“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
SUMMARY
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…
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.
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.
"London has embraced cycling": New TfL figures show latest increase in cycle journeys
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.”
On the subject of nutrition and hydration...
Remco Evenepoel, Yves Lampaert and other Soudal Quick-Step pros take their training to the beach
"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
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…
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?
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…
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
'Marco Pantani' takes Alpe d'Huez Strava KOM... and gets swiftly flagged
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.
Cycling UK "warmly welcomes" Transport Secretary Louise Haigh's vision for "Integrated Transport Strategy"
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.”
"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.
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"
Chris Boardman receives award for "outstanding contribution" to public health
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.”
Christmas gifts for discerning cyclists — a guide to unearthing the ideal gift for the fastidious fussy cyclist in your life
"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.
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.
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In France, the closer the cyclist gets to the Mediterranean Sea, the weirder car drivers behave. Some of them being repeat road deliquents. Encounters with 13, 31, 34 and 84 may prove hairy. Drivers with plates showing 84 (Vaucluse) think light signalling is no longer necessary before making a turn or exiting a roundabout. Pity UAE Team came to the decision not to press charges.
@MaxiMinimalist We can fear such a ban to varying degrees. But I'd be surprised if it happens. Even if it does the police don't have the resource and time to deal with dangerous drivers. So I guess they will ignore it anway.
Sooner or later, there will be public calls for cycling ban on specific roads and / or at specific times of the day. The great divide that separates cyclists from drivers of motorized vehicles with 4-plus wheels isn't going to narrow anytime soon. In spite of the net-zero madness, there is zip political ambition to allocate massive funds to cycling, build proper infrastructure, elaborate a nationwide integrated cycling network, educate all road users. Why? Because motorists of all kinds are voters and taxpayers.
@Smoggysteve Right - as I say, though - that's a separate debate, that I'll leave to others.
AS I read this, I was wondering hao many other legal e-bikes may have been seized and crushed as a result of this bogus test? As I pointed out recently in a reply to a Facebook post that stated that e-bikes are limited to 25kph/15.5mph any bike, whether a pure pedal cycle or an e-bike, can exceed this speed if the rider can pedal hard enough, or when going downhill. The regulation just states that the motor must switch off at higher speeds. If the rider can achieve higher speeds unaided, that is legal. The test that the police used just demonstrated the maximum "speed" achieved by pedal power alone with no or little resistance can be much higher than the motor cut-off speed.
@ROOTminus1 Unfortunately, people will still do all they can to get past. the MGIFs can't help themselves and are a danger to everyone not only the cyclist.
It was going to weigh them up, but they were below the limit.
Clearly driver training and the driving test need to change to meet modern time poor driving conditions. I suggest the following need to be added to the practical test : 1) Undertaking on pavements. 2) Close passing cyclists or horses at 50mph.(It is clear from the comments on this website that cyclists do not appreciate how difficult a skill this is to master). 3) Threading between bollards to park on pavements near fast food outlets. 4) Steering with the knees while using a mobile phone and eating a burger or sushi, depending on the area. 5) Fighting with cyclists at roundabouts. For the advanced driving test the fighting will be with gangs of Hell's Angels or Mods. 6) Handbrake turns. 7) Driving at speed after all night parties. 8) Selecting the wrong gear and smashing into somebody's living room. The theory test could be shortened to make room for these practical additions. Maybe it could just be distilled down to learning crucial phrases like : "The cyclist came out of nowhere!" "I had the children in the car." "I had hunger knock and urgently needed an egg Mcmuffin." "I didn't see them." "I had been to a party and was wearing different shoes."
The headline states the article will "weigh up the pros and cons" but doesn't really provide any argument for keeping the limit. Or maybe it's to "weigh up the pros (of lowering the limit) and cons (of keeping the limit)"? Beyond having a different limit for either/or women's races/smaller riders, which I can see a strong argument for, I don't really see the point of just lowering the absolute limit. What will it achieve? We'll end up with aero bikes at the new limit but instead of costing £10-15k, it'll be £15-20k and we'll still hear more complaining about everything in the bike industry being so expensive. Sure, no one's forced to buy the TdF bike, but it does anchor the price ceiling, which will have an effect on every other model. There's a focus in the article on companies being able to make lightweight bikes again, or for pros to race on them. Well, they already exist for those that want them. And the pros? We might have a few years of bike choice, but we'll still end up with everyone using the aero bike at the new weight limit but with lots of expensive R&D and new materials that need to be paid for. Especially lightweight bikes don't have a right to exist. A 7kg bike from 20 years ago is the same weight as a 7kg bike today. I think what's more interesting is the suggestion of scaling the weight limit with rider weight. That feels fairer. But could it remove an advantage that a bigger sprinter might have over their colleagues, for example? We could end up with just the same style of rider across a whole race. It also feels like it doesnt make much sense to just map the men's limit onto the women's field. But then if it's an arbitrary limit, does that matter either?
FFS France always seemed like a safe place to ride a bike, outside Paris that is. Can't see the Department number in the photo - hire cars traditionally have been registered in Oise (60) and many still are, though not all. Does make you wonder if it was a Brit on holiday. Only road rage driver I've experienced in Spain was in a hire car, and that was relatively benign - brake check and windscreen wiper / fluid squirt.
40 thoughts on ““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”
I guess I’m odd as this time
I guess I’m odd as this time of year I’d normally do a 4 hour gravel ride on 1/2 bottle of water, a latte and a bacon roll.
None of this bar and gel stuff.
Bars&gels just easier to
Bars&gels just easier to carry, but very expensive these days, though you can’t rely on cafes or shops being open all the time in some parts.
For 3hrs I’d just take a banana, a bar ,a gel & 1 bottle.
5hrs I’d probably just double it up.
So seems I’m doing this nutrition stuff all wrong too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch
???
???
Oldfatgit wrote:
All depends whether you are planning to stop somewhere mid-ride. If not, a bacon roll and a latte are a bit tricky.
If you can do it on that you
If you can do it on that you ain’t pushing very hard.
mctrials23 wrote:
Not necessarily, four hours of strenuous cycling might amount to a 2000 calorie burn, a good size bacon roll with plenty of butter can easily be 500 cal, a full fat latte with a couple of sugars maybe 300, so if you’ve had a good dinner the night before and a hearty breakfast you should be fine. The last century I did back in September I had a big breakfast of rice porridge and bananas beforehand and didn’t eat until I was 3.5 hours/60 miles in, and then only because I thought I had better rather than because I felt I needed it. I’d be more concerned about the lack of hydration, but some people cope with that better than others.
Oldfatgit wrote:
Well you are a bit odd because most people do gravel rides on gravel. How many times do you ride over those items in a four hour session?
My mid-ride fuel top-up in
My mid-ride fuel top-up in Mallorca in September – all for about three and a bit euros from Lidl or Aldi: water, energy drink, own-brand cola, croissant, bread roll, meat pie! I’m not about to waste away anytime soon…
I didn’t eat it all at once…
It really depends how often
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.
Can a qualified nutritionist
Can a qualified nutritionist please translate this into ‘ pork pies, fig rolls and toasted currant teacakes’ per hour of riding?
I’ve only ridden for 7 hours
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.
I’ll regularly ride a
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.
A handful of acorns should be
A handful of acorns should be enough to keep you going
All depends on the rider and
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.
road.cc wrote:
No, those are fuelling plans.
Stuff of nonsense. Just
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.
Clem Fandango wrote:
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.— Clem Fandango
But don’t forget to correct for altitude.
“That’s, at the very minimum,
“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.
Spangly Shiny wrote:
She’sHe’s not myQueenKing and certainly has no ownership of our language!I don’t know, I’m usually a
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.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Three time less means one third of (divide by 3)? Would need a subtraction to go negative?
levestane wrote:
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 – (3×5), so minus 10. As I said, it’s not always desirable to apply a strict mathematical meaning to linguistics.
Mathematically 3 times less
Mathematically 3 times less than 5 could be anything less than 15. eg 3 times 4 is 12 or 3 times -6 is -18.
Bungle_52 wrote:
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 – (3×5) so x = 5 – 15 so x = -10
I think you are mixing up
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.
Bungle_52 wrote:
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.
Why does the Cervelo ‘Paris
Why does the Cervelo ‘Paris-Green’ look yellow?
Is this that blue/gold dress again?
It’s like Legnano green, but
It’s like Legnano green, but not as sexy
Is Legnano Green yellow as
Is Legnano Green yellow as well? ?
It’s the colour my lawn goes
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…).
Louise Haigh just resigned
Louise Haigh just resigned over relevation of historic fraud conviction.
mark1a wrote:
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?
Seems like (according to her,
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.
Danbury wrote:
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…
Rendel Harris wrote:
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” ?
Danbury wrote:
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.
I was kind of waiting…
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!
At least she very quickly –
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…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxy1kp73y9o
Do as we say, not as we do?
Also note the correct spelling of “offence”.