Chefonabike

Your post-ride meal is one of the most important of the day but it’s not just what you eat and drink after a hard ride that matters. WHEN you consume it, it's also very important. Get it right and you’ll feel fired up and ready to ride again soon.  After a long & hard ride, your body needs time to return to its normal physiological state. This process (recovery) is dependent on rest but also on what you eat and drink when you get off your bike.  Two windows: Research suggests there is a 30-minute window of opportunity in which to begin your recovery.  A quick and convenient way to do this is with a recovery drink that contains both carbohydrate and protein, such as a regular chocolate milk or a vegan version made with any non dairy milks, raw cocoa powder and honey.  My personal favourite is a "vegan boost smoothie" : 2 banans 1 large glass of non dairy milk 2tbsp of ground flax seeds 2tbsp oats 1tbsp almond butter It has the perfect ratio of ca...

When I began my quest to find a natural and super healthy energy bar in the market I was astonished by the quantity of mediocre and often really bad options I found out there. I experimented with different recipes, ingredients and combinations and, ultimately, I found the right recipe. A favourite fuel for the energy-flagging rider is an energy bar. Now, the bars one can buy off the shelf are frequently saccharine sweet and require “mucho agua” (a lot of water for non Spanish speakers) to digest, in fact, they are more often not that good for you. A great alternative then is..make them yourself.. !!!! Fuel your rides with these all natural, gluten free, dairy free and (refined) sugar free energy bars and the miles will fly by!!! You just have to remember the pedal though. Below is the end result of a few months of trial and error and yes, sometimes those errors were only good for the rubbish bin – even professional chefs make mistakes you know !!! Makes 6 large bars Prep Time:...

It’s Not All About Protein!!!!!!! In this article I focus on the "what" and "why" protein (especially animal proteins) have become the focus of strength / weight training. While protein gets all the attention when it comes to strength training, carbohydrates, fats, and micro-nutrients play a significant role in post-workout nutrition. As an athlete training to increase your strength-to-weight ratio, you should consume 1.3 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight, but you will not gain strength without sufficient energy from carbohydrates, fats and micro-nutrients as well. 4:1 Carb-to-Protein Ratio Immediately following exercise is a crucial time to consume carbohydrates. The most effective way for your body to replenish glycogen used by your muscles during a training session is by consuming a 3 to 4:1 ratio* of easily digestible carbohydrates to protein within the first 20 minutes after your workout. This ratio will help your muscles to re...

Mario Presi , Italian by birth, comes from the Veneto region (from Padova, near Venice) in the North East of Italy. Having raced BMX all over Italy winning 6 Italian National Titles in both BMX 20″ and Cruiser 24″, 4th place in the 1989 World Cup, podium finishes at European Races and in 1992 a prestigious 3rd place at the European Championships. Combined with his culinary training and nutritional knowledge he has created real food to help cyclists be at their best on and off the bike. He is a believer is real food, natural ingredients and most importantly creating everything from scratch.  Having now eaten and trained with Mario’s products for the past 6 months coming into winter I asked him 5 questions on what he recommends nutritionally during the colder months. Winter is a stressfull time for our bodies , what steps do you recommend taking to ensure that our nutritional needs are met ? Some times when life is going at 100 miles an h...

Approximately every three months the team in charge of the sales, production and manufacturing of our  eco bags for life , meets here in the UK or in  India  for a catch up. It’s a chance to brainstorm  production schedules , new fabric trends, improvements in production techniques and exploring creative ways to contribute to the community involvement around our factories. Yesterday, the bags for life team got together, including a visit from Sajjan who heads up our  production units in Kolkata  and David Gould the pioneer of bags for life in the UK; everybody on site together. The illustrious chef on a bike, Mario Presi, was on hand to create a spread of vegan and gluten free delights that would have the most die-hard carnivores sighing with pleasure. He does actually cook meat too by way. Check out private chef Mario (he travels to you and comes house-trained) ...

Who are you? My name is Mario Presi, 39 years of age, Italian by birth. I come from the Veneto region (from Padova, near Venice) in north-east Italy. I grew up in Italy, and went to Catering College where I graduated in Hotel & Restaurant Management in 1995. I moved to London in 2001 and I haven’t looked back since. What is Chef on a bike? Chef on a bike is me. It represents who I am via my profession (chef), and my passion for cycling around the world (on a bike). Why did you set up Chef on a bike? I wanted to help people improve their eating habits by educating them in what to eat, and why. This is great for athletes who want to improve their performance by enhancing their nutrition, but also good for the average person who doesn’t compete in sport’s but likes to keep fit, healthy and would like to improve their way of eating. Why Do You Love Chi’s products? One of the products I came to love almost to the point to be obsessed about it is Chi 100% Org...

Winter Nutrition – Fuelling Your Body during the Autumn and Winter Cold Months!!!! Winter is a stressful time for the body or at least it can be if certain steps aren’t taken to ensure optimal health. We are all individual and the concept applies to our nutritional likes, dislikes and needs. When the seasons change, this can post the most stress on the body, especially when life is busy with work and family as well as trying to keep in shape during the harsh winter months. When life is run at a million times per hour it’s usually nutrition that takes the big hit. Training under fuelled and therefore in a negative energy balance places a lot more stress on the body than just training does. If the food consumed is missing vital food groups or vitamins then a general feeling of tiredness and regular illness can occur. Mario Chef Cycling is a sport that requires endurance, even for the pure sprinters and BMX racers, some time spent doing low level endurance miles in the off seaso...