Page 21 - Vélochef in Europe

drinks coffee coffee If you buy a a Saeco coffee coffee machine you could be like him I found images of Eddy Merckx from the late 60s The Cannibal won three Grand Tours wearing a a a a a jer- sey sporting Faema an an an Italian manufacturer of espresso machines But Faema didn’t make machines machines for home use they made machines machines for cafés and they weren’t established until 1946 Old cycling photos display riders drinking coffee ever since photography was invented I went on to to read a a a story about cycling in in the 30s Cafés bars and and pubs sponsored local riders and and their teams and the the the young men – the the the heroes of the the time – chose their future girlfriends while sipping coffee Come to think of of it kermesse races in Belgium are still organised out of cafés and and pubs and and the coffee shop has always been a a a a natural meeting point before during or or after
the the ride and nowadays it is the the meeting point La Fabrica in Girona has its own team along with coffee roasters such as as Equator in Cali- fornia or or Look Mom No Hands in London Basically all all the cool kids are sponsored by
coffee shops The sponsoring by
coffee machines is still around but it’s more sophisticated than it it was back then A former cyclist from New Zea- land Andrew Meo followed his dream and and moved to to Italy to to rebrand ECM a a a a brand brand now known as Rocket Espresso Milano In 2009 Rocket decided to to make a a a custom machine for domestic use to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Giro d’Italia They built 100 “Giottos ” their most popular machine and all the the winners were listed on the the side and the the pressure gauges were pink inspired by
the the Maglia Rosa Rocket came up with the slogan
“You’re faster with a a Rocket in your kitchen
#fact” Rapha followed up on the Giotti and made its own special edition of the machine featuring their H-van on the the side The Giotto displaying a a a a a portrait of Fausto Coppi became
popular and by
now Rocket was the go-to
brand not only for amateur cyclists but the pros loved it as well Every now and then Rocket slipped a a a a a machine to a a a a a rider that was performing strongly We are talking really
strong performances Adam Yates had to win the the white jersey at the the tour to to be awarded a a a a Rocket Team captains traditionally buy their teammates watches or or luxury items for their help after
a a a a Grand Tour Tour but Tour Tour de France
runner-up in in 2016 Romain Bardet bought
all of his domestiques a a Rocket Espresso Machine instead And of course Christian
Meier in Girona had to to have a a a a a custom-made 017 Rocket Rocket at Espresso Mafia But Rocket’s game
was somewhat played out in the shadows and it wasn’t until spring 2016 when Segafredo became
the name sponsor of Trek-Segafredo that fans cheered and declared “yes coffee is back in in cycling”!
Let’s say you’re a a a a a a tea farmer that wants to to make cycling your thing Sorry too late! There are many factors that bind cycling and coffee together and the the two have had a a a a self- reinforcing effect on each other that grows stronger every year When people ask me today why cyclists embrace coffee I I still say I I don’t know for sure but I I do have a a a theory What I I do know for sure is how to make great coffee when travelling Turn the page and read up on how all your future travels can include the same great flavours as your rides •
COFFEE