At the start of the 4 Days of Dunkirk, a kitchen truck follows the event: inside, private chef Quentin Varoteaux cooks for Cofidis.
On this stage race, a cycling reference in Hauts-de-France, the days are close to 200 kilometers. Food becomes a performance parameter, but also a moment of comfort for runners.
Chef Quentin Varoteaux at Cofidis
Originally from Laon, Quentin Varoteaux worked with the restaurant’s starred chef before becoming a private chef in 2022. He discovered the 4 Days in the Cofidis staff.
In his food truck, the alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m. and the chef makes porridge, omelettes, crepes and pancakes. , underlines Quentin Varoteaux to France 3. His rule is simple: . For runners, as Clément Izquierdo summarizes, .
The kitchen race day
While the peloton rolls, Quentin Varoteaux’s day also looks like a race. Caught between transfers and dinner preparation, he rarely follows the stage live:
Between serving breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and cleaning up after dinner, the day rarely ends before 11 p.m. This rhythm continues until the finish in Dunkirk, before another cook takes over in the Tour de France.
A calibrated dinner for the Cofidis team
In the evening, the food truck becomes a restaurant for athletes, with for example avocado toast, smoked trout, filet mignon, vegetable tian, pasta, rice and chestnut cake. For Quentin Varoteaux, . He relies on nutritionist Fabrice Jeandesboz: .
At dinner, plates of proteins arrive at the table, then each runner fills the buffet with starchy foods weighed to the nearest gram. As the staff explains, This framework does not exclude pleasure. Runner Benjamin Thomas sums up: .
What does Quentin Varoteaux make for breakfast?
He cooks porridge, omelettes, crepes, pancakes and suitable drinks.
How are portions of starchy foods calculated?
Runners weigh their starchy foods according to the needs defined with the nutritionist.
What pace of work does Chef Varoteaux follow?
It starts around 6:30 a.m. and ends after dinner, often around 11 p.m.
