ANDREW PIERCE: Tears pouring down my cheeks, I posted the letter to Mum and Dad. I had finally owned up to myself that I was gay. My parents were staunch, working-class Catholics.

ANDREW PIERCE: Home Secretary Priti Patel was defended last week in a statement by 100 allies, including election guru Sir Lynton Crosby and William Shawcross, former chief of the Charity Commission.

ANDREW PIERCE - Trust rust is key when talking about ambitious ministers who might one day fancy a permanent shot at the top job. He may be wooden, but Dominic Raab has Boris Johnson's backing.

In the same month that Milos Raonic and Felix Auger-Aliassime aim to elevate Canadian tennis to new heights, Michael Woods will ride across France in the hope of making history of his own

Earlier this week news broke that Dimension Data's team principal, Doug Ryder, ignored the recommendation by performance boss Rolf Aldag to include Cavendish in line-up.

Chris Froome admitted he is 'relieved' to be back home and will be following the Tour de France from his bed following the horror crash that left him seriously injured.

Team Dimension Data head of performance Rolf Aldag has made clear he will stay with the team for the remainder of the Tour de France as the row over Mark Cavendish's non-selection rumbled on.

CHRIS MURPHY IN EPERNAY: Geraint Thomas slipped behind Ineos team-mate Egan Bernal in the Tour de France pecking order on stage three after losing five seconds in Epernay.

CHRIS MURPHY IN NANCY: Elia Viviani won stage four of the Tour de France in a sprint finish in Nancy as Deceuninck-Quick Step team-mate Julian Alaphilippe retained the yellow jersey.

Geraint Thomas breathed a sigh of relief at the finish of stage eight of the Tour de France after he survived a team pile-up at the bottom of a fast downhill section on the approach to Saint-Etienne.

Geraint Thomas and Ineos team-mate Egan Bernal profited hugely as French rival Thibaut Pinot was caught in a group who lost 100 seconds on the 217.5km stage from Saint-Flour to Albi.

Valentin Anouilh, 21, spent six months training for the stunt which saw him soar over the heads of the elite riders as they sprinted through a valley near Saint Flour, Auvergne.

Trentin won by 36 seconds, while there was no change at the top of the general classification, with Julian Alaphilippe still leading ajnd Geraint Thomas trailing by 95 seconds.

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.

The Tour de France's organisers are focusing on a postponement of this year's race rather than a cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic. 'Le Tour' was set to roll out of Nice on June 27th.

The legendary road race is scheduled to start in Nice on June 27 but it will now either be postponed or scrapped altogether, with a decision expected later this week.

Chris Froome called the rescheduling of the Tour de France a 'light at the end of the tunnel' after it was postponed for two months rather than scrapped.

It's not every day an international luxury car company holds the global launch of its latest model in Britain — and brings over its top brass to do the honours.

Ray Massey does a mini test drive on the latest model and he is impressed by the sporty style of the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 TB MultiAir 170bhp TCT Veloce.

A British sports car, whose determined lady driver beat the Nazis to win Olympic gold at the Berlin Games of 1936, has revved into London 2012.

Sultry pop star Lana del Rey took the wraps off Jaguar's flashy new F-Type sports car, pictured right, as a string of new British vehicles stole the Paris Motor Show from under the noses of the French this week.

James Bond star Daniel Craig performed a top secret mission right under the noses of the world's media at this week's royal global premier of the latest 007 movie, Skyfall, which goes on general release today.

It accelerates from rest to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds and will cost around £77,000 when in showrooms early next year (for delivery in summer).

It will be in showrooms this spring, priced at £160,000, following its global unveiling at the Detroit Motor Show on January 14. Bentley describes it as its ' performance flagship convertible'.

What would you splash out on if your numbers came up? According to new research, for British car fans, nothing but a Bentley will do.

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.

The British car maker is marking its big day with a striking display of its heritage and future technology, proving that although it's 65, the car won't be pensioned off.

Mercedes-Benz' new flagship S-Class limousine, pictured, could be the cleverest car on the road; it can 'see' potholes and bumps ahead, writes RAY MASSEY.

Let's hear it for 12 plucky drivers who drove for 24 hours at an average speed of 125 mph in British-built Vauxhall Astra hatchbacks.

The Sportback is a racy, stylish, 189mph supercar for grown-ups who want power and pace with minimal bling.

Most of the hi-tech kit needed for the car to drive itself — from self-parking to collision avoidance — is already hard-wired into the new version.

It's not every day I get a police escort down The Mall from Buckingham Palace. But I did - well, sort of - in this head-turning electric car from BMW.

The X Factor boss might have been holding court in Los Angeles but for motoring editor Ray Massey, nothing could upstage the Jaguar F-type.

Never mind Mustang Sally. It was more 'Mustang Sienna' as the actress Sienna Miller helped the global launch of the latest classic Ford Mustang.

Nifty, nimble and willing 1.6-litre 156 bhp petrol engine linked to a smooth six-speed manual gearbox, which helped propel the car from rest to 62 mph in just 8.2 seconds.

The 200 mph California T is set to roar into Britain from September after its world debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show, whilst the Jaguar F-Type sports coupe was launched this week.

Although Motoring Editor Ray Massey is a fan of electric cars, he has concerns over how practical they are.

Motoring editor Ray Massey takes the Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-dTEC EX Plus diesel (manual), £27,960 (price as driven) for a mini test and tells you the best and worst bits of his drive.

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

A few weeks ago Ray branded the Government's electric car policy being in a mess. His Whitehall sources tell him it rattled cages at the Department for Transport.

Mike Flewitt, chief executive of McLaren, was speaking this week about the challenge of keeping his international high-octane customers satisfied

Wimbledon top seed Novak Djokovic was in car mode this week to help Peugeot take the wraps off it new 508 model

BMW's i8 electric hybrid has just gone on sale. It takes smugness to a new level, but also makes electric cars look and feel supercool. Batteries and a plug are included. Ray Massey gives his verdict.

Priced from £32,395 to £42,995, the baby 'Disco' goes on sale in January alongside the existing full-size sevenseater Discovery.

The car is largely based on the concept car revealed a year ago and both the five and seven-seat versions are designed for greater flexibility.

Suzuki's new global city car offers very low CO2 emissions of 99g/km, 'class leading luggage capacity' of 254 litres and its AGS system also allows a low-speed 'creep' facility

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.