Snow, wind and rain cut short the third stage of the Tour of Catalonia on Wednesday and organizers were deciding whether the times would be valid in the overall classification.
RadioShack’s Andy Schleck was among a clutch of riders who withdrew on day three of the event, along with Julian Dean and Frantisek Rabon, who were involved in a pile-up after only 5km of the 210km stage in the Pyrenees.
Schleck, who will be awarded the 2010 Tour de France title after Alberto Contador was stripped of his victory following a failed dope test, failed to finish for the second consecutive race.
Photo: EPA
The Luxembourg rider also pulled out of the Paris-Nice with gastroenteritis earlier this month.
Astana’s Janez Brajkovic of Slovenia braved the conditions to cross the shortened finish line at the 155km mark, the final climb being canceled due to the weather, ahead of Poland’s Michal Golas and Frenchman Mickael Cherel.
Spain’s Alejandro Valverde and his Movistar teammate Javi Moreno were among the riders who failed to start on Wednesday.
The third stage, which takes in La Vall d’en Bas and the Port Anie, is usually one of the highlights of the seven-day race.
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Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
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