Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Tuesday 4 July 2017
Slovak Peter Sagan wins Tour de France Stage 3

By JOHN LEICESTER Other overall contenders
AP Sports Writer who finished in the same
LONGWY, France (AP) — group included Nairo Quin-
Shaking off an equipment tana, a three-time podium
glitch in the furious finishing finisher, former two-time
sprint, Peter Sagan bagged winner Alberto Contador,
his eighth career Tour de and Romain Bardet, run-
France stage victory on ner-up last year to Froome.
Monday with an impres- A sterner test of their rela-
sive display of power and tive strengths will come on
quick-thinking on a short, Wednesday on a tougher
sharp final uphill dash. climb to the Planche des
Geraint Thomas of Team Belles Filles ski station.
Sky retained the yellow For the moment, their main
jersey he’s held since the goal is not crashing and
opening stage in Germa- losing time. That was easier
ny, as the race swung into said than done as the pack
France, to the former steel picked up the pace to-
town of Longwy. ward the end of what oth-
But he is not planning to erwise was a fairly leisurely
hold onto it for ever: The 212.5-kilometer (132-mile)
team’s goal is for three-time ride through the dense
champion Chris Froome to forests and plunging val-
be wearing the jersey when Peter Sagan of Slovakia, center, crosses the finish line ahead of Ireland’s Daniel Martin, right, leys of the Ardennes, from
the Tour rolls into Paris on and Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet, left, to win the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race Belgium, through Luxem-
July 23. over 212.5 kilometers (132 miles) with start in Verviers, Belgium and finish in Longwy, France, bourg to France. The last
Thomas and Froome got Monday, July 3, 2017. hour “was a hell of a fight,”
through Stage 3 unscathed, Associated Press Porte said. “It was quite a
the main goal for them and ly behind him and never let Froome was ninth on the a teammate of Froome’s dangerous tricky final, so
others eyeing overall vic- Porte get too far ahead. stage, showing no ap- at Sky before switching to it’s nice to get through that
tory rather than stage wins. Sagan seemed to be cruis- parent side effects from BMC, impressed with his at- one unscathed.”
The pack of riders stretched ing to victory until his right a crash on wet roads on tack. With his long hair, quick
like a piece of string into foot slipped out of his ped- Sunday that shaved skin off “It showed that he’s in humor and taste for show-
single file on the fast, wind- al in the last few hundred his buttocks. He moved up great form and will always manship, Sagan is one of
ing downhill into Longwy meters. from sixth to second overall, look to use his legs to gain the Tour’s most colorful
before the final climb on “I said to myself, ‘What’s 12 seconds behind Thomas. some time,” Thomas said. characters. His ultimate
Nuns’ Hill that seemed tai- happening?’” the Slovak Although a mere speed Porte finished the stage in goal is to win, for a sixth
lor-made for the strengths star of the German Bora- bump compared to the the same group as Froome consecutive time, the
of Sagan, the world cham- Hansgrohe team said. mountain ascents to come and Thomas — two seconds green jersey. It isn’t as cov-
pion. But he quickly recovered in the Alps and Pyrenees, behind Sagan and other eted as the yellow one but
Australian rider Richie Porte, without losing speed, clip- the 1.6-kilometer (one- riders who went all out for is still a solid measure of
a contender for overall vic- ping his foot back into mile) uphill in Longwy, with the stage win. Porte, who is overall strength.
tory, showed he’s in fear- place and holding off to a short very steep section, 35 seconds behind Froome For the moment, however,
some form by powering the line Michael Matthews, was testing enough to give overall, was pleased to test Sagan planned to allow
away from the pack in the an Australian with Sunweb, an early inkling of the fit- his legs. “It’s good for the himself a celebratory drink.
first stages of the climb. But and Dan Martin, an Irish- ness of some of the top rid- confidence just to have a “You’ve got to celebrate
Sagan was watching close- man with Quickstep. ers. Porte, who used to be bit of a crack,” Porte said. every victory,” he said. q

WNBA Capsules

LA Sparks rally from 17-point

deficit to beat Mystics 76-69

halftime deficit to beat the left but Beard answered points and nine rebounds
Washington Mystics 76-69 with a jumper and the Mys- and Layshia Clarendon
on Sunday. Parker grabbed tics went 0 for 8 from the added 15 points and nine
11 rebounds, Nneka Og- field — and had a shot- assists as the Atlanta Dream
wumike — who played clock violation — from beat the Liberty to end a
the entire second half with there. Elena Delle Donne three-game skid.
four fouls — had 15 points led Washington with 22 Tiffany Hayes and Bria
Jeff Horn of Australia celebrates after beating Manny Pacquiao and Alana Beard added points, but scored just two Holmes scored 11 points
of the Philippines during their WBO World welterweight title fight
in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2017. 13 for Los Angeles (12-3). in the final 17-plus minutes. apiece for Atlanta (6-7).
Associated Press The Sparks have won six in The Mystics had their three- Kia Vaughn’s basket gave
a row against the Mystics game win streak snapped. New York (7-7) a 2-0 lead
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LOS scored 17 points apiece and eight straight overall. DREAM 81, LIBERTY 72 but Atlanta answered with
ANGELES (AP) — Candace to help the Los Angeles Kristi Tolliver’s running bank ATLANTA (AP) — Brittney an 8-0 run and never again
Parker and Chelsea Gray Sparks rally from a 17-point shot made it 69-all with 3:03 Sykes had a career-best 19 trailed.q