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.”
Luka Doncic on Monday scored 36 points as the in-form Los Angeles Lakers powered to their sixth straight victory with a 100-92 defeat of the Houston Rockets. A crucial showdown between the third and fourth-ranked NBA Western Conference teams ended with the Lakers pulling away in the final minute of the fourth quarter to claim an impressive win on the road. The victory gives the Lakers (43-25) a valuable cushion over the Rockets (41-26) as they jostle for post-season positions in the West. Doncic was once again instrumental in dragging the Lakers over the line while a hard-nosed defensive effort
‘THAT’S US’: Before each WBC game, Venezuelan players gather around a drum in the dugout for the tambor, coastal Afro-Venezuelan music and dance Venezuelan players on Monday night danced in the dugout before the first pitch, then pranced past Italy and into their nation’s first World Baseball Classic (WBC) final. Ronald Acuna Jr, Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez hit run-scoring, two-out singles in a rapid seventh-inning rally that sparked a 4-2 victory and vaulted Venezuela into a title matchup against the US. Players celebrated in the clubhouse before quickly turning focus to the final. “A lot of dancing,” Garcia said. “We have to show the world who Venezuela is.” Before each WBC game, Venezuelan players gather around a drum in the dugout for
Japan’s national baseball team manager Hirokazu Ibata has said he would step down following Japan’s 8-5 loss to Venezuela in Miami in the quarter-finals of the World Baseball Classic. The newspaper Sports Hochi reported Ibata saying it was his “intention to resign.” Japan are the defending champions and had won the event three times. It marked Japan’s first failure to reach the WBC semi-finals despite a team stacked with MLB talent including Shohei Ohtani. “The result is everything,” Sports Hochi reported Ibata as saying. “Although we lost this time, I hope Japan will grow stronger and win next time.” Japan
Retired NBA big man LaMarcus Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star, is to visit Taiwan early next month for the first time to promote an NBA event, the league’s Taiwan Web site said on Monday. During his visit, Aldridge would meet fans on April 4 and 5 at Banciao Stadium in New Taipei City during the Rising Stars Invitational Taiwan Regional Qualifiers, NBA Taiwan wrote on Facebook. Tickets became available on FamiTicket on Monday at noon and can be reserved until 11:59pm on March 31, with a maximum purchase of two tickets per person, it said. The tickets are divided into three
RSS