Out yesterday and an hour after my last banana I finally found a pub that was open.
Got me thinking about the food I've found out on a ride that's kept me going.
Riding the Icknield Way last year I found some windfall apples just near Letchworth - a bit bruised but a life-saver.
Years ago I came across a garden wall (just near New England Farm, if you live in Cambs you know where I mean) dripping with perfectly ripe passion fruit - delicious!
Most memorable was the apple I stole from a tree one January, years ago now, ground covered in snow, I was so cold, wet and hungry I could smell the sugar and doughnuts coming from the Tesco bakery a couple of miles away.
Worst was right at the end of a ride where I spend quite a long time trying to work out whether an empty bag of crisps would have anything worth eating in it.
What food have you found out on a ride when desperate for sugar and either eaten, or eventually turned down?
A plus point of being T1 diabetic is you always carry way too much food so you never encounter this situation
Fireweed.
Split down the stem scrape out the pitch, eat the pitch. It's similar to alot of energy gels in consistency but significantly less offensive on your pallette
Always plenty of gherkin slices stuck on the inside of McDonalds windows
Blackberries are always a winner.
Top tip, only eat the ones higher on the bush than I can pee
One of the many wonderful things about Tasmania is that there's fruit growing everywhere. Another things is that nobody minds if you help yourself. Just walking to work I was able to grab kiwi fruit, mandarins, greengages, apples, no problem.
Avocadoes, pineapples and macadamia nuts where I live now ... a bit less practical for a mid-ride snack.
you have to be in the arse end of nowhere at nobody o'clock not to be near an open shop/24/7 petrol station, it's not the 70's anymore,
then lets take into account body fat at 7,700kcal per kg,
Well that would be 99% of my rides then!
you have to be in the arse end of nowhere at nobody o’clock not to be near an open shop/24/7 petrol station, it’s not the 70’s anymore,
In a car, sure. On a bike, not so much. Cambridgeshire is mostly empty fields and a few commuter villages with no shops once you get away from the major conurbations. Don't even get me started on Herfordshire.
It sure is a great definition of ‘somewhere’ - having a 24/7 petrol station. I’ll stick to my arse end of nowhere thanks.
The bilberry is far superior to the blackberry.
but you'd know this, you don't ride out into the arse of nowhere with no food, the UK ain't the nullarbor,
Ran out of water in the South Downs. Drank from puddles on the road, it was a hot day. Riding home to deepest darkest Essex I ate onions from the fields. Not yummy.
you have to be in the arse end of nowhere at nobody o’clock not to be near an open shop/24/7 petrol station, it’s not the 70’s anymore,
As mentioned above, there are a lot of areas, especially Cambridgeshire, Essex etc where there's just miles and miles of bloody fields.
Did the Dunwich Dynamo one year and due to the train restrictions on that Ipswich line I'd decided in a moment of genius to ride west to Cambridge and get a train from there - it's "only" 120km. So we set off from the beach at about 5.30am on Sunday (having ridden 200km through the night to get there) and very quickly it was warming up, beautiful sunny day. And we got low on water, no food left... We'd stopped at the first garage for a coffee but after that there was NOTHING.
None of the tiny villages we went through had shops and in the end we chanced on someone in their driveway about to get into the car so we begged for a water top up there.
Got to Cambridge, fell into the M&S on the station concourse and bought all manner of random food and drink that came to hand.
, fell into the M&S on the station concourse and bought all manner of random food and drink that came to hand.
I do that at most M&S foodhalls, whether I've ridden there or not
Had an entertaining exchange somewhere on the Dales Way once, walking from Leeds to Windermere. Mate and I ran out of water on a section between here and there. Knocked on a door of a farmhouse and the very old man proceeded to fill up our four litres container, and seemed quite pleased about it. He explained that everyone in the area lived to a ripe age and put it down to the local water... had a bit of colour about it, but tasted good.
Worst i've done is spend my emergency telephone 20p on an out of date curlywurly (10p) and a can of Panda Pop to get me home, as i was almost delirious. The bit that makes it extra bad is that i was only about 3km from home...
He explained that everyone in the area lived to a ripe age and put it down to the local water… had a bit of colour about it, but tasted good.
Next thread title. "I drank an old farmer's piss - will I die"
The bit that makes it extra bad is that i was only about 3km from home…
I bonked really badly on a ride once that I seriously contemplated phoning my Mum to come and pick me up. Owing to the fact that I was in my 40's at the time and it was a weekend away riding on Exmoor, that was about 150 miles away.
There's a follow up - The Bonk was on a last climb out of Porlock over the hills to Horner water and then to the campsite. The next year I was wise, kept packing the food in all ride and had two gels in reserve to crack open before that last climb, one a caffeine special. I was buzzing. And then one of the other riders got a tubeless tyre slash, that needed a boot and a tube to fix, and all the meantime I'm so full of energy that I'm practically doing burpees to keep the energy from exploding! And then the puncture's fixed again, and we set off, and 5 minutes later my engine management light comes on again and I limp back to Horner like a granny fighting back the tears.
The bit that makes it extra bad is that i was only about 3km from home…
When you've blown, you've blown! May as well be 300km away for all the difference it makes!
Last winter I set off on a ride with a vague idea and rode further than intended. I was beginning to suffer due to my lack of preperation on the food front, when I spotted a car in a ditch down an embankment. The crash looked fresh so I thought it only right to make sure there was no-one in need.
Thankfully there were no bodies and more importantly there was a big bag of sweets bewteen the seats, happy days indeed!
The bit that makes it extra bad is that i was only about 3km from home…
That reminds me - staying in Pickering and I'd gone for a road ride up through the NY Moors (or maybe gravel, can't even remember). Gorgeous day and I'd gone far further than I'd intended and then the weather turned, the wind began picking up and I was right at the north end of the moors. Headed for Pickering into the teeth of a headwind and I was dying so I diverted to go along the road through Dalby Forest and stop at the visitor centre.
Got there (early evening now) and there was one lonely car in the car park, whole place locked up. I very nearly broke down in tears. Pickering is only about 6 miles away but I think in that state it would have taken me over an hour.
Then a lone MTBer came out of the toilet block and walked to the last car there so I asked him if anything was open.
"No mate but I've got a Snickers in the car if you want that?"
I nearly bit his hand off taking it from him and shoving the whole lot into my mouth!
If you were that MTBer, many years ago in Dalby Forest car park looking at the poor shivering knackered roadie, you absolutely saved my life that day!
Did he offer you a lift?
Did he offer you a lift?
MTBer offer a roadie a lift? Did he heck.
Once in my early days of riding I misjudged my water intake on a hot summer there-and-back type ride, quads cramped up something chronic on a little hill on the way home. I was sat beside the path quietly weeping and a couple passing took pity on me and filled my water bottle from a big bottle of Evian they had.
I've also begged a refill from a hosepipe a bloke was using to wash his motor. Was grateful for the water but had to endure a twenty minute sales pitch as it turned out he was planning to import some early eBikes and wanted to sell them to the local MTB community.
Worst i’ve done is spend my emergency telephone 20p on an out of date curlywurly (10p) and a can of Panda Pop to get me home, as i was almost delirious. The bit that makes it extra bad is that i was only about 3km from home…
was it 1983 at the time?
Sounds like you are needing to carry a bit more supply with you...doesn't sound like a one-off either, so might need a change to force a new habit.
(Sorry for sounding like a grumpy parent, but I do tend to get laughed at with the snacks I carry, but they inevitably are needed by the ones who tend to forget to bring stuff)
Depending on the time of year, I've scoffed - bilberries, raspberries, those wild alpine strawberries and bilberries from verges and forest tracks.
Blackberries saved us once on an Island walk (the only cafe was shut). Nearly fainted but just kept picking and eating. They also provided liquid as we'd run out of water.
This time last week, myself and my wife were stood on the edge of a strawberry field near Breda eating strawberries straight from the plant. Gorgeous.
If you were that MTBer, many years ago in Dalby Forest car park looking at the poor shivering knackered roadie, you absolutely saved my life that day!
Errrr, not to pry, but on the subject of timing, when was that?
was it 1983 at the time?
97 or 98. Crappy little independent corner shop where the front window was more boarded up and covered in posters than actual window.
Back when I used to do long rides I did a day at CyB and agreed to cycle over some pass and meet the family at the camsite on lake Bala. I ran out of food and was utterly gubbed. I had one sachet of SIS energy drink but the whole area was parched and i couldnt find any water at all. Ended up knocking on the door to a motorhome parked up in a layby. The guy opened the door and stood there in his grimy underpants asking what i wanted.
Had to make a quick assessment of exactly how desperate I was for sustenance.
I also scrounged water on the Cuillin ridge, despite having brought about 7kg of water with me. Long, hot day....
I had a Dalby Forest incident too, when someone had told us it would be two hours round the red route and unsurprisingly it actually took us quite a long time more.
I’ve two memories. First is of scrabbling round in my rucksack and finding a fur covered fruit pastel that has been rattling round in there for God knows how long. Second is of a friend’s wife giving me a snack pork pie at the end and just inhaling it. Starvation is a terrible thing.
These days I’m better prepared with emergency snacks and treats stored in the downtube.
Thankfully there were no bodies and more importantly there was a big bag of sweets bewteen the seats, happy days indeed!
You're a hero mate. They would have been for the crusher.
you have to be in the arse end of nowhere at nobody o’clock not to be near an open shop/24/7 petrol station, it’s not the 70’s anymore,
Did a 200k audax a couple of weeks ago, in the remote wilds Wiltshire. Inbetween cafe controls there were two shops marked on the route card! Fair enough it's a route deliberately chosen to avoid main roads. But I was still surprised about how many villages now lack a pub, let alone a shop (post office, bank, anything). Just village after village, from the picture postcard houses around the village cricket pitch, to modern estates. With no services at all. then ironically we stopped in a pub in the middle of nowhere for a pint of coke and bottles filled with ice.
It's not the 70's anymore, car's and commuting have ruined everything.
But I was still surprised about how many villages now lack a pub, let alone a shop (post office, bank, anything). Just village after village, from the picture postcard houses around the village cricket pitch, to modern estates. With no services at all.
My sister lives in a place like that. There's a small town that way <--- and a medium / rather twee village that way ---> and in between are a few hamlets / small villages and none of them have a single cafe, shop or pub between them. 🙁
Everything requires a car and a trip along a busy-ish road. There's some nice walks etc locally but that's about it. Even the basics of shopping is either a delivery or a 2-3 mile drive into town.
Errrr, not to pry, but on the subject of timing, when was that?
@mert - just tracked it down on Strava - 22nd June 2015, about 5.45pm
The car crash story is the best. I did snack on some strawbs at Cwmcarn on Saturday, when I'd forgotten to pack any food, but whilst absolutely delicious and sweet the wild plants aren't exactly prolific fruit bearers.
a few years ago, several days into a long distance race and so constantly tired and hungry, spent the night sleeping on the flat roof of a hostel next door to a pizza restaurant where we'd eaten the previous evening alongside many other riders. up at dawn to climb Monte Grappa before it gets too hot and i'm hungry and in need of breakfast but poor planning meant i had nothing. spied a pizza box perched on top of rubbish bin, looked inside the pizza box, there's most of a mushroom pizza. ate it. it got me up the hill. in an amusing turn of events i found out whose leftover pizza that was and i still owe them a pizza 🙂
a few years earlier and another big multiday ride but not me. somewhere halfway up the last Alp of the day and there's a fellow rider in a desperate situation needing food and i give him what i can spare from my back pockets. meet up with him in the evening and he says it was horrific, he knocked on a campervan door for food and then in what he says was a new low point sucked what was remaining from a discarded energy gel he found in the gutter...
oh, we found found an unopened pack of Munchies (the chocolate sweets) in a bin in the bus shelter in Hurstpierpoint, ate the lot, obvs. full freegan
I've had a mate bonk so hard he suggested milking a cow, we pointed out it was a young bull... he then suggested eating grass.. we let him talk gibberish for a bit longer before someone gave him a bar
The only we we have done as a family is to head out on a 'short local ride' but the day was too nice. Before you know it we were up at the windfarm and looking at a 60km day...on a Sunday afternoon. The cafe in the only village was closed, as was the shop, and we had 20km to go home. So we did knock on the door of a vague acquaintance and ask for a biscuit or similar on the promise of returning them later...The kids appreciated it, as did mrs_oab.
And I have never lived down the 'local ride' moniker meaning an epic...
Sounds like you are needing to carry a bit more supply with you…doesn’t sound like a one-off either, so might need a change to force a new habit.
(Sorry for sounding like a grumpy parent, but I do tend to get laughed at with the snacks I carry, but they inevitably are needed by the ones who tend to forget to bring stuff)
I think we encountered @DickBarton when my mate bonked on the Isle of Skye. We were camping at Sligachan and had done the Glen Sligachan round with a "short-cut" across the island from Loch Slapin to Luib. This had involved serious bog-wading and an average speed of about 1km/h and our last chocolate had been consumed long before we got to Luib.
Dave announced he couldn't go any further. I told him to HTFU as it was only a few mostly flat km's round the coast back to Slig. He said no way and went and knocked the door of the most lived-in looking property. The guy produced a packet of custard creams, but then held out his hand for payment.
"er, sorry we haven't got any cash"
"you'd best put that down to experience then lads!"
just tracked it down on Strava – 22nd June 2015, about 5.45pm
Phew, not *that* many years ago. I did the same a few years earlier.
Went for a quick toilet trip before a long drive, came out to an empty carpark and some poor bugger who could barely walk, he had the Snickers that had been my stash for the drive home.
I once resorted to the emergency bar that had been in my seat pack for many years. I should imagine it was one of the few Marathon bars still in existence (long after they'd changed the name to Snickers) and tasted more of cheese than chocolate. Either my taste buds were on the blink, or repeated wetting / drying, muddy water exposure and fumes from a tube of old inner tube repair glue had combined to curdle the chocolate into cheese..........
you have to be in the arse end of nowhere at nobody o’clock not to be near an open shop/24/7 petrol station, it’s not the 70’s anymore,then lets take into account body fat at 7,700kcal per kg,
This does sound like someone who doesn't ride a bike a lot, and has never ridden a bike far enough to bonk. Those kilos of bodyfat don't magically turn themselves into usable energy when you're crawling along at 0.5 mph envisaging every item of food that's in your cupboard.
Two weeks ago, I did a 60ish mile ride to west Wales. After passing Carmarthen, I had 4 hours without passing a single shop, pub or petrol station. I'm sure there may have been some within a few miles, but that would mean exploring off-route in the vain hope of finding something.
Memorable ones for me: Riding the Capital Trail in a day, started at West Linton, had a stop at Lauder but forgot to fill up with water. Managed to eke it out until the Three Brethren where I was reduced to drinking out a tiny trickle of a burn. I was ravenous by the time I got to Peebles where I ‘inhaled’ a sausage supper at the chip shop to the amusement of those nearby - I ordered the sausage because I didn’t want to wait.
Another ride was a NDW, Downslink, SDW mash-up leaving on a Friday night to time my arrival in Eastbourne with the opening of the Tesco Express next morning - sitting on the pavement outside swigging from a 2 litre bottle of Coke whilst stuffing a whole pack of mini pork pies in my mouth. It was a particularly dew-drenched ride, which meant mixed with the ample sheep 💩 I was a little bit whiffy - and then turning around to ride my way home again. Lots of these longer rides required late-night visits to all-night petrol stations and a mega-can of Monster Energy to fuel the final stretch.
See what you did there.....
This does sound like someone who doesn’t ride a bike a lot, and has never ridden a bike far enough to bonk.
Or lives in the southern half of the UK.
This makes me think I should stick some Puritabs in my trail toolkit just in case I need to purify some dubious water source.
This does sound like someone who doesn’t ride a bike a lot, and has never ridden a bike far enough to bonk.
Or lives in the southern half of the UK.
Not necessarily. People above have already described problems finding food in Essex and Wiltshire, and I could add Shropshire, Devon and significant parts of south Wales to that. Sure, if you plan your rides around cafe stops or stick to A roads near cities then it's not too difficult, but bearing in mind that this is, in theory at least, an off-road community it doesn't take too much thought to realise why riders may run out of fuel.
Did a duathlon at Llandegla, my mate was a much faster runner than me so I went crazy on the bike bit in the middle stupidly didn't take any calories on the bike and bonked, ended up finding old gel wrappers in the mud and squeezing the last bits of gel out of them, wasn't enough suffered on the last run like I've never suffered before or after. Got to finish and he was changed as he'd crashed out of the bike leg early on. Never eaten a bowl of pasta and 2 brownies quicker at the cafe.
We had a similar situation riding over the dams in Holland on the way to Amsterdam.
We were riding into a reasonable headwind which sapped everyone's energy. Must have been a Sunday because every shop we passed was closed - by the time we finally found somewhere open we'd eaten everyone's 'emergency gel' and were all running on fumes.
It is amazing in Western Europe how far you can go between open shops/facilities these days.
Never eaten a bowl of pasta and 2 brownies quicker at the cafe.
I remember my brother slapping £20 on the counter at the burger van, after an event years ago, and saying, 'Just feed me until that runs out'.
😀
On a ride ou****ching the tour of Britain a few years ago, 2011 I think it was. I ended up going much further Thais planned for, I took water and no food for a 30 mile round trip to stone, ended up tagging along with a group to Gun Hill about an 80 mile round trip.
I was on my arse on the way home, pre everyone having Garmins and smart phones I was following road signs in an unfamiliar area when suddenthere were energy bars all over the road, BINGPOT! I’d accidentally ridden through the feed zone for the tour. Stopped and pocketed a load of un-squashed bars, then spotted a leopard trek musette in a hedge. Ham sandwich, Half a frangipane, couple of bars and gels and a bottle of drink. Happy days.
Ate like a king, grovelled home into the wind, then grovelled again for going out all day when I said I was only going to Stone 😣
The bars bottles and gels I picked up lasted months, bagged a few more bottles too, still have the bag in the shed.
I remember my brother slapping £20 on the counter at the burger van, after an event years ago, and saying, ‘Just feed me until that runs out’.
I remember finishing a lap at one of the Mountain Mayhem races one year, handing over to my teammate and then staggering off to the food marquee. It was near deserted in there, probably about 2am and I ordered a burger and Coke then just collapsed in front of the table waiting for the food. So tired, so blown.
The girl serving wound up one of those clockwork radios then went off to get my order. On the radio came the song Things Can Only Get Better and you know what, it actually worked!
Bit of D:Ream on the radio, a load of sugar and fat and I was ready for another lap! 😂