Some of the people I ride with, seems like one of the raison d’être of the long ride is The Coffee Stop (or The Breakfast/Lunch Stop).
Me, though, I prefer to eat on the go! I’ve yet to experience a cafe pastry that compares to the utter sensory delight of nibbling on my favorite flavor Clif Bar (Which one is that? Almost all of them) while riding up the toughest climb of the ride (Which one is that? Almost all of them), distracting my mind from my legs by keeping my tastebuds happy. Eating and riding bikes: Two great tastes, one literal, one figurative, that taste great together.
Also, when I’m out for a ride, I’m out there to ride. I don’t want to stop for longer than necessary, and I’ll stuff my face with coffee and cake the rest of the day, once I get back
How about you? Do you prefer to take all your food ‘to-go’ on the big rides, or is the cafe-oasis one of the parts you look forward, and which maybe even motivates you?
Well, if it’s a social ride, normally we do the coffee / food stop at the end. Just a toilet/water break halfway somewhere. Not always, sometimes a coffee break is planned half way. The point is the social aspect.
you gotta keep fuelled though — I like to use the precision fuel chews. I like clif bars but ultimately the straight sugar of the chews is fine. I dislike gels.
training rides — only stop if I have to
Sometimes I’ll ride solo to a distant coffee shop, but then, that’s a destination ride. I want to have the coffee, or try out the cafe, or just look at the view on offer.
I cannot do the cafe stop. Gotta keep it moving! Coffee and food before, then food and drink on the bike. I’ll smash real food when it’s over.
For me the cafe legs set in almost immediately. I’ve got time for bathrooms and perhaps resupplies on long days, but too long and I start to feel sluggish.
Firstly, I would never rely on a stop for fuelling (don’t ride over 120km often). Always carry some bars. I prefer a coffee stop near the end of only 2-4h ride. As a family man I’m conscious of time and if there’s been mechanical or puncture delays I can just skip the stop and head home.
I am this way, too. If I stop for too long, which is not long at all, my body starts to think ‘Ride over, time to go into recovery mode’ and it’s difficult to get cranking again.
When I organize group rides long enough that refill stops are necessary, I will always stress that these are refill stops, not rest stops. This is an aside, but sometimes in a group ride you’ve got people who have the whole day clear, while others who still have to get back in time for work or family or other personal obligations. I don’t think it’s right to make someone late for those things so the proverbial ‘you’ can sip a latte and nibble a croissant before setting off again.
As far as my Clif Bar-Uber-Alles preference, it seems like that’s a personal idiosyncrasy. But man, I just love cranking along with a chunk of Oatmeal Raisin Walnut or Blueberry Almond stuffed into my cheek, where I squirrel it away to slowly disperse its sweet energy nutrition as it gradually melts into nothing but a savory saliva memory, at which point it’s time for another scrumdiddlyumptious nibble.
I’m good for a 10-20 min stop if we’re out for four or more hours but generally find the 45 minute pedal to a coffee spot followed by 45 min sitting around to be not why I ride. The company certainly can make it worth the while.
I might stop for a sandwich or tacos if my ride is over, say, 120 km, and will definitely stop if it is 200 km. But almost all my rides are solo, so eating isn’t social. I do usually stop for tacos at the end of my rides.
And where I live, there aren’t going to be a lot of nice places to stop and eat at my halfway point, so that’s not an inducement—most likely, my mental calculus would be different if there were a pastry shop out in the sticks.
When I start a ride, I am generally out for the ride and break just long enough to refill my bottles, wipe my glasses, and eat a quick snack with small roasted potatoes being one of my favorites. I don’t want to stop too long and let my legs go cold so to speak (even though it may be 100F outside). So business is business. Post bike it is take a shower, eat a lunch and take a wonderful nap in that order.
A long stop at the end of a ride is okay, but otherwise you need to warm up again afterwards - not so great if it’s wet, cold or steep. However, if you’re doing a brevet longer than say 200km being able to carry or digest enough isn’t easy, especially if you aren’t fond of gels or energy drinks.
Clif bars are certainly better than Power Bars(!), but I’d describe ingesting them as tolerable rather than pleasurable. On the other hand, I suppose they’re a known quantity, whereas things from unknown bakeries can be disappointing - or stellar.
Some ride to eat and/or drink, while others are only interested in refuelling…
I like any mid-ride stop to be as short as possible. Some of it being that a longer stop “takes me out of my groove.” But the bigger part is with two little ones at home I try to take as little time away from spending time with them as possible. While at the same time trying to bike as much as I can.
So if I have a 3 hour window to ride, I’d rather ride for all of it versus doing 2.5 hours of riding plus 30 minutes of socializing at a cafe
over pastries 
