How to fuel for a long bike ride
The golden rule is to eat before you're hungry, and drink before you're thirsty. In reality, all riders will have different strategies, but many Fridays members will tell you tea and cake at the half way stop, and a Full English at the end - perhaps washed down with a pint of beer - is all you need. In fact for many of us, the Whitstable ride is made extra special by the bread pudding and Victoria sponge laid on at our half way stop. The recipe for the Victorian sponge is a closely guarded secret, however, if you really can't wait for the next ride to Whitstable to eat some of Tim's Fridays Special Bread Pudding, here's the recipe.
Ingredients
500g wholemeal bread
500g mixed dried fruit (sultanas and raisins)
85g mixed peel
1.5 tablespoons mixed spice
600ml milk
2 eggs
140g light muscovado sugar
100g butter.
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
Method
Break bread into pieces in a large bowl. Add the fruit, peel and spices and pour in the milk. Mix everything thoroughly with your hands and make sure the bread is fully broken up.
Add the eggs and muscovado sugar and stir thoroughly. Leave this for 15-20 minutes.
Heat oven to 170/160C(fan).
Butter and line the base of a 20cm square cake tin, or equivalent rectangular tin, Melt the butter and stir into the mix and pour into the tin and sprinkle demerara sugar on top.
Bake for 1.5 hours until firm and golden coloured.
Eat, and ride to Whitstable.