MATT LAWTON ON THE COL DU TOURMALET: Owner of Ineos Jim Ratcliffe must have sat in the team car on Saturday afternoon and wondered if he had just bought a cycling team in decline.

MATT LAWTON IN NIMES: The tone was one of defiance; the message that Team Ineos are not dead yet. As Sir Dave Brailsford was quick to point out, they sit second and fifth.

Forecasters also predicted new temperatures highs in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, where the mercury is set to reach 104F (40C) for the first time on Thursday.

MATT LAWTON IN NIMES: There is a reluctance in France to imagine how the scenes on the Champs-Elysees might compare to the night of the 1998 World Cup final.

MATT LAWTON IN GAP: Team Ineos go into three massive days in the Alps that will determine the outcome of the most mesmerising Tour de France in decades, without captain Luke Rowe.

Thibaut Pinot's dream of becoming the first French winner of the Tour de France for 34 years is over after the Groupama-FDJ rider was forced to abandon early on stage 19 to Tignes.

Chris Froome has revealed that he does not remember any part of the horrific crash that almost cost him his life during a training ride in May.

Froome posted a picture on social media following the operation, restating his goals of getting back to full fitness in time for next summer's Tour de France and the Olympic road race in Japan.

It is the first time China has led the Bentley sales table, a landmark that will be seen as another sign of a new world economic order.

Major car makers including Vauxhall, Nissan, Citroen and Volvo will exhibit a range of their latest and yet to launch vehicles as well as providing test drives at the Future Drive Motor Show.

Mailonline has had an exclusive first drive of the astonishing new ‘green’ super-frugal car offering 2p a mile motoring that could swiftly put Osborne and the Treasury out of business.

With a longer range, lots of extra space and a heavier steer, the Nissan LEAF might be small but it drives like one of the big boys - and that's no bad thing.

RAY MASSEY: As controversial table-manners go, it certainly beats resting on your elbows. This remarkable stunt came as the dashing Earl of March hosted a sumptuous sponsors and press dinner.

Jaguar's sexy new F-type sports car hit the road this week and from my exclusive first drive, I can tell you that the cat has got the cream, writes RAY MASSEY.

French car-maker Citroen has piled in with a practical five-seater cabriolet that allows the whole family to enjoy wind-in the-hair motoring, writes RAY MASSEY.

The luxury 4x4, which BMW dubs a sports activity vehicle, broke cover this week. It goes on sale here in November, writes RAY MASSEY.

That rare shaft of sunshine this week was enough for British supercar-maker Aston Martin to launch a blistering £200,000 flagship soft-top, a highlight of its centenary year.

Earplugs ready! German sports car meister Porsche and the Goodwood Festival of Speed are revving up for their birthdays this month. Porsche will mark the 50th anniversary of its classic 911.

RAY MASSEY: The first things to catch the eye are the curious blisters of air-filled plastic, which adorn the sides of the door and bodywork.

Mary Barra, an engineer and mother of two teenagers, became the most powerful woman in the motor industry this week.

What better way to banish the blues than to contemplate - subject to a lottery win - having some fun behind the wheel of the new Lamborghini Huracán?

The second worst car was the Mercedes-Benz B-Class (2005- 2012) managing just 42.6 mpg compared with the claimed 59.6 mpg (71.8 per cent).

The latest new Porsche roared into 'Motown' this week as all eyes turned to Detroit - the home of U.S. car-building, but a city that has known better times.

Melanie Sykes, who is the new presenter of BT Sport's MotoGP TV coverage, has opted for the nippy Fiat 500 super-mini convertible.

The Mazda 2 is the fourth member of a line-up that includes the CX-5 sports utility vehicle, the svelte Mazda 6 saloon and estate and the Mazda3 hatchback and fastback

The Audi S3 feels smart, comfortable, sporty and grown-up, but also great fun says RAY MASSEY. The stop-start system also switches off the engine to save fuel.

The new model will be 17 per cent more economical than its predecessor. The Fabia is expected to go on sale in the UK early next year and will cost between £10, 000 and £16, 000.

It's a petrol electric sport hybrid with aerodynamic low slung features. It has a combination of the 550bhp twin-turbo V6 engine at the rear and two of its three electric motors fixed on the axle towards the front.

Amid all the fashion models and cars at the Paris motor show, Kia's sports utility vehicle turned heads. The seven-seater promises improved ride, handling and crash safety, writes RAY MASSEY

The Outlander PHEV can be charged overnight at home, run on electric-only power or operate in hybrid mode, switching between petrol and electric power, depending on which is most efficient.

Just as George Osborne ratcheted up company car tax for thousands of motorists, German giant BMW unveiled its new 'budget buster' — its first mainstream plug-in petrol-electric hybrid SUV.

In a stunt worthy of the latest Bond film Spectre — for which the firm is supplying many of the cars — the XF (pictured) was revealed in a dramatic stunt high over the Royal Dock in Canary Wharf.

Korea's SsangYong is launching a new sports utility vehicle from under £13,000 that promises value for money motoring for drivers who believe in watching their pennies.

Ray Massey drove the fully stocked four-wheel-drive 2-litre TFSI, which was adept at whipping around the Cotswolds in style. The range starts at £31,995 and the Audi can cost as much as £50,000

Just in time for next month's new 65 plate, Honda has announced prices for its funky new third-generation Jazz, which goes on sale from £13,495.

Jaguar has unveiled its first sports utility 'crossover' vehicle, the F-PACE. The five-door five-seater is designed for families who need child seats in the back. It goes on sale next year, priced from £35,000.

French giant, Renault, will release new model to Brits in autumn although it will go on sale on the continent in the summer. Renault bosses say it's aimed at those with an adventurous spirit.

Charge up your flux capacitors! We're going back to the future with Tesla Motors' unveiling of its gull-winged, all-electric sports utility vehicle.

Sure, there’s good work in evidence but it’s all so derivative, so Audi, so VW, so keep it safe, so keep it in the family. Its crisp sharp lines doing nothing more than echoing those of the Audi A3 and VW Polo.

Bosses at Kahn Automobiles are offering a £20,000 reward for help catching a hooded vandal who smashed a Bugatti Veyron's windscreen with an iron bar at the dealership in Leeds.

While technical details are sparse, the French car manufacturer claims it will be the 'world's most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car.'

The video shows the driver leaving skid marks on the road while drifting around the roundabout between the busy Westwood Cross shopping centre and The Haine Road in Broadstairs, Kent.

The daughter of Michael Jackson, 20, was cutting a low-key figure as she touched down in France, arriving at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport in a casual and comfortable look.

Sam Smith is afraid to sing in case it damages his voice further - after deciding to drop out of upcoming appearances at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the Billboard Music Awards.

The 32-year-old Canadian rapper and Imagine Dragons were among the numerous artists poised to make history on Wednesday at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.

The Game Of Thrones star is one of the night's presenters while Joe the Jonas Brothers will perform int heir first awards show appearance in 10 years.

Priyanka Chopra looked mesmerizing in a plunging white sequined gown as she packed on the PDAs with hubby Nick Jonas at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Kelly Clarkson made the most of her opportunity on Wednesday night, thrilling the crowd with an electrifying opening medley at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nick stopped for a second to plant a sweet kiss on wife Priyanka's lips. She was standing next to Sophie Turner who is engaged to Joe, who was next to Danielle who is married to Kevin.

Ciara delivered an electrifying performance at the Billboard Music Awards performance on Wednesday.