{"id":23447,"date":"2023-06-12T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T08:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=139555"},"modified":"2023-06-12T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T08:39:55","slug":"martyn-brunt-on-the-importance-of-the-mid-ride-cafe-stop","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/martyn-brunt-on-the-importance-of-the-mid-ride-cafe-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"Martyn Brunt on the importance of the mid-ride caf\u00e9 stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brunty\u2019s in despair having discovered the closure of his favourite mid-ride caff, mid-ride\u2026 <\/p>

By Martyn Brunt\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 12 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Nooooooooo! Sorry to begin this column with a wail of despair but I have just discovered that my favourite caf\u00e9 has closed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To make matters worse, I only discovered it had closed halfway into a training ride, meaning I had to cycle 40 miles home not only in a forlorn state of mind, but with empty guts and only one miserable energy gel<\/strong><\/a> to sustain me.<\/p>\n

As a result, I had a hunger knock 15 miles from my house, grovelled the final few kilometres to my door, lurched through it and collapsed onto my settee before sleeping like a knackered spaniel all afternoon.<\/p>\n

Inspiration to all<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Now, I know you\u2019re a harsh crowd and are no doubt scoffing about how ill-prepared I was to go off on an 80-mile ride with insufficient food, and failing to allow for the fact that my favourite caf\u00e9 might not be open.<\/p>\n

But I like to think my inability to perform even the basic tasks of triathlon inspires everyone around me.<\/p>\n

Anyway my temporary discomfort is a mere trifle compared to the catastrophe of my favourite caff closing its doors for good. It was the best thing about this particular training ride \u2013 in fact, I\u2019d go so far as to say it was the only reason I did the bloody route.<\/p>\n

The prospect of slogging up some of those hills without the reward of beans on toast and a cup of tea means I probably won\u2019t go that way again.<\/p>\n

A good caf\u00e9 is hard to find<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t know about where you live, but a good caf\u00e9 can be hard to find around these parts.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of them, but not all of them welcome gangs of sweaty cyclists arriving en masse, piling their bikes up in a big metal mass next to the entrance, and clacking their way up to the counter to demolish the cake stand.<\/p>\n

None of them has gone so far as to issue an outright ban on cyclists, but in typically British fashion they know how to make you know you\u2019re not really welcome.<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 stops have made me the mediocre triathlete I am today <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is particularly true of caf\u00e9s in garden centres where staff are evidently concerned for the welfare of the genteel, Barbour-jacket-wearing clientele as they sip daringly-priced lattes between pot-plant purchases.<\/p>\n

That said we don\u2019t do ourselves any favours, and a gang of snot-caked, middle-aged cyclists sprawled at tables with legs akimbo and unzipped jerseys would put most people off their quail eggs and avocado.<\/p>\n

Range of fare<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the things I liked about my favourite caf\u00e9, apart from the fact that they didn\u2019t seem to mind any of the above behaviour, was the range of fare catered for both types of cyclists.<\/p>\n

In my experience, cyclists fall into two basic categories \u2013 sweet or savoury. On the sweet side are the cake-and-hot-chocolate merchants, who will hoover up slices of lemon drizzle the size of an aero helmet.<\/p>\n

While among the savouries it\u2019s guaranteed to be something bread-based. I\u2019m strictly a beans-on-toast man, the only exception being when I\u2019m on training camp in Majorca where I order \u2018baguette de queso y te con leche por favor\u2019 \u2013 literally the only Spanish I know.<\/p>\n

However, it seems that an occasional squadron of cyclists swooping down out of the sun and eating the entire contents of their kitchen wasn\u2019t enough to sustain the West Midlands\u2019 number-one eatery who have closed because of rising rent and energy prices, and I shall mourn the loss for evermore.<\/p>\n

Beware the blackberries\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are other rides I do which take me to other caf\u00e9s, and I shall cherish those even more now, perhaps even stretching to a second cup of tea to help with the soaring gas bills. And despite the fact that means I\u2019ll inevitably have to leap off my bike and hotfoot it behind a hedge on the way home.<\/p>\n

Remember kids, never eat blackberries that have grown next to field gates because they\u2019ve inevitably been watered by desperate cyclists.<\/p>\n

I know that some of the more \u2028goal-orientated athletes among you probably shun caf\u00e9 stops but heaving round 80-plus miles with nothing more than an energy bar<\/strong><\/a> and a drink that tastes like a Glade plug-in isn\u2019t my idea of fun.<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 stops have made me the mediocre triathlete I am today, and I shall continue to power my legs via the medium of beans on toast no matter what people say. I never listen to the people who say I\u2019m no good. They\u2019re right of course, but I never listen to them.<\/p>\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Daniel Seex<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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