Adventures & Stories: Miche Loaves, Ciabatta, Hand-Pies and Miles of Riding in Salida, CO
This miche loaf from Little Red Hen Bakery in Salida, CO was the size of my HEAD!
A personal letter to Salida. Dear Salida, you have won over my heart and stomach. Please keep sending hungry cyclists your way so they, too, can take in the endless joys of homemade baked bread, coffee, pie, honey, epic trails, adventures and much more. Yours, always. - Tyler
I came home from Salida with a belly full of #bikedgoods + some leftovers.
Miche bread the size of my head, ciabatta, pecan chocolate bourbon pie, gluten-free grain loaf, white bread flour and sourdough starter from Little Red Hen Salida (I could dedicate an entire post to this place by the way)
Raw honey from Bee Keepers Honey Botique, coffee beans from Mountain Phoenix Roastery, and veggie egg bake + a cocoa reishi mushroom coffee from Bunny and Cylde’s.
Homemade chimichurri veggie burritos, Super Schweet Sweet Potato Pancakes, kiwi-banana-strawberry and banana energy squeeze, and ciabatta apple bread with honey.
After putting on 90+ miles and a ton of climbing on my mountain and gravel bikes, this food is exactly what my body needed to power through the rides and help me see some amazing high country.
If you’re ever out in Salida I highly recommend visiting these sweet cafes, shops, and trails.
Hit me up if you want to talk eats and biking in Salida. For now, check out my food journal and log below along with some homemade recipes and food recommendations from local shops below.
Food Journal + Log
After putting on a good amount of miles over the course of 3 days, I wanted to log my rides and fuel intake to give you an idea of how I fuel for cycling adventures.
Trip Menu
Muesli with oat milk, banana slices, strawberries and peanut butter
Buff Ranch Chickpea and Cauliflower Salad with flour tortillas
Chimichurri Chickpea and Cauliflower Salad with ciabatta bread, avocado and mozzarella cheese
Ciabatta bread with apple slices, honey, peanut butter and mozzarella cheese
On The Bike Snacks
Peanut butter filled pretzels
Kiwi Banana Strawberry Energy Squeeze
Dates + date energy bites
Tortilla lime chia chips
Desserts
Maple Pecan Chocolate Bourbon Pie from Little Red Hen Bakery
Day 1 - Cottonwood Tour 22 mi, rough, rocky and decent climbs
During ride
10-12 PB pretzels
Kiwi Banana Strawberry Energy Squeeze (See recipe below)
1 28oz bottle Skratch Lemon Lime Sports Hydration Drink
Post-ride meal
Ciabatta bread with chimichurri and cauliflower salad, avocado 30 min after ride (See recipe below)
Dessert:
“Brownie Batter” Banana & Sweetie Potato Bread with peanut butter before bed
Day 2 - Ute Trail Out and Back 52 miles, 5000+ feet of climbing, beautiful high mountain gravel
Pre-ride meal
Muesli with half banana, strawberries, granola and peanut butter
During ride
PB filled Pretzels
1 date
1 date energy bite
1 bottle Skratch
1 bottle water
Camelback with 1.5L water bladder
Post-ride
NuuN recovery drink and a few lime tortilla chips 15 min after the ride.
Ciabatta with peanut butter, apple slices, mozzerala cheese, and honey and a handful of lime tortilla chips about 1 hour after the ride
Day 3 - Methodist trail system Spartan + Rainbow, 17mi, hard climb up pot o gold, 2000 ft climbing
Pre-ride
Muesli with half bananas, peanut butter, and granola and coffee
During ride
Sweet potato espresso cake
1.5 bottles of water
Post-ride
Nuun recovery + a few PB pretzels 10 min after ride
Veggie egg bake with potatoes, spinach, pesto, onions tomatoes, cheese and seasoned eggs from Bunny and Clydes about 1 hour after ride
Coffee with cocoa reishi mushroom mix
Homemade Recipes From The Trip
A few of the homemade recipes I packed for the trip.
Chimichurri Chickpea, Cauliflower and Rice Salad
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas
1 can of black beans
1 can corn
1 cup cooked Calrose or other sticky rice
1 cup chimichurri sauce
1/2 head roasted cauliflower
1/2 jalapeno chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
Toppings
Feta cheese
Cilantro
White cabbage
Avocado slices
Chopped tomato
Tortilla or Taco Shells (If you want to do burritos or tacos!)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425. Combine the chopped cauliflower, olive oil, salt spices and lime juice in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Then pour onto a sheet pan in an even layer. Roast for 15-17 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and beginning to crisp. While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare your rice according to the package instructions. As the rice cooks, add your black beans, corn jalapenos and chickpeas to the leftover mixing bowl. When the cauliflower and rice are done, add to a large mixing bowl and stir in 1 cup chimichurri sauce. Gently stir to combine sauce. Serve immediately on bread or in a wrap with fresh toppings or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Kiwi Banana Strawberry and Energy Squeeze
Ingredients
2 kiwis
Half banana
3 strawberries
2-3 tsp chia seed (to help gel together with the liquids)
1 tsp honey
Splash of coconut water
High-quality sea salt
Directions
Blend together all ingredients except salt and chia seeds. After blending add in chia seeds and salt. Give it a taste and adjust ingredients as necessary. I set mine in the fridge overnight to let chia seeds absorb the liquid and make it more gel-like.
TIP: Pour your energy gel into a reusable baby pouch like the Wee-Sprout. After sharing this idea with a few people they have been pumped at how simple and Ingenius it is. Simply pour the contents of your mix into the pouch, store in the fridge or freezer, and when it's time to ride grab and throw in your jersey pocket for easy eating on the bike.
Hawt Buffalo Chickpea and Yogurt Salad Burittos
Ingredients
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 can chickpeas
1/2 head cauliflower chopped and roasted
1 avocado chopped
1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
Hot sauce to your liking
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2 lime squeeze
1/2 tsp cumin
Directions
Chop cauliflower into small pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. Place in the oven at 425˚F for 15-20 minutes. Let cool. Add cauliflower, celery, tomato, chickpeas, avocado, chickpeas into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in yogurt, hot sauce, and lime juice until salad is well covered. Eat bread, in a wrap or with chips/crackers.
Bakeries Shops and Cafes in Salida, CO
Below are a few of my favorite shops, bakeries and food stops while visiting Salida.
Little Red Hen Bakery
If I had to choose one spot to visit the entire weekend, the Little Red Hen Bakery would be it. Screw visiting. I wanted to sleep in this place! Homemade bread, pies, cookies, woodier sourdough - I just wanted to jump into this cute, quaint little bakery shop and never leave. But unfortunately, eating there to-die-for baked goods gave me the necessary motivation to explore the trails of Salida, CO.
I stopped by this bakery each day to pick up my goods and learn more about their local, sustainable food source practices. I was also hooked up with a piece of their sourdough starter from the owner along with a quick lesson on how to feed and maintain it for future baked goods. You can just tell this place puts a lot of love and soul into their baked goods. Plus their local lineup of ingredients and suppliers make this a top stop for me in Salida.
Bunny and Cyldes
Bunny and Clyde’s is a funky little cafe and breakfast joint in downtown Salida. They claim to have the healthiest food in Salida, which is a bold claim, but I dig their confidence. After stepping into their store I learned that they are known for their burritos.
Although I opted for the veggie egg bake made with smashed Yukon potatoes, garlic, spinach, cheese and fresh salsa. This is exactly what I need to chow down on after my weekend of riding came to an end. I also ordered a latte with reishi mushroom. This drink claimed to help relaxation and recovery. Regardless, the food was tasty, fresh and healthy in terms of the foods I needed to take in after a lot of riding.
The Beekeepers Honey Boutique
This sweet little honey boutique was nestled right next to Little Red Hen Bakery. Bread and honey anyone?! I stepped into their store to learn that this is the oldest honey company in the state of Colorado! The operation started in 1908 and at one time ran just under 4,000 hives across 10 different states. At one point they were also one of the largest bee suppliers in the state of California contributing 60,000 hives to the almond pollination every year!
I opted to buy a jar of raw honey from them to use in my baked goods along with a raw honeycomb where I could eat the pure honey straight from the hive as a snack.
Camping in Salida
We camped in this spot last year with our friends and I came right back to it for this trip. This is a dispersed camping site on the way to the Shavano and Tabeguache trailhead. It’s about 15 miles from town and offers peace, quiet and unbeatable views of the surrounding mountain valley. Waking up and going to bed each night here is a treat in itself. Find the coordinates to the camping spot here.
