Magnus Cort Nielsen said it was a “big dream come true” after he claimed stage 18 of the Vuelta a Espana in a sprint finish on Thursday as Nairo Quintana maintained his handsome lead over Chris Froome.
The Dane took his first Grand Tour stage win from Germany’s Nikias Arndt and stage 16 winner Jempy Drucker in 4 hours, 54 minutes, 31 seconds for the 200.6km ride from Requena to Gandia.
Quintana finished alongside Froome in the same time to keep his 3 minute, 37 second lead ahead of yesterday’s crucial 37km time trial from Xabia to Calp.
Photo: AFP
Froome realistically has just two stages to overturn Quintana’s commanding advantage if he is to become the first man since 1978 to win the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana in the same year.
The Brit is expected to claw back significant time on the Colombian in the time trial, setting up a showdown on the special category climb to Alto Aitana today before tomorrow’s traditional parade around the center of Madrid for the race’s final stage.
“We have two important stages remaining and we need to be aware of any attack they could come up with on Saturday. Tomorrow is head-to-head and there is no help,” Quintana said. “To have the red jersey gives you that little bit more adrenalin to fight for what you want.”
Quintana had said early in the race he needed at least a three-minute lead to hold off Froome’s superior time-trial ability, but is hopeful of losing little more than a minute.
“I think more than a minute would be a lot. Now I am in very good condition and these type of time trials haven’t gone badly for me,” he said.
After another grueling mountain climb to the end of Wednesday’s 17th stage, the long, but mostly flat road to Gandia offered a chance for the sprinters to shine.
A five-man breakaway enjoyed a lead of six minutes, but were also kept in check by the peloton and reeled in with 11km remaining to set up a sprint finish.
Nielsen timed his run to the line perfectly to pick up Orica-BikeExchange’s third win of the race after Britain’s Simon Yates and Belgian Jens Keukeleire took stages six and 12 respectively.
“It’s a really big dream come true for me,” Nielsen said.
Orica have enjoyed a fine tour, with Esteban Chaves 20 seconds off Froome in third overall and Yates fifth in the general classification (GC).
“We normally try for the GC guys, but today I gave it a go and it’s amazing,” Nielsen added. “It’s my first Grand Tour ever, three wins and two guys up in the GC. It’s a nice team to be on at the moment.”
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
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is 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