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"Was it a sticky latte?": Ex-pro cyclist Phil Gaimon returns coffee to driver... who'd left it on their car roof; 'Marco Pantani' takes Alpe d'Huez Strava KOM... and gets flagged; How not to fuel for a big ride + more on the live blog

Welcome to the Thursday live blog! Dan Alexander is on duty, bringing you all your news from the world of cycling as the weekend creeps closer

SUMMARY

28 November 2024, 16:38
"Was it a sticky latte?": Ex-pro cyclist Phil Gaimon returns coffee to driver who'd left it on their car roof

It wasn't the coffee stop Phil Gaimon had in mind, but it turned out to be "the pro-est thing I've ever done". On a big ride in the hills near Malibu, California, the former pro reported having a woman pull out in front of him... no danger here though, except for her poor hot beverage...

"Today a woman pulled her car out in front of me (safely) but she didn't realise that her coffee was on the roof. I grabbed it and handed it to her and it's the pro-est thing I've ever done," he told Strava followers, although there's disappointingly no GoPro footage of this one.

Phil Gaimon Strava November 2024

It's all part of the cyclist x coffee symbiotic relationship... oh, and more importantly gave the comments section plenty of material to work with...

"Was it a sticky latte?"

"But did she hold on until you got her up to speed?"

"Not all heroes wear capes, some wear Lycra"

"Your entire life prepared you for this moment"

As far as transferable skills from a career in pro cycling go, this one actually turned out to be pretty useful.

 
28 November 2024, 16:59
Christmas gifts for discerning cyclists — a guide to unearthing the ideal gift for the fastidious fussy cyclist in your life
28 November 2024, 16:00
Chris Boardman receives award for "outstanding contribution" to public health
Chris Boardman (Active Travel England)

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has announced Chris Boardman has received its most prestigious award, the John Snow Outstanding Contribution to Public Health Award.

It recognises individuals who go "above and beyond" to improve the health of the public and it has been awarded to Boardman for his campaigning and work in active travel.

"This award means a lot to me and it’s also testament to the people that I work with," Boardman said. "Getting people moving through forms of active travel or sport is fundamental to building health.

"If we want to improve the health of the nation, we need to look at how we build physical activity into places across the country. The most important thing we need to do is make the make the most active option the easiest to the public."

28 November 2024, 16:05
Percentage of cyclists killed or injured on UK roads dropping more than any other road user, new government figures reveal – but safety campaigners say number of fatalities "remain stubbornly high"
28 November 2024, 15:39
"We now need to see the vision turned into reality": Sustrans also backs government's Integrated Transport Strategy

Following on from Cycling UK, the charity Sustrans has also welcomed Louise Haigh's announcement...

The need for an integrated transport strategy that works for everyone was front and centre among our election manifesto asks of the new Government. That's why we welcome today's commitment and the vision of integrated transport that puts the needs of people first.

Walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport have to work hand in hand to deliver a people first approach that improves our health and the environment, provides access to jobs and education, and makes our neighbourhoods better places to live.

We now need to see the vision turned into reality, through a strategy that puts more resources into giving people greater choice in how they access the things they need to live well. We'll look forward to working with the government to make this happen.

28 November 2024, 15:17
Cycling UK "warmly welcomes" Transport Secretary Louise Haigh's vision for "Integrated Transport Strategy"
Louise Haigh, Labour shadow transport secretary (credit - Cycling UK)

Labour and Transport Secretary Louise Haigh have announced an Integrated Transport Strategy, a plan she outlined in a speech earlier today. An infrastructure strategy is said to be coming in the spring too, with the Department for Transport to "set out our priorities for the next decade in transport".

Haigh said: "Integrated transport in this country is lagging behind our European counterparts, and for too long our fragmented transport networks have stunted economic growth and made it harder for people to get around. Today, I'm launching a new national vision of transport that seamlessly joins all modes of transport together, and puts people at the heart of our transport system."

What does this mean for cycling? Well, Haigh outlined her intention to promote cycling and walking as the best choice for shorter journeys, and prioritising pavement repairs, safe crossing and cycle infrastructure where they are needed most.

Cycling UK reacted positively, Sarah McMonagle commenting: "We warmly welcome the Secretary of State's vision for an Integrated Transport Strategy and her intention to put people at the heart of it. We have long called for a strategy that connects cycling with public transport to bring our network up to the standards we see in other European nations. Better integration with trains and buses means more affordable and sustainable travel. Communities deserve a transport system that enables more people to choose cycling, whether for everyday trips or as part of longer journeys. 

"Investment in cycling has countless benefits, from strengthening local economies to reducing pollution and improving public health. We welcome the commitment from the Secretary of State to promote walking and cycling for shorter journeys. For the strategy to succeed and to meet our environmental commitments, we need to see clear targets on traffic reduction as well as long-term investment in active and sustainable transport."

28 November 2024, 14:03
'Marco Pantani' takes Alpe d'Huez Strava KOM... and gets swiftly flagged

Just another normal day on the internet...

'Marco Pantani' takes Alpe d'Huez Strava KOM

We haven't asked if this was road.cc Ryan's doing, after all he was keen to point out on yesterday's blog that yes, Canadian 'amateur' cyclist Jack Burke has set a new fastest time up the iconic climb (on Strava), but that Marco Pantani's legendary supersonic '95 ascent still holds the all-time crown... cycling in the 90s, eh...

Well, just like that, Pantani's 'activity' appeared on Strava this morning... and was promptly flagged, but not before we'd all had a good laugh.

 
28 November 2024, 12:36
Teenage cyclist killed in collision with bus driver after parked cars blocked cycle lane – but coroner blames 16-year-old for cycling on pavement, not wearing a helmet or bright clothing, and being "distracted" by earphones
28 November 2024, 11:43
Finally! Have you been waiting for a bike paint job inspired by... arsenic-based pigment developed in the 19th century, and used by Georges Seurat and Claude Monet, among others, to render vivid natural scenes in oil paintings?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Cervélo (@cervelo)

Fancy a very fast bike in 'Paris Green'?

That's Cervélo's eye-catching new colourscheme for the P-Series, although perhaps not quite as eye-catching as the press release we received communicating it's unveilling... 

"The limited-edition Paris Green P-Series takes inspiration from an arsenic-based pigment developed in the 19th century, and used by Georges Seurat and Claude Monet, among others, to render vivid natural scenes in oil paintings."

Right, we'll take your word for it. Us being simple just quite liked the shade of green... anyway, Cervélo is only making 500 available globally so if you're in the market for a flash bike in a flash colour, head over to their website...

28 November 2024, 11:21
"Depends on the ride but five hours is at least three cake stops. If it starts early enough it is a bacon bap...": A nutrition plan we can endorse
Food - 4 (1).jpg

Plenty of discussion about what to eat on big rides, Alex Walker on Facebook telling us his five-hour strategy would be "at least three cake stops... if it starts early enough, it is a bacon bap..." Lovely stuff.

pockstone asked if we could get a qualified nutritionist to translate the bars and gels in the earlier post into "pork pies, fig rolls and toasted currant teacakes per hour of riding?"

thrawed: "It really depends how often you cycle. Like it's fine to underfuel for one long ride and fully deplete your glycogen stores if you're not planning on riding for a few days after, but if you want to ride the next day you're going to quickly wise-up to fueling properly. The lag time in replenishing glycogen stores is just too disruptive if you have a moderately high-volume week planned so it's best to try and avoid depleting them in the first place."

Oldfatgit: "I guess I'm odd as this time of year I'd normally do a four-hour gravel ride on 1/2 bottle of water, a latte and a bacon roll. None of this bar and gel stuff."

We fully endorse any nutrition strategy built around a bacon roll. No further notes...

28 November 2024, 10:51
Remco Evenepoel, Yves Lampaert and other Soudal Quick-Step pros take their training to the beach
28 November 2024, 10:12
On the subject of nutrition and hydration...

28 November 2024, 10:06
"London has embraced cycling": New TfL figures show latest increase in cycle journeys
Cyclists in London stopped at red light outside marks and spencer - copyright Simon MacMichael

The number of daily cycle journeys in London has increased by five per cent since 2023, with 1.33 million daily journeys taking place in 2024. In new data, published by Transport for London (TfL), the number of cycled journeys is estimated to have increased by 26 per cent since 2019.

While the year-to-year increase from 2023 to 2024 is estimated to be five per cent, the growth was strongest in central London, at 11.6 per cent. Inner London saw a 4.2 per cent increase and outer London saw a 3.8 per cent increase, as TfL celebrates "Londoners continue to make the most of cycling as a sustainable and affordable way of travelling around the capital".

London cyclists (Ayad Hendy via Unsplash)

London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner Will Norman said: "It is tremendous that the number of Londoners cycling in the capital continues to grow year-on-year. We are extremely proud of our work to expand the protected cycleway network.

"This data shows that if you build the right infrastructure, people will use it. We will now look to build on this progress, working closely with boroughs to increase the cycle network even further. Enabling more people to make their journeys by walking, cycling and using public transport is key to building a safer and greener London for everyone."

28 November 2024, 09:05
A "nonsense" cycling nutrition plan from Facebook that'll have you begging to stop at a cafe

This looks like a pretty quick way to bonk on your next big day out...

Cycling nutrition plan via Facebook

If we assume those 'fluid' bottles are just water, that'll leave you a single bar or gel an hour. Even worse, for the seven-hour slog, you appear to lose one for the final hour. Maybe we'll get Jamie out to see if he can get round a seven-hour day on just three bars and three gels, probably totalling around 120g of carbs, 17 an hour. That's, at the very minimum, three or four times less what I'd be stuffing down, I reckon. Grim... but it would make a funny video for the rest of us.

> How to eat right for sportives and long rides

The graphic was shared on Facebook, the members of the 'Roadbike cycling' group split into those left in disbelief and those laughing. You'd probably be fine on the three-hour one. It might not be particularly fun, especially if it's a smashfest, but you'd survive. No, we still haven't worked out why riding for seven hours only warrants just one extra gel compared with riding for five. Anyway, cue the thoughts of cyclists from across the world...

"Nonsense"

"Short rides depict too much food, long rides not enough. A lot depends on pace however."

"Awful"

"Only one gel for the last 2h of a 7h ride. Lol."

Of course, there is a chance 'fluid' could also be cheekily sneaking in 50g of carb mix to bump up your totals, but unless you're a professional with a support car and soigneurs, that might be a tricky one to pull off.

2022 Tour de France eating drinking - 7.jpeg

Right, my stomach hurts just thinking about gels at this time in the morning, I'm sticking to Lidl's baked goods and sweet treats sections for my nutrition plan.

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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40 comments

Avatar
mark1a | 1 week ago
3 likes

Louise Haigh just resigned over relevation of historic fraud conviction.

Avatar
Simon E replied to mark1a | 1 week ago
1 like

mark1a wrote:

Louise Haigh just resigned over relevation of historic fraud conviction.

We FINALLY get a Transport secretary that might possibly care about something more than pandering to the motoring lobby, then this happens!

A stitch-up?

 

Avatar
Danbury replied to Simon E | 1 week ago
1 like

Seems like (according to her, and I've no reason to doubt her honesty) she unwisely followed poor legal advice in not reporting to the police that a phone she believed stolen by a mugger had not in fact been nicked. Very minor infraction in my view, and not something she'd kept secret.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Danbury | 1 week ago
3 likes

Danbury wrote:

Seems like (according to her, and I've no reason to doubt her honesty) she unwisely followed poor legal advice in not reporting to the police that a phone she believed stolen by a mugger had not in fact been nicked. Very minor infraction in my view, and not something she'd kept secret.

Well she did keep it a bit secret, she disclosed it to the prime minister but had never spoken of it otherwise. She didn't have any legal advice telling her not to report to the police the fact that the phone hadn't been nicked, her solicitors did advise her to plead guilty to fraud by false representation, which she did (ETA and apparently to refuse to answer any questions when asked by the police, again, if you're innocent and have a completely innocent explanation why would you do that?). I don't know about you but if I was accused of a crime like that I most certainly would not plead guilty under any circumstances no matter what advice I was given, and if her explanation is true (that she later found the phone amongst her belongings, turned it on and that alerted the police who then asked her to come for interview) then why on earth would she refuse to answer any questions in a police interview and then plead guilty? Why did she not report to her employers that she had found the phone? It's also reported that Aviva, her employer, had investigated her for other incidents in which she had claimed company phones had been stolen or lost... I'd say there is enough there to give a reason at least to question her honesty.

Mind you, it's hardly Michelle Mone stealing £200 million from the taxpayer…

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Rendel Harris | 1 week ago
1 like
Rendel Harris wrote:

Mind you, it's hardly Michelle Mone stealing £200 million from the taxpayer…

Shurely "accidentally and incidentally making a larger profit than anticipated while attempting to help out during a national emergency, at a time when there was great uncertainty and following normal procurement processes would have imposed unacceptable delays in what was a competitive environment for limited medical supplies - and thus have posed risks to the public health" ?

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hawkinspeter replied to Danbury | 1 week ago
1 like

Danbury wrote:

Seems like (according to her, and I've no reason to doubt her honesty) she unwisely followed poor legal advice in not reporting to the police that a phone she believed stolen by a mugger had not in fact been nicked. Very minor infraction in my view, and not something she'd kept secret.

Her explanation sounds a bit weaselly to me and I have trouble believing that someone can report a mobile phone being stolen by a mugger when it wasn't. I suppose you could have a handbag taken and you're not quite sure what was in it, but most people would know if they had their work phone in there and if not, they'd surely find it soon enough. It just doesn't sound like an honest mistake in my opinion.

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chrisonabike replied to mark1a | 1 week ago
1 like

I was kind of waiting... there was already a wobble due to her rightful criticism of the operator of P & O ferries (although Starmer gave her support then).

We will see. Change in the UK is major challenge though and the project of generations. Meanwhile the existing motoring industries and the new self-driving vehicle folks have budgets which wouldn't embarrass some mid- level states at their disposal to direct and shape our future. Never mind the energy corporations!

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brooksby replied to mark1a | 1 week ago
2 likes

At least she very quickly - once the story broke - took the honourable course of action and resigned.

Unlike some other MPs that come to mind… 

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Bungle_52 replied to brooksby | 1 week ago
1 like

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxy1kp73y9o

Quote:

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Louise Haigh has done the right thing in resigning. It is clear she has failed to behave to the standards expected of an MP".

Do as we say, not as we do?

Also note the correct spelling of "offence".

Avatar
kinderje | 1 week ago
3 likes

Why does the Cervelo 'Paris-Green' look yellow?

Is this that blue/gold dress again?

 

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lesterama replied to kinderje | 1 week ago
0 likes

It's like Legnano green, but not as sexy

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kinderje replied to lesterama | 1 week ago
1 like

Is Legnano Green yellow as well? 😂

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brooksby replied to kinderje | 1 week ago
0 likes

It's the colour my lawn goes if the weather is too sunny for too long

(it didn't ever go that colour over the summer of 2024, obviously…).

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Spangly Shiny | 1 week ago
0 likes

"That's, at the very minimum, three or four times less what I'd be stuffing down, I reckon."

You can't get three or four times less, that's an oxymoron. What you can get is a third or a quarter as much. Sheesh! and the Q̶u̶e̶e̶n̶'̶s̶ Kings English is my second language, after guttersnipe Dundonian.

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hawkinspeter replied to Spangly Shiny | 1 week ago
4 likes

Spangly Shiny wrote:

"That's, at the very minimum, three or four times less what I'd be stuffing down, I reckon."

You can't get three or four times less, that's an oxymoron. What you can get is a third or a quarter as much. Sheesh! and the Q̶u̶e̶e̶n̶'̶s̶ Kings English is my second language, after guttersnipe Dundonian.

She's He's not my Queen King and certainly has no ownership of our language!

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Rendel Harris replied to Spangly Shiny | 1 week ago
0 likes

I don't know, I'm usually a stickler for these things but isn't this one of those occasions where mathematical logic is being unnecessarily applied to a commonly understood figure of speech (see also double negative)? Of course in mathematical terms it doesn't make any sense because three times less would be a negative number, but you don't actually have to interpret "times" as "multiplied by", it can just mean "lots" or "quantities". It's become quite clearly understood linguistically that if you say "He is carrying three times less than me" you mean "I am carrying three times more than him" so I don't think it's going to confuse anyone. 

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levestane replied to Rendel Harris | 1 week ago
0 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

... three times less would be a negative number...

Three time less means one third of (divide by 3)? Would need a subtraction to go negative?

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Rendel Harris replied to levestane | 1 week ago
0 likes

levestane wrote:

Three time less means one third of (divide by 3)? Would need a subtraction to go negative?

I believe that if you apply strict mathematical rules you have a subtraction, e.g. if you say three times less than five mathematically that's 5 - (3x5), so minus 10. As I said, it's not always desirable to apply a strict mathematical meaning to linguistics.

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Bungle_52 replied to Rendel Harris | 1 week ago
0 likes

Mathematically 3 times less than 5 could be anything less than 15. eg 3 times 4 is 12 or 3 times -6 is -18.

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Rendel Harris replied to Bungle_52 | 1 week ago
0 likes

Bungle_52 wrote:

Mathematically 3 times less than 5 could be anything less than 15. eg 3 times 4 is 12 or 3 times -6 is -18.

Well yes but that's if you're looking at an equation x = n x 3 where n is any number less than 5. If you're looking for a number that is three times less than exactly 5 the equation is x = 5 - (3x5) so x = 5 - 15 so x = -10

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Bungle_52 replied to Rendel Harris | 1 week ago
0 likes

I think you are mixing up "less than" and "less". Less can be used for subtraction eg 5 less 3 is 2. The same as 3 is 2 less than 5.

Your example would be 5 less 3 times 5 is -10 or -10 is 3 times 5 less than 5.

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Rendel Harris replied to Bungle_52 | 1 week ago
0 likes

Bungle_52 wrote:

Your example would be... 3 times 5 less than 5.

Yes, that's exactly what it's supposed to be as we were talking about why if you apply mathematical principles to the phrase "That's three times less than I would need" the phrase is nonsensical as it would make "what I need" a negative quantity.

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Clem Fandango | 1 week ago
0 likes

Stuff of nonsense.  Just guage rides based on how much malt loaf is likely to be required. 

And when in the mountains, deploy the Haribo classification scale.  Basically a reversal of the usual approach in Grand Tours - the higher the number (which reflects how many Haribo you need to consume/bribe yourself with to make it to the top) the harder the climb.

 

Avatar
GMBasix replied to Clem Fandango | 1 week ago
3 likes

Clem Fandango wrote:

Stuff of nonsense.  Just guage rides based on how much malt loaf is likely to be required. 

And when in the mountains, deploy the Haribo classification scale.  Basically a reversal of the usual approach in Grand Tours - the higher the number (which reflects how many Haribo you need to consume/bribe yourself with to make it to the top) the harder the climb.

But don't forget to correct for altitude.

Avatar
lesterama | 1 week ago
1 like

road.cc wrote:

Nutrition plan

No, those are fuelling plans. 

Avatar
EM69 | 1 week ago
1 like

All depends on the rider and the pace, I know exactly what I need for a 40/60/80 or 100 mile ride at what I consider a decent pace for my age & its nowhere near what is listed on this misleading chart. What I have found over the years is that you can ride just as well on bars that cost a fraction of the energy bars aimed at cyclists & runners. Bananas are the perfect ride food (if you like bananas!), no substitute for gels though, yet to find anything better or more convenient. 

 

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 1 week ago
5 likes

A handful of acorns should be enough to keep you going

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S13SFC | 1 week ago
1 like

I'll regularly ride a 100miler in 6hrs on 2 bottles of Vimto and 6 boiled new potatoes or 2 bananas and 3 honey gels.

As long as I've carb'd up and had a big bowl of overnight oats I'm good.

If I go too deep and go for a 5hr target I'll bonk on the same.

Over 110/120miles a proper meal in a cafe is needed.

Guess my body is just used to it.

 

Avatar
Kapelmuur | 1 week ago
2 likes

I've only ridden for 7 hours once, just to be able to say I'd ridden 100+ miles in one go.

One flapjack, a round of mackerel pâté sandwiches a banana and a litre of water were sufficient.

Avatar
pockstone | 1 week ago
6 likes

Can a qualified nutritionist please translate this into ' pork pies, fig rolls and toasted currant teacakes' per hour of riding?

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