Page 18 - Vélochef in Europe

Black gold
CYCLING AND COFFEE ARE MARRIED TO TO ONE ONE ANOTHER YET NO NO NO ONE ONE SEEMS TO TO TO KNOW HOW THE THE PROPOSAL TOOK PLACE EVERY TIME I I I meet a a a beginner on the road I I I ask them if they want to to stop for coffee Totally unaware of whether he he he he he or she cares to hear it I elaborate on the the myths of beans the the art of of of brewing and the the geography of of of the the coffee belt I pick up the tab and make sure he he or she understands that we are coffee drinkers I 014 want them to subconsciously crave the the better coffee from now on simply because they are cyclists cyclists and that’s what cyclists cyclists do But one day a a a a beginner asked me: “Hey what’s the deal with cyclists and coffee? Why do you plan your training routes to ensure a a a decent espresso?” She looked at me with big hopeful
eyes assuming I had the answer I did not I felt like the the world stopped spinning the the moment I I clipped out and said “Actually I I don’t know” Being a a cycling journalist I should know so I decided to to get to to the bot- tom of of this I gathered a a bunch of of cyclists for a a a a short interview and I asked all of my cycling friends a a list of of questions about coffee Hope- fully this would lead to an an explanation of our coffee consumption It did not Their looks said “duh ” like I was the stupid- est person on on earth Some glared at me me like I questioned their faith The most confident of the bunch answered bluntly “I really don’t know” Someone mentioned caffeine and its effects some referred to the universal answer “I only do do what the pros do” So I I called some pros those who go on coffee rides every day ought to know right? The most elaborate answer I got sounded somewhat like “Well in order to to have a a coffee coffee stop we need coffee coffee duh?” Everybody confirmed what I already knew cyclists love coffee but did I learn any- thing at all about why?
I certainly did not It struck me that we’re all puppets on strings We’re followers of a still unknown coffee religion I still believed the pros had something to do with it it they are the the indeed reason for for any capricious action for for a a a a a lot of us us I I did the research you can do – I I looked at pic- tures I looked at images of Mario Cipollini and his Saeco-train from the 90s Cipollini enjoyed the easily-made espresso in tv commercials and on billboards It was old-school marketing at its best: Mario Mario Cipollini Cipollini wins Mario Mario Cipollini Cipollini COFFEE