"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

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.

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.

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."

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.

Just another normal day on the internet...

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.

 

 

 

 

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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...

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Yves Lampaert (@yveslampaert)

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'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."