Belgium’s Tom Boonen dominated a bunch sprint on the 16th stage of the Tour of Spain, held over 186.4km between Pontferrada and Zamora on Tuesday, to claim his second win of this year’s race.
Spaniard Alberto Contador of the Astana team retained the race leader’s gold jersey after a stage marked by the incredibly slow riding of the peloton.
FIVE DAYS TO GO
With five days remaining, but only two stages in which his rivals can hope to challenge for the race lead, Contador leads US teammate Levi Leipheimer by 1 minute, 17 seconds.
Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre is third overall, but nearly a further two-and-a-half minutes adrift at 3 minutes, 41 seconds behind Contador.
If he wins on Sunday, Contador — last year’s Tour de France winner and the reigning Giro d’Italia champion — will become the first rider since Frenchman Bernard Hinault, more than two decades ago, to win all three major Tours.
ON THE LOOKOUT
Contador will have to be on the lookout for potential rivals in the hilly 19th stage, then the penultimate stage time trial on Saturday.
But before then there is room for some sprinters and all-rounders to shine.
SNAIL’S PACE
It was Boonen’s day on Tuesday, although judging by the snail’s pace of the peloton — who averaged 34.812kph for the day despite having a mostly downhill ride after the initial 14km climb at the start of the stage in Pontferrada — they were lucky to arrive before dark.
The peloton finally upped the pace in the final 20km, in the process overtaking early escapees Jesus Rosendo of Team Andalucia-Cajasur and Walter Pedraza of Team Tinkoff, with 7km to race.
TEXTBOOK LEAD-OUT
From there Quick Step set the pace, and after a textbook lead-out by his team, Boonen finished the job at the finish line to claim his second victory from this year’s Vuelta after his win on the third stage to Cordoba.
In second place was Italian all-rounder Filippo Pozzato of Liquigas, with German Heinrich Haussler of Gerolsteiner claiming third place.
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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