Sir Chris Hoy was ‘saved’ by the driver of council gritting lorry in Scotland on Thursday, as his car went off the road.

The six-time Olympic track sprint champion found himself in difficulty after his car left the road at Greenhill Stairs, Dumfries and Galloway.

Neither Sir Chris – or his car – were injured in the incident, he later reported on social media.

Council gritter driver Stevie Fallon gave Sir Chris a lift to safety, prompting the now retired cycling star to tweet: “Thanks 2the kind gent who towed my car out of a snow bank today after I hit black ice. Thankfully no harm to me or car but be careful folks!

Dumfries and Galloway Council tweeted a picture of Fallon and Sir Chris in the cab of the gritter, both smiling broadly.

Sir Chris, who has taken up a second career as a motor-racing driver since officially retiring from cycling in April 2013, received a bit of a ribbing on social media for the incident.

>>> Thundersnow: how to keep riding through it

Olympic rowing champion Matthew Pinsent, said: “to be fair the driving gods have had it in for you since the kitty litter escape at Le Mans”, referring to a spill Sir Chris had in his car at the famous 24-hour motor race.

Other suggested that Sir Chris could have used his legendary thighs to retrieve his car from the side of the road, with one saying “Surely you could have just tied yourself to the towbar and walked it out???”

Snowfall and ice are expected across much of Britain over Thursday night, with gales and flooding expected on the east coast.