Italy’s Davide Cimolai sprinted to victory on the sixth stage of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya on Saturday as Nairo Quintana stayed in the leader’s jersey after the 197km route from Sant Joan Despi to Vilanova i la Geltru, Spain.
Lampre-Merida rider Cimolai claimed the sprint after Cameron Meyer of Team Dimension Data was caught and passed with the finish line in sight after the peloton led a frenetic chase to reel in the day’s standout breakaway.
Colombian Quintana of Movistar Team finished in the peloton to remain seven seconds clear of Tinkoff’s Alberto Contador, with defending champion Richie Porte of BMC Racing Team in third, 17 seconds back.
Photo: EPA
“The pace was pretty high yet again, but the team functioned extremely well during the stage. We were never in difficulty, and we go into the final day full of desire and ambition,” Quintana said. “Attacks by my rivals will certainly come and they will be of concern, but I also think that the stage could end in a sprint, so there will be teams wanting to chase in order to give their fast men a chance of victory.”
The race was due to conclude yesterday with a hilly 136km circuit around Barcelona’s Montjuic, the site of the 1992 Olympic Games.
Contador refused to give up on the chance of victory, but regardless of the outcome he insisted that his preparations for the Tour de France are still on course.
“It’s a demanding circuit and anything can happen on Sunday. We will try our best, but I think I won’t be the only one. There are other riders that sit within a few seconds,” the Spaniard said. “I’m very happy with my condition and regardless of whether we win here or not, the preparation toward the Tour de France is moving ahead perfectly. I’m optimistic and very motivated about the Tour.”
STILL IN THE HUNT: Rasmus Hojlund took his goal tally for SSC Napoli to nine as the champions cruised to a win at US Cremonese and stayed two points behind the leaders Inter on Sunday stayed at the Serie A summit after beating Atalanta BC 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez netted the only goal of the game in Bergamo for Inter, who lead Milan, 3-0 winners against Hellas Verona thanks to Christoper Nkunku’s first Serie A goals, by a single point at the top of the division. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky year in positive style. “I ended last season in a lot of pain... I kept going during the Club World Cup and international
Algeria on Sunday became the third country after Egypt and Nigeria to qualify for the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations by edging Burkina Faso 1-0 in Rabat through a Riyad Mahrez penalty. Defending champions Ivory Coast failed to join the trio after drawing 1-1 with Cameroon in a lively showdown in Marrakesh. Elsewhere, Mozambique ended a 39-match wait for a first victory by beating Gabon 3-2, while Sudan got back into contention for a last-16 slot by beating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Casablanca. Captain Mahrez converted from the penalty spot midway through the first half and Algeria then held on
Stan Wawrinka’s 40-year-old legs did not let him down over three-plus hours in his first singles match of a farewell tour yesterday. Three-time Grand Slam singles champion Wawrinka beat Arthur Rinderknech of France, who is ranked 29th to Wawrinka’s 157th, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). The match went 3 hours, 16 minutes. Wawrinka last month announced that this year would be his last on the ATP tour. “Today was a tough battle ... it’s amazing to come here for the first time, to have so much support,” Wawrinka said yesterday. “Twenty years on tour, you kind of always play in the same place
BOUNCING BACK: Antetokounmpo had just returned from an eight-game injury absence last month, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their third win in four games Giannis Antetokounmpo threw down the game-winning dunk with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and grab a slice of NBA history on Friday. The Bucks trailed by as many as 16 on their home floor, but Antetokounmpo scored 12 of his 30 points in the final quarter to help seal the win in a frantic finish that saw five lead changes in the final 45.7 seconds. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) added 10 rebounds and five assists. It was his 158th regular-season game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and
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