As I am doing my daily grind and flipping through the online newspapers of the world talking about the Olympics, I come across this article below. Now, I love a good coffee and have been known to bring my portable caffetieria overseas, not to mention I was the only person at my previous job with an espresso machine at their desk! but this guy takes the cake, or should I say takes the biscotti? See the article below on how the Scottish cycler Sir Chris Hoy uses espresso as his lucky charm.
Scottish cycling hero Sir Chris Hoy reveals how his home-made coffee helps keep him on track for gold
OLYMPIC cycling hero Sir Chris Hoy has revealed how his home-made coffee is the big secret to his track success at the London Games.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/london-olympics-coffee-secret-behind-1229940
GOLDEN boy Sir Chris Hoy has revealed the secret rocket fuel behind his Olympic heroics – coffee.
Scotland’s cycling king insisted on lumping his own coffee machine and beans grinder into his flat in the athletes’ village.
And he said it’s his barista skills that have helped him stay on track to medal success at the Games.
Chris, 36, is bidding to become Britain’s most successful Olympian today when he goes for gold in the keirin at the Velodrome.
If he wins, it would elevate his gold total to six.
Despite athletes being advised to travel light for the Olympic Village, Chris said his coffee machine was the one vital piece of equipment he couldn’t live without.
The only time he has been without it was at the World Championships in Melbourne earlier this year, where he had mixed fortunes.
He said: “I take my coffee machine from home with me whenever I can. I managed to take it in the equipment van to the World Championships in Holland last year.
“If we are travelling farther, I’ll still take a hand grinder and some decent beans.”
The daily ritual has involved him selecting his favourite beans before grinding them. He then measures the exact amount of water required for the perfect double ristretto.
Chris has a degree in applied sports science from Edinburgh University and many experts believe that coffee can act as a stimulus for the mind and muscles before
explosive events.
explosive events.
He’s so fond of his caffeine hit that he has a photo of a cappuccino as his background on his Twitter page. He also posted a picture of his machine and grinder in his flat.
Chris claims his fussiness is down to a desire to get the very best out of any interests he turns his hand to.
But he admits that he became obsessive about his coffee after taking a barista course in Perth, Australia.
He said: “I really got into it. Before long, I was watching coffee-making videos on YouTube and realised I’d become obsessed.
“I couldn’t go to a high-street coffee chain any more because it just wasn’t up to the same standard. Once you’ve opened Pandora’s Box, you can’t go back.”
Chris today will bid to become the first Briton ever to claim six gold medals, which would overtake rower Sir Steve Redgrave’s tally of five gold medals.
With his three gold medals in Beijing 2008, Hoy became Scotland’s most successful Olympian, the first Briton to win three golds in a single Olympic Games since Henry Taylor in 1908. He also won a gold medal in a time trial in Athens in 2004.
He wept tears of joy last week as he celebrated winning gold in the team sprint with Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes, who roared to glory in front of 6000 screaming British fans in the Velodrome.
Chris’s parents, Carol, a nurse, and David, a building surveyor, will be at the Velodrome today with his wife Sarra to cheer him on.
