James May goes for a spin on his Orbea Orca...but is it better than a Dacia Sandero?; NZ chain apologises for employee threatening to "mow down" protesting cyclists; LTN vandal; On-board with Van der Poel; Contador vs Stelvio + more on the live blog

Of the three former Top Gear presenters, James May is probably our favourite...no prizes for guessing which way around the other two go...although we may just be incredibly biased because of May's love of cycling. Last year he urged PM Boris Johnson to "bomb us with bicycles" with the £80bn budget for HS2. May also swapped his car for a bike during lockdown, losing weight and getting fitter in the process.

Now, he has been showing off his Orbea Orca OMR with SRAM Red and Zipp 302s..."I can't tell you exactly what it cost because I bought a custom frame and then built it up with exotic components. Lockdown does that," May told Drivertribe.

Comparing his bike to a Dacia Sandero, May admits he is ashamed to say the bike probably cost around the same as the car. Unfortunately for our audience, May sided with the Sandero on four of the six categories, with the Orbea winning only for its niceness and community. By community, May suggests that stopping mid-ride on his Orbea often triggers interesting conversation with other riders...compared with pulling up in a Sandero which "to be honest, nobody is going to want to talk to you." Fair enough.

The other area that May prefers his bike is for 'niceness'..."The Orbea feels exotic," he explains. "It is light, agile and feels alive. It's made almost entirely of carbon fibre and weighs just 7.5kg. That's like a big hospital-sized box of cornflakes. If this were a car it would be a razor-sharp supercar. I sometimes park it in the bedroom." Fancy writing some reviews for us, James?

Sadly that is where the Orbea love-in ends...for practicality, comfort, performance and value, May sides with the Dacia. We'll get him eventually... 

A New Zealand-based hardware chain, Mitre 10, has apologised after a staff member posted on Facebook threatening to hit cyclists with their vehicle...screenshots of the comments showed the worker liking a comment saying it is "perfectly legal" to "quickly mow down an aggressive cyclist or pedestrian" as long as you are "on and off the footpath within 10 seconds".

The worker also shared an event, seemingly in retaliation at last month's liberate Harbour Bridge protest which saw Auckland cyclists campaign for a cycle lane on the route. The event the worker shared was called 'Liberate the Lane - Cycle Lane Special' and showed a cyclist sat on the ground after a crash with the caption "I'll be polishing my bull bars for this!"

Other posts in the event also encouraged violence against cyclists..."Bring the truck around here when you're done … and I'll wash any blood or evidence away for you," the NZ Herald reports one person wrote. While, another asked: "Does Mitre 10 sell tacks? Asking for a friend"...to which the staff member said they do and "I get a discount".

Mitre 10 has apologised for its employee's behaviour and says it told the person to remove all posts on the topic from their profile but did not say if they had been sacked. "We are disappointed that they have caused offence to the cycling community and we absolutely do not share their views. To be clear, Mitre 10 does not tolerate bullying, racism or any other discriminatory behaviour," Mitre 10 said in a statement.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Deceuninck - Quick-Step Team (@deceuninck_quickstepteam)

 Mark Cavendish says he will be meeting Deceuninck-Quick-Step team boss Patrick Lefevere soon to decide his future with the team. Cavendish has enjoyed a successful return to the team where he enjoyed some of his best years and has now podiumed on nine occassions in 2021. However, Lefevere recently said the Manxman would not ride the Tour de France as it is too hard...

"I'll see Patrick soon, and then we'll see what happens to me in the short or long-term. I've been in the top-four 12 times this season and I didn't expect that at my age. It's going better than anyone expected," Cav said.

Speaking after finishing second at Elfstedenronde behind Giro d'Italia stage winner Tim Merlier, the 36-year-old said it was a dream to be back with riders such as Remco Evenepoel working for him. 

""It was an absolute dream to be with these guys today, they controlled the race and were perfect. I even had the honour of having Remco working for me at the front. Even at my age, it’s something I can be proud of. All this motivated me to give everything today."

Have you ever wondered how it feels to be @mathieuvdpoel on his @canyon_bikes mountain bike?

Well, this first-person downhill run might give you an idea! Wheelies incoming... 😍🤟 pic.twitter.com/8lbO8B82Fb

— Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team (@AlpecinFenix) June 7, 2021

Hot take of the day...Mathieu van der Poel is very good at riding bikes...Like compatriot Tom Dumoulin, Van der Poel is also back in action on the road in Switzerland this week as he builds towards the Tour de France and a possible mountain bike gold at the Olympics. Today's stage looks well-suited to the prodigious Alpecin-Fenix star, although Julian Alaphilippe may have something to say about that...  

We'll keep you updated on the action and results throughout the day here on the live blog...

Tom Dumoulin was back racing bikes yesterday after a prolonged break from the sport since January. The 2017 Giro d'Italia winner returned with a respectable 16th place in yesterday's opening stage TT and the Dutchman has opened up on his reasons for taking a step away...

"The problem of the last three years was that I lost the pleasure in my job and the race," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "I had forgotten what I liked and didn't like. Now I know that again. That period without racing was very instructive for me. I know again what kind of rider Tom Dumoulin is."

Now back in the peloton, the 30-year-old is not putting any pressure on himself and did not elaborate on any long-term goals other than to compete in the time trial at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer. Dumoulin wants to reach the form that saw him finish second on the La Planche des Belles Filles penultimate stage time trial at the Tour de France last summer and admits he was surprised by his form after so long off the bike.

"Although I have to say that I was shocked when I got back on my bike for the first time after a few months of no training. After two weeks, I did a test and was surprised by the result. The talent has certainly not disappeared. That is also the reason why I have made the Tokyo Olympics a goal.

"My plan is to be as good in Tokyo as I was then [Tour de France stage 20]. I also believe it's possible. Of course everything will have to fall into the right place and you can ask yourself if I have enough time to grow to my very best level, but I am confident that it will work."

E-scooter rental trial begins in London:

- 500 across 5 boroughs initially
- Limited to 12.5mph
- Can only be dropped off in designated bays
- Drivers licence needed
- Basic safety course before 1st use
- 3 different companies with 3 different apps@itvlondon pic.twitter.com/2iGuncX8oc

— Sam Holder (@samholdertv) June 7, 2021

 A 12-month trial of e-scooter hire in a group of core London boroughs begins today with more areas expected to join soon. City of London will not be involved however, as it postponed its participation until July 5 over administrative concerns. Canary Wharf, Richmond, Ealing, Hammersmith, Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea are all signed up to the scheme which will allow the public to hire the scooters for use at up to 12.5mph on the roads and cycle lanes of the capital. 

One of the operators signed up to the trial, Lime, will charge £1 to unlock the scooter with a fee of 16p per minute. Thoughts? Are you pleased to see the major e-scooter trial get underway?

Hmm… this sign seems unofficial? 🤨 pic.twitter.com/BV0hQXOpFg

— Thomas O. Cornwallis (@UrbanistTOC) June 6, 2021

At least it doesn't tell them to dismount...