Levi Leipheimer maintained the overall leader’s yellow jersey in the Tour of California despite a crash with fellow American Lance Armstrong that sent Leipheimer tumbling off his bike.
Norwegian Thor Hushovd, of the Cervelo team, won the rain-hit third stage in a close sprint finish.
Hushovd claimed the 163km stage from San Jose to Modesto in 4 hours, 28 minutes and 12 seconds. Oscar Freire of Spain was second in the stage and Mark Renshaw of Australia was third in the same time.
PHOTO: AP
“Our team did a great job today. I am really thankful,” Hushovd said. “With these three men around me I am looking forward to the future.”
Leipheimer has a 24 second lead in the overall classification ahead of Australian Michael Rogers and American David Zabriskie. Once again the event was marked by bad weather as wind and rain pelted the riders on Tuesday.
Leipheimer went down hard early in the race after colliding with the back end of the bike of teammate Armstrong. Both Leipheimer and Armstrong ride for the Astana team.
Leipheimer hit the ground, causing a small pileup as other riders tried to avoid him. He stayed down for a few seconds but was not injured. He had to get a replacement bike before rejoining the stage.
“It was my fault,” Leipheimer said. “Usually, you can put your foot down, but not today. I just didn’t concentrate for a second. I landed on my butt. It hurts, but nothing’s broken, so it’s no big deal. It’s racing etiquette not to attack when the race leader crashes, so I just took my time.”
Armstrong looked back briefly at Leipheimer but remained on his bike. Organizers shortened the stage for safety reasons by eliminating the second of two finishing circuits and reducing the length of the neutralized stage start.
For the third day, strong rain fell and it took its toll. American riders Ted King, Omer Kim and Ian Macgregor individually crashed during the stage and abandoned the race.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
RSS