Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel finally handed his Cofidis team a well-deserved leaving gift by winning the 19th stage of the Tour de France between Roanne and Montlucon on Friday.
Spaniard Carlos Sastre of CSC retained the race lead after the 165.5km stage, ahead of his anticipated yellow jersey duel with Australia’s Cadel Evans in the penultimate stage time trial.
Chavanel, who has recently signed with the Belgian team Quick Step, has been one of the most attacking riders in the peloton over the past three weeks.
PHOTO: AFP
After launching another attack far from the finish line, the 29-year-old found himself with compatriot Jeremy Roy for company.
The pair collaborated together to increase their lead and eventually came into the finale with a 2 minute, 30 second lead on the bunch and ready for a duel to the finish.
In the final kilometer Roy, who rides for the Francaise des Jeux team of Chavanel’s brother Sebastien, stuck tightly on his wheel.
PHOTO: EPA
But a steady acceleration over the final 200m gave Chavanel the edge he needed to keep the frantic Roy, pedaling furiously behind him, from stealing the win.
Despite his 29 years it has taken until this season for Chavanel to finally show his massive potential, which Quick Step have been quick to recognize having signed him on a two-year deal a few days ago.
It was no surprise Chavanel, after years of trying, came over the finish celebrating his maiden Tour win wildly.
“This just confirms my great start to the season,” said Chavanel, who showed his prowess in the spring by winning two well-known Flemish one-day classic races. “I would never have believed it this morning because last night I had problems with my back. Now, I’m the happiest man in the world.”
Sastre will start the 53km time trial with a 1 minute, 34 seconds lead on Evans and with the benefit of starting last in the field.
The 33-year-old Spaniard said he will also be paying close attention to the time splits of his teammate Fabian Cancellara, a two-time world champion in the race against the clock, in a bid to gauge his efforts.
“Tomorrow’s the most important day for me, but the fact I’m starting last from the field should help me,” said Sastre, who took the race lead after winning the 17th stage to Alpe d’Huez on Wednesday. “I’ll be paying close attention to Cancellara’s times because he will be the big reference for everyone. For me, the pressure is on Evans. He is the one who has to try and win the yellow jersey tomorrow.”
An attack by Chavanel’s teammate Leonardo Duque after 100km was chased down by some of the teams in the peloton, who were hopeful of taking the contest to a bunch sprint.
Chavanel had already shown his determination early in the stage and when he attacked again shortly after Duque had been reeled in he was finally allowed to go.
“I attacked and for a while I was racing at 65 kph just to increase the gap,” said Chavanel, who in recent weeks has been caught several times by the peloton while close to the finish line. “It’s the first time I’ve managed to take one of my breakaways on this race all the way. It just shows, if you keep at it, you can succeed.”
Spaniard Oscar Freire, meanwhile, took an almost unassailable lead in the points competition, whose prize is the green jersey.
Despite giving up nine points to Germany’s six-time winner Erik Zabel and three points to Norway’s 2005 green jersey champion Thor Hushovd at the finish line, Freire took 15 points of his own to finish on a tally of 244.
He now has a lead of 42 points on Milram’s veteran sprinter Zabel (202), with Hushovd third on 198, ahead of the final stage to Paris today where the last points can be won.
“Mathematically, I’ve just about got the jersey,” said Freire, a three-time world champion who rides for Rabobank and who would be the first Spaniard to win the sprinters’ coveted prize.
“Now I just have to keep a close eye on Zabel and Hushovd,” he said.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to