Food stops

marcelino

Hi. I've never done a sportive before but am training over the winter in order to do my first one next year.

I'm just wondering about the food stops. Is there generally decent provision for people who don't eat meat at them?

vermooten

Yes indeed - usually cakes, flapjacks, cheese butties, that kind of thing. Some better than others. Meat is very rare actually.

Le Commentateur

I've only experience meat-based snacks at Italain granfondo events, usually because one of the sponsors is a food manufacturer of such products.

At one event they were handing out slices of prime bresaola (cured beef) which was delicious!

Savoury stuff is more likely to have cheese in -- mini pizzas for example -- but anyway, you won't see that in any UK event, except maybe a soggy sausage roll as part of the post-event food (if there is any at all).

marcelino

Cheers. Just reading about all those bacon rolls on the Exmoor Beast got me thinking.

fizz

marcelino wrote:

Cheers. Just reading about all those bacon rolls on the Exmoor Beast got me thinking.

I think thats an exception. I've never seen that before in my short sportive career. Mind you it was cold and wet yesterday so I think they were put out so peeps could get some hot food inside them.

I've seen Tuna in the rolls at a few feed stations but never meat such as ham etc etc.

Otherwise its been pretty much as Vermooten describes.

ugo.santalucia

Le Commentateur wrote:

I've only experience meat-based snacks at Italain granfondo events, usually because one of the sponsors is a food manufacturer of such products.

At one event they were handing out slices of prime bresaola (cured beef) which was delicious!

Savoury stuff is more likely to have cheese in -- mini pizzas for example -- but anyway, you won't see that in any UK event, except maybe a soggy sausage roll as part of the post-event food (if there is any at all).

mmmmmhhh bresaola....

BaildonBob

Never seen meat at a feed, but the Grimpeur des Wolds had pie at the finish.

Putting "pie 10km" instead of "finish" would have seen a suitable increase in speed from me.

mark_d

marcelino wrote:

Hi. I've never done a sportive before but am training over the winter in order to do my first one next year.

I'm just wondering about the food stops. Is there generally decent provision for people who don't eat meat at them?

As others have said, you'd be lucky to find meat at a sportive feed stop. Most have bananas, some have flapjacks (Southern Sportive), the Dragon Ride had awful Tesco fruit tarts (almost exactly what you don't want: overly sweet, pure sugar, crappy fats). Generally the offerings are cake-based.

Continental sportives are better. The Marmotte has bananas, oranges, apple puree (!), dried fruit, sandwiches (possibly some with meat actually), cake, brie (!!, and surprisingly good), babybel, cake and much more. I hear the GF Pinarello was good for food as well but I was grumpily nursing a broken collar bone in the hotel

I wouldn't rely on UK sportive food stops having anything you a) would want to eat, b) should eat. Keep something you agree with in your pocket.

Mettan

marcelino wrote:

Hi. I've never done a sportive before but am training over the winter in order to do my first one next year.

I'm just wondering about the food stops. Is there generally decent provision for people who don't eat meat at them?

Depending on the event, you might find a minimum of Bananas and Sports drink/Water - (obviously depends on the event and on what's left when you arrive at a particular feed-stop) - there's usually something to keep you going though - handy to have a few energy gels of your own to supplement what you find at the feed-stops.

popette

You would still have been ok at the Exmoor Beast, despite the bacon butties - the leek and potato soup was gorgeous and they hadn't scrimped on the butter in the wonderful flapjack. I haven't done too many sportives but that was a fantastic food stop IMO. Cheshire Cat could learn something from the Exmoor Beast.