CARBO-LOAD THE RIGHT WAY

Carbo- loading? Think beyond pasta – try Japanese comfort food, for a flavourfilled feast.

IT FELT LIKE AN UMAMI MIRACLE.

I was in the middle of a 65km mass- start ride outside Onomichi, Japan, at a bustling aid station overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. I expected to see red- bean rolls and rice cakes, the Japanese versions of easily pocketed rest- stop sweets. But then a ray of light seemed to filter down from the heavens, illuminating the cause of the clamour: row after row of miniature bowls, thick noodles piled high, nestled in moats of meaty broth.

RAMEN.

Any question of “Um, do we even have time to eat this?” was forgotten in a blur of chopsticks as my ride partners started ramen-loading like we were headed into a Grand Tour. As a vegetarian, I couldn’t partake, but I came home obsessed with finding a meatless version (a local takeaway serves a tastebud-melting mushroom ramen). With my concept of ride food forever changed, I would never look upon a table of broken pretzels, Marmite sarmies , and bananas the same way again.

“Every culture has a different way of carboloading – whether it be pasta, noodles, or rice,” says chef James Siao. As a fundraiser for this year’s Chefs Cycle – a three-day, 480km charity ride – Siao opened a series of ramen pop-up shops. Ramen is great ride food, he says: “It’s carby, and there’s a lot of fat – but you can also build it with a lot of nutrients. I pack mine with dark green vegetables. The salt content is great, pre- or post-ride, and it’s easy to get protein by adding soft-boiled eggs, or just cracking an egg into the broth.”