Chuckwagon? Since when do Grand Tours have a chuckwagon? Don\’t they just hand out musettes in the feed zone?

OK, they do; but I wonder, does a Grand Tour rider fantasize about such fancy spreads as this while racing around France? Or Italy, or Spain?

Even if they do, it seems quite apparent that they won\’t be getting it while on the bike. Article after article states that a rider in the TdF burns up to 8000 calories per stage; more in the mountainous stages. While riding hour after hour, however, the riders need food that\’s easy to handle on the bike; that goes down easily; and digests easily. Let\’s not forget, it needs to be palatable as well.

For the recreational rider, 8000 calories is several days\’ worth of food. This video, in fact, makes me wonder whether I actually eat too much during my weekly long ride! This article has a similar effect.

Half a Clif Bar and one GU-Gel per hour is about what I take in, although I don\’t down a full bottle of electrolyte drink per hour. On a hot day, I down about one liter of water per hour.

The feed zone of a bicycle race is the equivalent of a chuckwagon. While out on my long rides, I must take my food and drink with me. There\’s no feed zone where someone will hand me a musette, and no chuckwagon following me around.

So, do they have a chuckwagon at bicycle rodeos? I\’ll bet the kids would get a kick out of it.