Video: Frankie rides again as she hitches lift with Michele Scarponi's friend Luis Angel Maté

When Michele Scarponi was killed in April in a collision involving a truck while training close to his home in Italy's Marche region, many of his fellow professional cyclists took to Twitter to express their shock at the news -- among them his friend Luis Angel Maté , with the Cofidis rider vowing to always remember him and to tell Scarponi's children how wonderful their father was.

> Tributes paid to Giro d’Italia winner Michele Scarponi after his death at age 37

Today, Mateé seems to have been training on the roads near Scarponi's home town of Filottrano, and had company in the shape of Frankie, the female blue and yellow macaw who would often ride along perched on Scarponi's shoulder or helmet enjoying some fame thanks to the videos the Italian would post on social media of their training rides together.

> Video: Mac-awww... Michele Scarponi goes riding with a parrot on his shoulder

Maté's red Cofidis kit may be less of a match for Frankie's plumage as Scarponi's Astana jersey was, but her fans will be happy to see her out and about enjoying a ride again.

Ci manca l'aquila #MicheleScarponi pic.twitter.com/LGQZCBuIxj

— Luis Ángel Maté (@luisangelmate) October 2, 2017

Posting a video to Twitter this morning, Maté said, "We miss the Eagle" - a reference to Scarponi's nickname, l'Aquila.

Speaking to Frankie, he says: "How much we miss our friend, eh?" before she flies off.