What keeps us smiling on the climbs and techy descents?

Food, obviously.

We asked members for their go-to breakfasts, snacks, café stop faves, post-ride refuelling suggestions and the all-important guilty pleasures.

Here’s what they had to say:

Violet

Porridge – it’s a classic

Violet keeps it simple and speedy before a long ride: porridge made with skimmed milk & a banana - cooked quickly in the microwave, then topped with blueberries.

Joey

Pocket snacks

Joey suggests these BBC Good Food date and apple squares, although whether they’d survive in a cycling jersey pocket is another matter!

Date & apple squares recipe | Good Food

Her go-to ride snacks are dates and Brazil nuts. If any make it home, she chops them finely, sometimes adds a prune, rolls them into little balls then wraps them in greaseproof paper like sweets before freezing.

Anne

A cherry on top

Anne also starts with porridge (with seeds, yoghurt and fruit) for breakfast, then has bite-sized peanut butter & marmalade sandwiches to snack on the go. If there is a coffee stop, she says a black pudding roll offers it all - protein, fat and iron.

And her motivation for the final few miles?

Knowing there’s a Magnum Utopia Double Cherry waiting in the freezer.

Nicola

The mighty pork pie

Nicola has recently discovered that a mini pork pie (or two!) can work wonders on a long ride.

Carolyn

Cheesy chips

For long rides, Carolyn has a serious on-the-move recipe: creamed rice, banana, milk, peanut butter and honey, blitzed then put into a wide-mouth bottle for glugging on the go. At around 800 calories, it has helped her through various long triathlons.

For a post-ride plate of food, cheesy chips are a favourite of Carolyn’s, sometimes with two dry-fried eggs and something green like broccoli or courgettes. Cadbury Whole Nut Dairy Milk also gets a special mention.

Marie

Chickpea blondies

Marie recommends chickpea blondies from Conscious Plant Kitchen - vegan, gluten-free, not ultra-processed, high-energy and, most importantly, actually yummy:

Chickpea Blondies Recipe - The Conscious Plant Kitchen