Cycle city pedals into Gympie
THE saying, enough to feed a small army, certainly applies at the Cycle Queensland 2012 recreational ride where feeding 980 cyclists who have ridden more than 100km in a day is a mammoth task.
The cyclists arrived in Gympie yesterday from Tiaro and leave this morning.
Part adventure, part holiday, Cycle Queensland is an annual cycling trip organised by Bicycle Queensland.
It is a fully supported bicycle ride in which participants will cover 542km on this year's route, which started in Gayndah on September 8 and finishes in Noosa tomorrow.
A travelling team of seven chefs and three kitchen hands from Sydney-based Logistic Catering and 30 Bicycle Queensland volunteers prepare, cook and serve meals on the nine-day cycling adventure.
Logistic Catering head chef Charles Walsh said last night's dinner of Irish stew required 150kg of diced lamb, 40kg of carrots, 40kg of onion, 100kg of peas and 120kg of mashed potatoes.
Mr Walsh is used to filling the bellies of many as he has cooked for the Olympics NBC media crew for the last six Olympics.
He said he loves the Cycle Queensland experience of moving from town to town, despite the heavy workload.
"One of the best things is rest day, the hard part is taking down all the gear, getting to the next town and getting ready for dinner," Mr Walsh said.
Dinner takes three hours to prepare, with a new menu each day.
"We get a lot of compliments," Mr Walsh said.
"I think it's important to make the food here is as good as you get in a restaurant. We do our best to make everything fresh."
