Luis Leon Sanchez won the Paris-Nice race despite a bold raid from fellow Spaniard Alberto Contador on the eighth and last stage around Nice on Sunday.
Another Spaniard, Antonio Colom of Katusha, was the first to cross the line at the end of the 119km ride featuring three category-one climbs, outsprinting Astana’s Contador and Luxembourg’s Frank Schleck of Saxo Bank.
Caisse d’Epargne rider Sanchez, who took the overall lead with victory on Saturday, ended the stage 17 seconds behind, keeping the yellow jersey with a one-minute advantage over Schleck in second place.
France’s Sylvain Chavanel of Quick Step was third, nine seconds further behind, with Contador fourth 1.24 off the pace.
“I had talked with Frank Schleck and I was confident his [Saxo Bank] team would do some work in the peloton,” Sanchez said.
Astana sporting director Alain Gallopin hit out at the Saxo Bank team’s tactics, saying their collaboration with Sanchez led to Contador’s defeat while failing to hand Schleck a victory.
Gallopin said that when Saxo Bank appeared to help Sanchez “I went to see Kim Andersen [Saxo Bank sporting director] and said to him, ‘Why are you doing that?’”
In Rome, Germany’s Andreas Kloden won the fifth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race on Sunday, topping a 30km individual time-trial between Loreto and Macerata ahead of Stijn Devolder of Belgium and Sweden’s Thomas Lovkvist.
Kloden, the winner in 2007, also took the overall lead in the week-long race that concludes today.
He leads Lovkvist by six seconds but with two stages remaining more suitable to sprint finishes, the German looks set to repeat his victory of two years ago.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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