pre etape caledonia food

bianchimoon
bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
edited May 2011 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
Hi wonder if any of you who have done etape caledonia before can give some advice on places to eat both evening before and breakfast on sunday morning, there are a group of 8 of us staying at the backpackers hotel which has a kitchen we could use if we can't get i anywhere to eat. So options would be to take pasta dishes and heat up at the hotel on the evening or are there plenty of places to get the right sort of food on the evening before and breakfast the next day given the amount of people that will be there? What did other forumers do in past years?
All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....

Comments

  • thecrofter
    thecrofter Posts: 734
    edited April 2011
    You'll be fine if you want to eat out, although it will be busy. You'd be as well to take breakfast with you, saves a lot of time in the morning. Keep it quiet, but the Motorgrill at Ballinluig, about five miles south of Pitlochry on the A9, is awesome for a proper fry up on the way home after the event. :wink:
    You've no won the Big Cup since 1902!
  • glasgowbhoy
    glasgowbhoy Posts: 1,341
    I take my campervan to sportives and cook up an evening meal and breakfast myself. Far easier and much cheaper. Just have a big pasta cook in the evening and a big porridge mix for the morning. Add on whatever else you normally have in the morning before a big ride - tea, toast, egg etc
  • Pigtail
    Pigtail Posts: 424
    The excitement's certainly building now!

    I only got my bike in October, and have the Etape Caledonia as one of my main goals. I've never even ridden with someone else, nevermind in a group.

    I've no idea what I'll eat - but we've just converted an old minibus into a camper and will be staying in it as well. We had to book for the weekend though - single nights not allowed.

    James
  • AlunP
    AlunP Posts: 106
    Try the local delicacy. Alberto is using it as part of his tdf preparation instead of spanish beef....

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-fried_Mars_bar
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    Deep fried Mars bars are old hat.

    It`s Now Deep Fried Creme eggs - :D
  • thecrofter
    thecrofter Posts: 734
    AlunP wrote:
    Try the local delicacy. Alberto is using it as part of his tdf preparation instead of spanish beef....

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-fried_Mars_bar

    Much more a Glasgow/Strathclyde thing than a "local" delicacy
    You've no won the Big Cup since 1902!
  • glasgowbhoy
    glasgowbhoy Posts: 1,341
    Pigtail wrote:
    The excitement's certainly building now!

    I only got my bike in October, and have the Etape Caledonia as one of my main goals. I've never even ridden with someone else, nevermind in a group.

    I've no idea what I'll eat - but we've just converted an old minibus into a camper and will be staying in it as well. We had to book for the weekend though - single nights not allowed.

    James

    8) There are plenty of places to wild camp around Pitlochry. No need for staying in campsites if you have a van.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Pigtail wrote:
    I only got my bike in October, and have the Etape Caledonia as one of my main goals. I've never even ridden with someone else, nevermind in a group.

    Serious advice here - find your local club and go out for a few rides with them.

    Riding in a small bunch can be scarey enough, riding alongside people while others are flying by on both sides means you have to be even more alert than if you were on your own on an open road. I saw some people that were really nervous last year. I also saw some of the worst examples of bad road ettiqette :evil:

    Going out with a club will make you more aware of how things should work, get familiar with riding close to others and what to expect. You will then be much more able to enjoy the day.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • suzyb
    suzyb Posts: 3,449
    Only time I've ridden in a "group" was pedal for scotland. Hopefully the cyclists on this will be more considerate of those around them and not ride 3/4 abreast taking up half the road.
    Whippet
  • secretsqizz
    secretsqizz Posts: 424
    Boiled onions
    My pen won't write on the screen
  • thecrofter
    thecrofter Posts: 734
    suzyb wrote:
    Only time I've ridden in a "group" was pedal for scotland. Hopefully the cyclists on this will be more considerate of those around them and not ride 3/4 abreast taking up half the road.
    Pedal for Scotland is much more a charity ride. The Etape is more like a "real" ride. It still gets pretty busy though on some of the wee roads. It was my first go at any of these things last year, after the first few miles I got into the habit of giving shout as I approached people to overtake...... on you left or on your right...... no one minded and it made it a lot safer for everyone
    You've no won the Big Cup since 1902!
  • d4evr
    d4evr Posts: 293
    I have never ridden with more than one person also, however I dont forsee me overtaking anyone!!! :(
  • suzyb
    suzyb Posts: 3,449
    d4evr wrote:
    ...however I dont forsee me overtaking anyone!!! :(
    I was thinking that myself tbh :lol:
    Whippet
  • Pigtail
    Pigtail Posts: 424
    daviesee wrote:
    Pigtail wrote:
    I only got my bike in October, and have the Etape Caledonia as one of my main goals. I've never even ridden with someone else, nevermind in a group.

    Serious advice here - find your local club and go out for a few rides with them.

    Riding in a small bunch can be scarey enough, riding alongside people while others are flying by on both sides means you have to be even more alert than if you were on your own on an open road. I saw some people that were really nervous last year. I also saw some of the worst examples of bad road ettiqette :evil:

    Going out with a club will make you more aware of how things should work, get familiar with riding close to others and what to expect. You will then be much more able to enjoy the day.

    thanks - I've been thinking about joining for some time, but my local club website is horribly out-of-date and most training ride details given seem to be for last year. I emailed to ask about joining a ride as a trial and didn't get a response.

    I've been working pretty hard over the winter, often on an exercise bike in the gym, so I'm taking the whole thing pretty seriously. I'm going to set a target timewise, not simply go for completing it.

    So anyone know any friendly clubs I could join in the Aberdeen area, or even better where I could tag along for a couple of times, before making my mind up about joining?

    I've also registered for the Bealach Mor, so I don't see the Etape Caledonia as a one-off.
  • eskimo Joe
    eskimo Joe Posts: 764
    http://www.deeside.org/index.html Deeside Thistle cater for all different type of cyclists
    Suburban studs yodel better than anyone else
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Pigtail wrote:

    So anyone know any friendly clubs I could join in the Aberdeen area, or even better where I could tag along for a couple of times, before making my mind up about joining?

    Have a browse at these:- http://www.cyclegrampian.co.uk/links/gr ... clubs.html
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • cyberknight
    cyberknight Posts: 1,238
    Any tips for eating before a sportive ?

    Is it best to have a late good meal then a breakfast like porridge?

    I went for a ride yesterday 2 hours after sunday dinner as it was the only time i had free and i struggled, mind you it was very windy and after 2 hours everything hurt.
    FCN 3/5/9
  • topcattim
    topcattim Posts: 766
    cyberknight wrote:
    Any tips for eating before a sportive ?

    Is it best to have a late good meal then a breakfast like porridge?

    I went for a ride yesterday 2 hours after sunday dinner as it was the only time i had free and i struggled, mind you it was very windy and after 2 hours everything hurt.
    My general advice would be to practise in training anything that you plan to do on the sportive. I usually have a bowl of porridge before a morning ride (about 45 minutes before I leave), and I know that my system is used to that, so I don't feel it sitting uncomfortably inside me. But I wouldn't want to try it for the first time on the morning of a sportive and then find that I felt uncomfortable as a result.

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