WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY OLLY TOWNSEND
“I ground the beans fresh this morning”, said Kevin, opening a small ziplock bag and pouring a carefully measured dose into his portable cafetière and setting it on top of his gas stove. A backlit jet of steam was rising vertically from Clive’s stove, signalling that his lunchtime brew was almost ready. Dom, over in the corner near the window, had set out his tea making apparatus neatly on a small table and was busy brewing up his perfect cuppa too.
It’s often said that you can judge a mountain biker by the type of bike they’re riding, or their choice of clothing or even what kind of helmet they’re wearing. But I think you can make a more informed opinion of your riding buddies by looking at what they’ve chosen to bring in their packs to make the lunch stop better. The fact that three of my group had decided to pack stoves and a brew kit with them said a lot about their attitude to riding – make it as fun, sociable and civilised as you can!