It’s official. Bicycle races are coming your way, so forget all your duties oh yeah. Well, maybe don’t do that - but find a streaming link to quickly switch to a spreadsheet, whenever someone more senior wanders near.

The world’s greatest cycling tour is back once again, and we can’t contain our excitement. Why? Because coffee and cycling is a match made in heaven, of course. So much so, that we’re bringing out a Limited Edition espresso just for the occasion - it also ties in perfectly with plans later this year to ride to Paris, in support of Macmillan Cancer Support (support us here!)

Why do cycling and coffee go together?

Coffee shops are the perfect pitstop when you’re planning to span miles. The perfect energy boost, a sensible alternative to the pub (only bad things come from the post-pint lull!), and a clear location to congregate.

Here’s some tips and tricks you might not know:

- Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, which reduces fatigue and promotes faster reactions and general alertness - perfect for bike racing!

- For frequent drinkers, coffee doesn’t act as a diuretic - so during a race, there’s not a greater risk of dehydration if you chug a coffee before

- Drink coffee one hour before riding, because that’s how long it takes to work. Or have half, and stagger the rest for longer rides - to keep boosting your energy

- Post-ride, add a cup of coffee to your carbload. It’ll help you gain more muscle glycogen than carbs alone, which is good for recovery!

Our Limited Edition espresso: Café Maillot Jaune

Our darkest roast yet, with hints of syrup-filled dark chocolates - Café Maillot Jaune (or ‘Yellow Jersey Coffee’) is a true first for us.

It’s got an orange-like acidity, creamy body, dark chocolate and fruit jam notes, and a bigger hit of caffeine per sip! That’s because we’ve roasted it in a very distinctive way…

Pact Coffee’s take: the French roast

To stay on theme, and to give any bikers a bigger boost, we’ve used a new roast profile for us. The traditional French Roast means the beans experience the “second crack” - a point at which much of the unique characteristics of individual coffees are lost, giving way to dry distillation flavours developed during the roast.

That usually means the sweetness changes - veering towards caramel, toast-like characteristics. It also means any acidity nuance basically disappears - so if you’re buying coffee of the quality we are, it’s something we’d normally try and avoid.

But we like to experiment. And some of those dry distillation flavours have their own appeal… which is why this is our (slightly altered) take on the French roast. We’ve found a coffee robust enough to withstand such an intense roast - enhancing the caramel sweetness and developing a rich, creamy mouthfeel.

And as a bit of a side effect, this also means the caffeine content per sip is a little higher! That’s because the beans have lost some mass, but stayed as buzzing as before. That means a dose of Café Maillot Jaune will be a little more punchy than our traditional espresso.

Get on your bike, and buy now!

Celebrating cycling, by trying the first Limited Edition offered to B2B customers? Sounds like a win to us. Get your hands on a 250g bag of Café Maillot Jaune here (£11.95) while you can.