Review: The Cycling Chef - Recipes for Getting Lean and Fueling the Machine
In the off season of cycling, which coincides with the hearty cooking season, I tend to search around the kitchen for inspiration. There are only so many dishes that can be cooked endlessly before they lose their luster. For example, burgers are hardly exciting anymore. The American menu does not feel vast when compared to the possibilities of ingredients. Each year the creakybottombracket.com kitchen tries to add a cycling oriented cookbook to provide a fresh look. After having cooked with The Cycling Chef - Recipes for Getting Lean and Fueling the Machine for a year, it felt appropriate to add it to the Reviews shelf.
The Cycling Chef is written by Alan Murchison, a Michelin-starred chef and sports nutritionist. Murchison welcomes the reader with a brief overview of the contained recipes. A cyclist himself, he breaks down why his recipes apply to a particular season: off-season, pre-season, soft-pedalling days, and so on. The book features nearly 75 recipes to expand the athlete’s palate and boost morale. Murchison has also published books for plant-powered athletes, ride day recipes, and performance and pleasure collections.
It could be argued endurance athletes don’t actually pay coaches for insight, they pay them for structure. Murchison’s book could be viewed in much the same way. To purchase The Cycling Chef is to invest in fueling structure. Alan Murchison provides options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on particular training days. Removing the guesswork out of training food prep can free up physical and emotional space, allowing the cyclist to focus on the training day at hand or to make a rest day easier.
Interspersed through the recipes are over a dozen photos from the golden age of cycling. There are also numerous photos of Alan Murchison in mid training. Being a recipe book, the color photos of his dishes jump off the page with vibrant color.
Within the recipe lists are accessible dishes. There are several protein pots recipes featured as well as various baked oats combinations. Murchison also highlights “stretch” recipes - concoctions that can make leftover food last longer by adding them to other dishes. The main dishes are the foundation of the book. Expect dishes such as za’tar, kimchi, salmon, and muesli. There are granola bars featured as well plus a dish affectionately called, “meat sweats breakfast burrito. One of the favorites includes a muesli dish for those who have no choice but to train late at night but need something between post-workout and bed.
The Cycling Chef brings the entire experience together by featuring two big-name cyclists endorsements: former World Hour Record Holder Alex Dowsett and Olympic gold medalist Elinor Barker. Add the convenience of an outlined nutrition regime plus a dash of expertise, The Cycling Chef - Recipes for Getting Lean and Fueling the Machine is a wonderful addition to the endurance athlete’s kitchen.
