Veteran Dutch rider Marianne Vos on Monday took the overall leader’s jersey in the Women’s Tour de France after finishing second behind compatriot Lorena Wiebes on the third stage.
Three-time former world champion Vos, 38, moved six seconds ahead of Mauritius’ Kim Le Court in the general classification after a flat 163.5km ride from La Gacilly to Angers.
France’s Olympic cross-country champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot completed the top three, 12 seconds behind, with last year’s Tour winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma fourth.
Photo: AFP
One-day expert Vos has made an impressive start to this year’s edition of the Tour, having won Saturday’s opening stage in Vannes.
Despite her incredible list of achievements, including Olympic gold in 2012, the women’s Giro d’Italia and countless Classic success, she has yet to win the Tour, but wore the yellow jersey in 2022 for five days.
“We knew there was quite a good chance for a bunch sprint,” Vos said. “In the end when it comes to a bunch sprint you know that Lorena Wiebes is going to be the big favourite, but of course you still always try.”
The end of the stage on the banks of the Loire River, best known for wine production, was marred by a mass crash as pre-stage favorite Demi Vollering fell.
FDJ-Suez Dutch rider Vollering, who finished second overall last year, remains fifth in the overall standings despite the incident with 3.7km to go to the finish line.
“She wants to continue, but we just need time to go to the hotel, examine, go to the hospital and after one night we can come back to you to tell you,” FDJ-Suez general manager Stephen Delcourt told reporters. “She’s completely shocked. She has a pain at the knees, a pain at the glutes and pain at the back.”
“We need to wait, because we never know if it’s just the shock because she crashed or she needs time,” he said.
After the crash, two-time former European champions Wiebes, 26, held on to secure her fourth Tour stage win, adding to her 15 successes so far this season.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
RSS