As the Tour of Britain breakaway closed on the stage seven finish-line at Edinburgh, the riders found an opponent that - for a few hundred metres anyway - showed them a clean pair of heels.
With 10km remaining, the local lad in full racing kit was spotted tearing up the footpath next to the five leaders, earning a few seconds of TV time and the admiration of race commentators.
As his effort came to an end, Jumbo-Visma rider Pascal Eenkhoorn - a teammate of Kiwi George Bennett - swerved to the side of the road and handed the future star his 'bidon' (water bottle) in recognition of his star turn.
Stickybottle.com reports the mystery racer was Xander Graham, who had just finished second in the British U12 criterium series that morning and jumped back on his bike to watch the Tour of Britain pass by.
As a result of his performance, Graham and his family have been treated to a VIP trip to the tour's final stage from Stonehaven to Aberdeen.
Unfortunately, Eenkhoorn's generosity went unrewarded, as he lost the five-way sprint into Edinburgh, but still finished more than a minute clear of the peloton.
More than 50,000 fans have responded to the moment on the Jumbo-Visma Instagram account.
"A role model for mankind!" says ditte_vernholt. "Such a fantastic thing to do!"
Says sarah.muir.kemp: "Such a beautiful moment. This is what bike racing is all about :)"
Earlier in the tour, Bennett had the Jumbo-Visma team bus pull over to gift a water bottle to another local fan in Exeter.
"I know you guys made my little boy's day, handing him a bidon after stage 2," posts tjgodden. "This lad will never forget this moment.
"Thank you for being such great ambassadors for the sport."
