Page 22 - aruba-today-20190708

A22 sports
Monday 8 July 2019
Defending Tour champion Thomas opens up gaps on rivals

the day’s big loser who
conceded 59 seconds.
After rolling down first from
the start ramp near Brus-
sels’ Royal Palace, Ineos
riders stayed in the lead for
two hours until Jumbo-Vis-
ma, the last team to set off,
bettered their time in an im-
pressive performance.
Putting on a well-choreo-
graphed display, the Dutch
team’s riders covered the
route at an average speed
of 57.2 kph (35.5 mph),
close to the record of 57.8
set by Orica-GreenEdge
when they won the 2013
team time trial on a similar
distance.
“We went hard from the
start. We heard we were
the fastest ... We were fly-
ing,” Teunissen said.
The first Dutch rider to wear
the race leader’s jersey
in 30 years, Teunissen was
a surprise winner of Sat-
urday’s opening leg. Sur-
rounded by teammates
Team Jumbo Visma strains during the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race, a team time trial over 27.6 kilometers (17 best-suited for the flat ter-
miles) with start and finish in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, July 7, 2019. rain, including former time
Associated Press trial world champion Tony
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Quintana, Adam Yates and Visma, which covered the Froome. Martin, Teunissen did not
AP Sports Writer Jakob Fuglsang. 27.6-kilometer course (17.1- Even without Froome — the play second-fiddle in his
BRUSSELS (AP) — Just two Thomas arrived at the Tour mile) in 28 minutes, 58 sec- dominant Grand Tour rider aerodynamic skinsuit and
days into the Tour de on the back of a rather onds, keeping the yellow in recent years and an ex- helmet.
France, Geraint Thomas is mundane season and no jersey on Mike Teunissen’s pert in the race against “Yesterday it was a dream
already putting daylight victory to his name. Even shoulders. the clock — Ineos was still come true, and it’s the case
between himself and some worse, he crashed out of his They were 20 seconds able to replicate its result today again,” he said. “It’s
of the riders dreaming of final preparation race last faster than Thomas and his from last year’s team time not that I’m getting used to
dethroning the reigning month, and endured an- teammates, with Deceun- trial. Dylan van Baarle, who winning stages at the Tour
champion. other setback, though mi- inck Quick-Step complet- replaced Froome in the de France but it’s two out
Thomas, who claimed his nor, when he was caught in ing the podium, 21 seconds team, was up to the task of two now and it’s really,
first Tour win last summer, a pile-up near the finish of off the pace. and there was no weak link really nice.”
answered questions sur- Saturday’s opening stage. “Looking at GC (general on the road. Teunissen now leads team-
rounding his form and fit- With the No. 1 bib on his classification), it’s a good “We took some time on mate Wout Van Aert by
ness in a dominant fashion back, Thomas, a former performance,” said Thom- some good GC riders to- 10 seconds in the general
during Sunday’s short team track specialist, showed no as. “It was a positive day day, so it was perfect for classification. Jumbo-Vis-
time trial around the streets signs of weakness following for sure.” us,” Bernal said. ma riders monopolize the
of Brussels. his spill. He took solid turns at Teunissen’s teammate Ste- Before the race leaves Bel- five top spots, with Kruijswijk
His Ineos team did not win the front and led his team- ven Kruijswijk is now the gium on Monday, Thomas in third place.
the stage but the 33-year- mates across the finish line best placed overall con- and Bernal gained 12 sec- After two days in Belgium,
old Welshman gained pre- close to the Atomium, the tender, who sits third overall onds on Pinot, 16 seconds the peloton will enter
cious seconds on rivals, in- iconic Brussels monument with a 20-second lead over on Nibali, and 21 seconds France during Monday’s
cluding French duo Romain built for the 1958 World Fair. Thomas and Egan Bernal, on Yates and Fuglsang. Stage 3 which leads riders
Bardet and Thibaut Pinot, The only team riding faster the co-leader at Ineos this They opened more signifi- from the Belgian town of
former Tour champion Vin- than Ineos on Sunday was summer in the absence of cant gaps with Quintana Binche to Epernay in the
cenzo Nibali, climber Nairo the Dutch outfit Jumbo- four-time champion Chris (45 seconds) and Bardet, Champagne region.q

Rahm shoots 62, wins Irish Open for second time in 3 years

LAHINCH, Ireland (AP) — Jon Rahm captured by making an eagle and eight birdies, including four of the first six holes of the back nine.
the Irish Open title for the second time in three one from 3 feet at No. 14 after an approach Andy Sullivan and Bernd Wiesberger both shot
years after shooting 8-under 62 in the final round with a 5-iron from rough right of the fairway. He 66 and were tied for second place. Rock (70),
to win by two strokes on Sunday. finished on 16-under 264. Cabrera-Bello (69) and Eddie Pepperell (69)
It was the Spaniard’s second victory of 2019, Rafa Cabrera-Bello started the day a shot be- were tied for fourth, a further shot back.
after winning the Zurich Classic team event on hind third-round leader Robert Rock but was in Rock, Wiesberger and Paul Waring all earned
the PGA Tour with Ryan Palmer in April, and the front by two strokes after making three birdies spots in the British Open for being the highest
fourth victory in two years on the European Tour. in his first five holes. He was soon passed by the finishers in the top 10 among players who aren’t
Rahm tamed the Lahinch links in western Ireland rampaging Rahm, and fell away by bogeying otherwise exempt.q