This month a new coffee shop opened in Milton geared toward cyclists — or any other caffeine lovers. Located inside Bikes Plus, 5262 Steward St., the Broken Spoke Café has tables and chairs, Wi-Fi, coffee, tea and specialty drinks — everything any coffee shop would have, according to Patrick Wilkes, owner of the Milton Bikes Plus store. Broken Spoke Café opened the first week of December and has been an anticipated project since Bikes Plus opened in February. “It’s something we’ve envisioned from the start,” he said. “It’s a perfect location because it’s near the bike path and the high school.” With the Blackwater Heritage Trail such a short distance away, Wilkes said he hopes cyclists stop in for a coffee, whether it’s at the start of their ride or on their way back. According to Wilkes, bike and coffee shops are popular in larger cities, such as Atlanta. “People stop to get some coffee to keep them going through (their ride),” he said. Bicycling Magazine published an article last year stating that drinking coffee helps cyclists recover from workouts by boosting glycogen levels – the number one fuel while cycling. The article comes from a study done by a team of Australian researchers studying glycogen. “Results showed that after one hour, the cyclists showed no difference in recovery. After four hours, however, the caffeinated group’s glycogen levels were 65 percent greater. The exact cause for the recovery boost is unknown, but the scientists believe it may come form the higher levels of glucose and insulin levels in the blood, caused by caffeine,” the article states. The south half of Wilkes’ store has been a work in progress to get the counters, coffee supplies and machines ready to open the other half of their envisioned business. “People would ask what’s going on. I would just say, ‘I’m opening a coffee shop,’” Wilkes said. “I knew we had to get it going in December with the cold weather because that’s the time people need coffee.” Wilkes has been in the biking industry for 15 years, but the coffee industry was something new that took some concentration to perfect. “It was definitely a process of learning how to make specialty drinks, espressos, lattes,” he said. Hours of the shop are now from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local roasted Kona coffee is offered as well as peppermint mochas, pumpkin spice and eggnog lattes. Wilkes plans to open the outside patio once the weather gets warmer. A grand opening for Broken Spoke Café is in the works for January, but a date has not yet been selected.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: BIKER BOOST: New coffee shop targets cyclists