Alessandro Petacchi produced a sparkling sprint to grab his second victory of this year’s Tour on Wednesday in the 153.5km fourth stage to Reims, the home of champagne.
At the start of the Tour in Rotterdam, sprinter Mark Cavendish was expected to outshine the rest of the field, but it is the Italian who has emerged as the strongest finisher in the race so far.
“To win two stages on the Tour de France means a lot, especially at this time in my career,” said Petacchi, also victor of the first stage in Brussels. “I had nothing to lose, so I launched the sprint from far. I stayed close to Cavendish, I marked [Robbie] McEwen and that was it.”
“My experience of more than 200 sprints made the difference,” he said.
Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara retained his overall lead at the end of a quiet ride in the sun after two incident-packed days marred by crashes.
The day was also quieter for seven-time champion Lance Armstrong until after the finish when he was booed by a spectator at his team bus and driven away in a car.
“We couldn’t have a third [chaotic stage] in a row, it’s good for everybody,” the American told reporters.
While Cavendish, set up for the final showdown by teammate Mark Renshaw, was unable to move up a gear when the action started, the other stage honors went to New Zealand’s Julian Dean and Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Petacchi’s form allowed him to strengthen his position as the most successful active rider on 156 wins, including six Tour stages.
His last laurels on the Tour dated back to 2003 when he won four stages.
While there were bubbles for Petacchi, there was more struggle for Cavendish.
“It’s not so much we who lost it, but the others who improved,” Renshaw said.
German Erik Zabel, Team HTC Columbia’s adviser for sprints, said the absence of Australian Adam Hansen, forced out of the Tour with a broken collarbone, was a major factor.
“Adam is an engine and the team picked him up for this specialty in doing the lead out in the last six to three kilometers,” he said. “The team did a great job. The only thing we missed today was Cav’s sprint legs from last year.”
The Briton, who was the first to hit the canvas in the Brussels stage, has a third chance in the 187.5km fifth stage between Epernay and Montargis, but it could also be third time lucky for Petacchi.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two