Philippe Gilbert continued his fine start to the season by winning the prestigious Amstel Gold Race for the fourth time on Sunday — and then made short work of a celebratory beer on the podium.
At the end of a punishing 260km course that included 35 climbs, Belgian Gilbert of Quick-Step Floors outsprinted Polish 2015 winner Michal Kwiatkowski of Team Sky in a tactical finale.
“In the end with Kwiato we went hard, I saw the guys behind were on the limit — I was too, but if you can find 1 or 2 percent more it makes the difference,” Gilbert said. “I told him [Kwiatkowski]: ‘We ride until the last K [kilometer] and the best man wins.’ That’s the best deal you can make.”
Photo: EPA
The two breakaway leaders were slowly being caught by five chasers as they played cat and mouse in the final kilometer, with Gilbert teasing Kwiatkowski into launching his bid for victory first, with more than 300m remaining.
Kwiatkowski tied up allowing Gilbert to streak past in the final meters, holding up four fingers as he claimed victory in the battle between two former world champions.
“He surprised me a little in the sprint, but it was a headwind so I didn’t panic, and I saw I was getting closer and closer, and it was perfect for me in the end,” Gilbert said.
Switzerland’s Michael Albasini of Orica-Scott won the five-man sprint for third place, while Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet of BMC Racing Team, the star performer of the season so far, could manage only 12th.
Gilbert won the Ronde van Vlaanderen two weeks ago as he enjoyed a successful cobbled classics season that included second-place finishes at Dwars door Vlaanderen and E3 Harelbeke.
Kwiatkowski has also been in great shape this season, winning Milano-SanRemo — which like the Ronde van Vlaanderen is one of cycling’s “Monument” races — and Strade Bianche.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping