The Hungarian chef who cooked his way into the Tour de France elite

Attila Szász-Kolumbán, 49, known only as Speedy in Siklós, Baranya, had previously dabbled in tailoring and trading, before leaving for Italy 22 years ago on a construction job. At the hotel in the Alps, however, he quickly discovered that he was not only good at mixing mortar, but also at mixing delicious food. “I started cooking for myself and then for my colleagues, who liked my style. It soon became clear that what they were eating as goulash was actually stew. Moreover, it was made without paprika.”– says Attila, adding that the Hungarian flavour is not unknown in that part of Italy, because of the former southern border with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

“After my foray into the construction industry, I quickly realised that I wanted to get more serious about cooking. So, after completing my cookery training, I spent almost all my free time exploring and learning about Mediterranean flavours. It’s true, at that time, I was already back working in Italy, in a mountain hotel in Trentino to be precise.”– says Attila, who, thanks to this region and a series of coincidences, has met a team of the world’s best cyclists. “I worked in a hotel where many athletes stayed. And five years ago, the Tour of the Alps and then the Giro d’Italia rolled through there. That’s why many professional cyclists stayed with us. That’s how I came into closer contact with them,’ says the Hungarian chef, a sports fan. It was after one such cycling race that Saun Fowler, a highly respected sports chef, wandered into Attila’s kitchen. The Hungarian chef quickly got on with him and the relationship proved fruitful. And in February this year, he received a phone call asking Attila to apply to be a chef for one of the Tour de France teams.

At the age of 49, Attila didn’t believe at first that he would be the energy source for the world’s best athletes. An Italian chef was to have done the job together with him, but in the end, Attila was left alone. “It’s my job to prepare breakfast, dinner and what could be called snacks during a competition. At this time, I only cook for the athletes, now I am responsible for the meals of 8 top athletes. In addition, I have to agree on all the details and the wishes of the athletes. So that adds up to a 12-14 hour shift, which for me is more of a challenge than a job. This is my vocation and my passion,” Attila says.

“They start with oatmeal in the morning, which I prepare for them with water, and then they have lots of berries and eggs. A breakfast is a real sit-down meal, where athletes put in nearly 2,000 calories to cycle hundreds of kilometres,’ the chef explains.He says that cyclists usually have dinner around 8 p.m. A light salad should be accompanied by couscous and high-protein yoghurt, vegetables, chicken and fish.

This year’s Tour de France started in Bilbao, Spain, on 1 July and finishes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 23 July. “I think it’s thanks to my love of sport and, of course, fate that I’ve reached one of the pinnacles of my career. These 20 days will probably change my life and although it means 24 hours a day in a foodtruck following the field, to be in Formula 1 of cycling is more than an honour.”