In the first of a new series, we find out about life at the big races inside EF Education-EasyPost, starting with team chef Owen Blandy
Words James Witts Photography Harry Talbot
Team players
‘I’ll get up around six o’clock, which is two hours before the riders tuck into breakfast,’ says Owen Blandy, who has been team chef at EF Education-EasyPost since 2021, having previously played for Arsenal FC’s academy and studied to become a chartered accountant. He’s talking Cyclist through his routine at stage races. ‘I’ll pack up my case for another hotel and pack anything that needs securing in the kitchen truck. It’s then about prepping breakfast.
‘I’ll always cook rice, including risotto rice, milk, cinnamon and sugar. It’s a rice pudding, porridge thing. There are nuts and fresh fruit, and always omelettes, which I’ll cook in the hotel in front of the riders. It’s very much a copy-and-paste routine. Rigo [Rigoberto Urán], for instance, will always have three eggs, ham and cheese. And he hates black pepper.’
Breakfast consumed, the riders head to the stage start and Blandy goes to the next hotel after leaving his imprint on the team bus, where there’s a fridge full of containers with energy-replenishing carbohydrates and muscle-repairing protein, often chicken and pasta for a post-stage transfer filler.
Depending on transfer time, Blandy is usually at the next hotel by midday. ‘The mechanics are often already there, and I’ll be greeted by the sound of laundry on the go. They’ll direct me into my car-parking space. I’ll then either head out to the shops for food or start prepping. I try to avoid shopping every day as it’s an hour-and-a-half gone, so I’ll always keep food stored in my kitchen truck.’
Ah, the kitchen truck, sanctuary of the chef and forbidden to all. Storage is plentiful thanks to commercial stainless-steel, under-bench fridges. That’s the domain for prepped food and leftovers. Then there’s a large, stand-up fridge near the door where Blandy stores fresh fruit and yogurt.
‘I’ll then get connected to the mains, open the side window and hope for a good view. I tick off my jobs, then hopefully I can put my feet up before the riders come back or go for a run to clear my head.’
Pressure-cooker situation
At the last Tour de France, much head-clearing was required
