Prototype Orbea aero bike spotted ahead of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with clue-offering, hand-drawn design

A new prototype Orbea aero bike has been spotted at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (formerly the Critérium du Dauphiné).

The bike, which appears to be an updated Orca Aero, features a series of neat design tweaks compared to the current model.

Graphics have been hand-drawn onto the prototype frame, appearing to reveal where the changes have been applied, with a modified head tube and fork design most notable.

The fork crown arcs over the tyre more widely than the previous bike, while the underside of the down tube is cut away – both suggest an increase in tyre clearance, albeit the fork itself isn’t as extreme as that found on the Factor One.