Team Columbia went out first and finished first in the opening time trial of the Giro d’Italia, with Britain’s Mark Cavendish bagging the pink jersey on Saturday.
Garmin-Slipstream, criticized by rivals for concentrating their preparation on the time trial rather than the three-week race, came in second, while Lance Armstrong’s Astana pulled off a minor surprise by finishing third.
“We are psyched with that. The guys were smooth and strong. Going to be a fun three weeks,” Armstrong told his Twitter feed.
Going first on the 20km course around Venice’s Lido may have been seen as a disadvantage. but America’s Team Columbia surged round and never looked back.
Times were recorded for the fifth-finishing rider in the teams and Columbia managed the flat route in 21 minutes 50 seconds, with Cavendish leading the way.
The 23-year-old from the Isle of Man won the Milan-San Remo in March and again showed his sprinting skills to become the first Briton to wear the pink jersey.
“It just happens that I wear the jersey for the team. Someone had to cross the line first,” Cavendish said after opening the champagne with jersey designers Dolce and Gabbana.
Slightly overcast conditions and a pick-up in the wind affected teams in the middle, while some lost time with lead riders pulling too far ahead of their fifth-placed colleague.
Avoiding the distraction of a panoramic view of the Venice skyline across the lagoon, Armstrong grimaced as he hauled himself over the line after his Astana team had gone out last.
The 37-year-old American, who returned to cycling in January after more than three years in retirement, just recovered from a broken collarbone and lies 15th overall.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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