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A22     SPORTS
                      Monday 15 May 2017
                Quintana takes Giro lead as crash slows other contenders



            ROCCAMORICE,  Italy  (AP)                                                              just before the climb — rid-  Yates was third.
            —  Nairo  Quintana  rode                                                               ers in the main pack made  Thomas,  who  has  been
            away  from  his  main  rivals                                                          contact with a police mo-    Chris  Froome’s  best  sup-
            up  the  grueling  climb  to                                                           torcycle  stopped  along-    port  rider  during  his  three
            Blockhaus to win the ninth                                                             side  the  road,  prompting  Tour  de  France  victories,
            stage  of  the  Giro  d’Italia                                                         the  crash  that  involved  was  aiming  for  his  first  big
            and take the leader’s pink                                                             Thomas, Landa,               individual success.
            jersey  in  a  leg  that  was                                                          Yates  and  about  a  dozen  Yates  was  looking  to  im-
            marred by a mass crash in-                                                             other riders.                prove  on  his  fourth-place
            volving a police motorbike.                                                            All three of the overall con-  result in last year’s Tour.
            The  crash  Sunday  virtu-                                                             tenders  got  back  on  their  “It  shouldn’t  (happen),”
            ally ended the overall title                                                           bikes but Landa appeared  Thomas  said  of  the  crash.
            hopes  of  Sky  teammates                                                              to be in severe pain, Yates  “It’s ridiculous. My shoulder
            Geraint Thomas and Mikel                                                               had his knee bloodied and  popped out. ... Race over.
            Landa,  plus  Orica-Scott’s                                                            Thomas’  jersey  and  shorts  It’s really disappointing.”
            Adam Yates.                                                                            were shredded.               The  climb  lasted  13  kilo-
            Quintana,  the  Colombian                                                              Immediately    after   the  meters  (eight  miles)  at  an
            who  won  the  2014  Giro                                                              crash,  Nairo  Quintana’s  average  gradient  of  nine
            and  was  twice  runner-up                                                             Movistar  team  set  a  blis-  percent  with  stretches  at
            in  the  Tour  de  France,  fin-                                                       tering  pace  at  the  front,  14 percent.
            ished  24  seconds  ahead                                                              which  prompted  previous  The stage marked the 50th
            of Thibaut Pinot of France,                                                            leader Bob Jungels to drop  anniversary  of  Eddy  Mer-
            who  edged  Tom  Dumou-                                                                off during the early stages  ckx’s first Grand Tour victo-
            lin of the Netherlands in a                                                            of the climb.                ry in a stage at Blockhaus,
            sprint for second.                                                                     It didn’t take long for Quin-  which  is  located  in  the
            Bauke  Mollema  crossed      Colombia’s Nairo Quintana wears the pink jersey of the overall   tana,  Nibali  and  Pinot  to  Abruzzo region.
            fourth  and  two-time  Giro   leader as he stands on the podium after winning the 9th stage   form a three-man group in  After  a  rest  day  Monday,
                                         of the Giro d’Italia, Tour of Italy cycling race, from Montenero di
            champion Vincenzo Nibali     Bisaccia to Blockhaus, Sunday, May 14, 2017.              the lead.                    the  Giro  resumes  Tuesday
            came fifth.                                                           Associated Press  Quintana  attempted  sev-   with a 39.8 (25-mile) individ-
            “I  showed  that  I’m  happy                                                           eral  attacks  before  finally  ual  time  trial  from  Foligno
            with my legs and the legs of   last month.                now.”                        pulling  away  on  his  own  to Montefalco through the
            my teammates,” Quintana      “There’s still a long way to  In  the  overall  standings,   and then Nibali eventually  Sagrantino winemaking re-
            said. “The whole team was    go  in  the  Giro,”  Quintana  Quintana leads Pinot by 28   dropped further back.      gion in Umbria.
            strong and I was strong.”    said.  “We’ll  get  to  know  seconds  and  Dumoulin  by   Yates  finished  about  4  1/2   Then there is another moun-
            Quintana  dedicated  his     in  the  coming  days  if  the  30 seconds.               minutes behind and Thom-     tainous  stage  Wednesday
            victory to 2011 Giro cham-   30-second lead I have over   Mollema is fourth, 51 sec-   as  crossed  more  than  five  before the Alps next week-
            pion  Michele  Scarponi,     Tom  Dumoulin  is  much  or  onds  behind,  and  Nibali  is   minutes back.            end.
            who  died  after  a  collision   little, but I feel good. That’s  fifth, 1:10 back.    Entering the stage, Thomas  The  100th  Giro  ends  in  Mi-
            with  a  van  while  training   the  most  important  for  With 15 kilometers to go —   stood  second  overall  and  lan on May 28.q

                                                                                                   NASCAR’s Aric Almirola out of
                                                                                                   hospital after fracturing vertebra


                                                                                                   ly  flipping  it  over.  Safety  en place along the wall.
                                                                                                   crews removed the top of  “That  was  scary,”  Clint
                                                                                                   Almirola’s car so they could  Bowyer  said.  “You  hate  to
                                                                                                   remove  him,  and  he  was  see anybody that you race
                                                                                                   placed  on  a  backboard  against  and  know,  know
                                                                                                   and  taken  to  the  infield  their  kids  and  everything
                                                                                                   care  center.  He  was  then  else,  get  cut  out  like  that.
                                                                                                   airlifted  to  the  hospital,  It’s scary for everybody.”
                                                                                                   conscious  and  alert,  and  Almirola’s  injury  is  similar
                                                                                                   doctors there diagnosed a  to  one  suffered  by  Denny
                                                                                                   compression fracture of his  Hamlin  in  a  2013  wreck  in
                                                                                                   T5  vertebra.  Richard  Petty  California, where he made
                                                                                                   Motorsports said in a state-  contact with Logano’s car
                                                                                                   ment Sunday that Almirola  on the final lap and struck
                                                                                                   was  mobile  and  returning  the  inside  wall  near  pit
                                                                                                   to his home in North Caro-   road.  Like  Almirola,  Hami-
                                                                                                   lina.  He  will  be  examined  lin’s  car  was  lifted  off  the
            A racing official looks over the car of Aric Almirola after the roof was taken off to remove Almirola,   further by doctors in Char-  ground by the force of the
            following a wreck during the NASCAR Monster Cup auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City,   lotte.  The  wreck  with  67  impact.  Hamlin  suffered
            Kan., Saturday, May 13, 2017.                                                          laps remaining in Saturday  a  compression  fracture  to
                                                                                  Associated Press   night’s  race,  which  was  his  L1  vertebra,  which  is  in

            DAVE SKRETTA                 after he fractured a verte-  him  and  Patrick  into  the   won  by  Martin  Truex  Jr.,  the lower back, while Almi-
            AP Sports Writer             bra during a fiery wreck at  wall  entering  the  first  turn.   cast such a debris field that  rola’s  injury  is  behind  his
            KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) —  Kansas Speedway.                Almirola  had  no  time  to   the  race  was  red-flagged  chest.  It  wound  up  keep-
            NASCAR driver Aric Almirola  Almirola  was  trailing  Joey  check up and plowed into   for  nearly  30  minutes.  That  ing Hamlin out of his car for
            was released from the Uni-   Logano  and  Danica  Pat-    Logano’s car, the force of   gave plenty of other drivers  four races, and he needed
            versity  of  Kansas  Medical  rick  when  a  broken  brake  the impact lifting his No. 43   a chance to contemplate  a relief driver when he final-
            Center  on  Sunday,  a  day  rotor on Logano’s car sent  car  into  the  air  and  near-  the carnage that had tak-  ly returned at Talladega.q
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