menu is nicely enticing.

So what do you like to eat and at what distance, say, in a 200.  We need to balance sweet and savoury.  Also, what are you willing to pay, especially when you can easily carry a few energy bars to stave off the Bonk.

SteveP

[BlackSheep]

BEST PUB FOOD
Many of our events make reliance of Commercial food outlets for our ride sustenance.  We are not like sportifs where a table of cakes, dried fruit and energy drinks is expected and we ‘grab and go’.
We have time to savour and often a choice, within a town of what to use – supermarket/ café/garage food shelves.
But what about when we use a remote Pub, when there is little other alternate food point en route within many miles or it is a convenient Commercial Control.
I had this dilemma with my recent Gospel Pass200/Hoarwithy 100 routes.  Great routes (so you say-thanks) but can we improve the fayre/price?
Naturally, we are at the discretion of the Landlord and how he is willing to accommodate us.  We are a pain, for unless we include a meal charge in the entry fee, we might call in for a Control but we do not have to buy!  That is, unless the Menu is nicely enticing.
So what do you like to eat and at what distance, say, in a 200.  We need to balance sweet and savoury.  Also, what are you willing to pay, especially when you can easily carry a few energy bars to stave off the Bonk.

Hi Steve.
The cyclists certainly certainly seemed to have a gret day. You have raised a whole raft of issues that are intertwined. some impossible to answer, most very simple.
I've always tried to use the simple ones - it seems to work.

Well I'm off to ride the Silk Run now, as a final recce for next weeks ride

[MSeries]

So what do you like to eat and at what distance, say, in a 200.  We need to balance sweet and savoury.  Also, what are you willing to pay, especially when you can easily carry a few energy bars to stave off the Bonk.

I tend to eat a two couse lunch spread over two controls. Maybe with a bacon sandwich at the first control as a late breakfast. Main course at the second control, perhaps beans on toast then some sort of sweet pudding with custard at the third control. I prefer to avoid pubs, service is often slow and I prefer to avoid pubs if I am not drinking alcohol. I prefer not to drink alcohol on randonees though I do indulge sometimes. So distances say every 60km or so. I like supermarket cafes, informal, cheap with plenty of space for bike parking.

[Hot Flatus]

If the pub isn't amenable and friendly don't use it

[MercuryKev]

A home made soup and bread roll option tends to go down well backed up with some home baking.

[MattH]

Food wise, on a short ride I tend to like something quick and easy - baked potato with beans, beans on toast, fried breakfast. (all on one plate, please!), and somewhere round 120-150km - earlier is to early in the ride to have built up a buffer, later and I'm looking towards the finish.

Could the pub be persuaded to put on a special "cyclists menu" with options around this kind of food being guaranteed to be fast, with the option of ordering off the main menu for a potentially slower service?

[MSeries]

The North West Passage starts and finishes in  a pub. It's not open for business at the start but at the end one gets a voucher for pie and peas, included in the entry fee and most people buy a drink too. Perhaps that's the way to go, persuade the pub to put on a set menu (no choices), include it in the entry fee and pay them in advance.

[Julian]

Being small, I prefer to eat little and often, so on a 200 a control every 50 - 60km is ideal.  I'll have something small (flapjack usually, often that I've brought with me myself) at the first and third, and buy something from a commercial control around halfway along.  Just after halfway (110 - 115ish) is good for morale.  If it was a pub then I have a particular soft spot for ploughmans-style lunches, or sandwich-and-chips. 

[Graeme Wyllie]

I normally plan one major stop on a 200 or 300, ideally at or just short of half way - supplemented by probably two other lesser refuelling stops.  I'm probably slightly unusual though (I dont see many others doing the same) as before an event I will eat as much as i can around 20-30 mins before the start.  So, for example before a 200k where I have travelled to the start I'll have a 2nd breakfast (bagel with jam n peanut butter, roll with cheesy omelette etc etc with a coffee from the flask.) 
     
What do I like to eat during an event?  Soup (is normally the quickest thing too), omelettes, baked tatties, any or all of a cooked breakfast, pasta (esp lasagne), rice based stuff like risotto or biryani although not widely available at yer avergae caff.  Typically, most cakes and puds are good.  Id tend towards "mush" and away from anything thats too much work to eat (I love toasted sandwiches generally but not on an audax).  Ditto chips even soggy ones.  Strong lattes too, as I dont do fizzy drinks but like my caffeine. 

How much am I willing to pay?  Happy to pay top whack if the quality of food and service justifies it.   I think I have had a large £15+ lunch at Moffat on Edinburgh - Preston - Edinburgh once and not a glass of chateau musar in sight  .  Conversly, if the quality is crap, I'll avoid a place even if its cheap and the only show in town and I'm ill with hunger.  Places like the cafe at  Fishnish ferry terminal on Mull. 

[Euan Uzami]

I also like savoury at one, sweet at the next. Don't like bacon though generally as it's too salty.
Prefer not much more than 60km between.
Good, strong, coffee, quick service, adequate, visible bike parking are all as important as quality/range of food.

[eck]

What do I like to eat during an event? 

Pastry-based snacks.
You forgot them. 

[Weirdy Biker]

Traditional pub fayre is often a bit too heavy on a 200.  I prefer light lunch - beans on toast, soups, baked potatoes with cheese, etc.  Basically a bit of carb with protein.

I thought the pasta and the soup at the Pandy Inn on the GP200 covered a lot of bases.  A baked potato with choice of filling would also have been good.  It was also quick out the kitchen, which is important in my book.

[tral-rat]

pie powered over here .....

and a bad one i know but i do like to have coke at stops - just to break up the monotony of zipvit/water - seems to settle my stomach too.

First control has to be a strong black coffee though - will avoid this and push on  if i suspect its instant im going to get - ie at durness's alternate cafe on sat .

[3peaker]

Thanks all for those comments.  I have just done an Organisers post event ride, so was able to talk to one of the Pubs.

Feedback from the 76/134km Pub control seems to be that about ¼ of riders ate at the pub, most took soup whilst not many took the pasta option.

On the 100km at 62km I subsidised (by £1) a pasta meal.  There were 16 takers from 42 riders, about 1/3 take up but these were more leisurely and senior riders than on the 200.

I rode the 200 on Sunday and had a cheese toastie at 90km, 6km before the steep pull to the Gospel Pass. I took soup and roll at 134km; it seemed just right for me and preceded a 200m steep climb, so not too much. The pubs are well placed but in remote areas without a local café, so Beans on Toast is not an option unless you have it early in Monmouth 51km or late in Hay at 107km, both before climbs, so the secret with food on this ride is a little but often.  The 76/134km Pub is keen to be included next year; these comments will be useful to keep most parties happy.  I do have an alternative to hire the VH at Pandy, just 1km from the Control Pub.  Big problem here is logistics to man it from 60miles away (Cheltenham), unless local volunteers were handy.  If offered to a local group, then they would keep profits (for Org or Charity), which to me is no different to providing a local Pub with trade.  Of course, the Cyclist might have more appropriate bikey food. And probably cheaper too.

I have asked (email) the Pubs for feedback and their willingness to host us in future years.  Your comments virtually follow some of my food preferences but the nature of the Gospel Pass 200, with several long and steep climbs, is for small portions often.  That also matches having energy bars on board.

SteveP

[Gandalf]

Sorry only just seen this.  I've never done an Audax or a Sportif, so I'm probably not qualified to comment; but the biggest thing for me would be having something I could actually eat.  I suspect that I would really struggle to find anything vegan.  I'd imagine vegetarians would fare rather better.

This is one of the reasons I have never entered a Sportif, as I'd resent coughing up my £25 or whatever and ending up with nothing, apart from maybe a couple of bananas.  Incidentally I asked Wiggle about what food would be available on their events and got a very terse reply along the lines of ' you should take your own food'. 

As for cost I'd happily pay top whack  if the food was decent.

[tonyh]

Feedback

Thanks Steve - interesting stuff.

(Your event was on my "rides I'd like to get to" list... hoping to do better next year.)

[phil d]

I'm not sure there is any standard, and the responses so far seem to confirm that.  Like some others I prefer one proper food stop at about half time (on a 200), with light refreshments where available elsewhere.  On the Gospel Pass 200 I wasn't ready to eat when we arrived at Pandy northbound, so just had a drink there, and ate at Hay.  Clearly I didn't want to eat at Pandy southwards then, just having another drink.  I did feel a bit guilty about not eating there when I knew that Steve had arranged a special menu.

.....Conversly, if the quality is crap, I'll avoid a place even if its cheap and the only show in town and I'm ill with hunger.  Places like the cafe at  Fishnish ferry terminal on Mull. 

Indeed, that place really is the pits.   

[saturn]

Depends on the time of day and time of year for me but in general I'd be more content with a pub stop in the afternoon rather than morning.

Morning stop I'll typically go for a bacon sarnie and piece of cake. Afternoon stop in the summer I'll opt for a cold sandwich and a pint (especially if I feel that'll lead to reasonably quick service). So, for summertime, a pub control works better for in the afternoon. In winter (or on a less than perfect summer's day) I'd be happy with soup and a roll at any time of day.

Having said that, there's a cyclist friendly pub near us that offers breakfast fare all morning so I suppose it's more about what's on offer than the type of establishment.