TOUR DE FRANCE OMENS IN PORTE’S VICTORY
combination of powerful climbing and time-trialling.
The Australian finished second in the final stage time trial yesterday which was enough to reel in race leader Simon Yates to claim the title by 21 seconds and strengthen his claims as a genuine contender for the yellow jersey in July.
British superstar and defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome finished ninth in the time HAT-TRICKS from Tom Craig and Trent Mitton have helped the Kookaburras to a 6-1 win over Malaysia in the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia. They led 3-0 at half-time. “The most significant thing for me was our connections between the various lines were really strong tonight,” Kookaburras head coach Colin Batch said.
“We tried to improve that in the days leading up to the tournament, and we couldn’t quite get there last night, but tonight they were very good.” trial, 46secs off the pace, and was 18th overall at 1min 55secs behind Porte.
Froome won the Tour of Romandie en route to his first Tour de France victory in 2013 and Australia’s only Tour de France winner Cadel Evans also did the double in 2011 which bodes well for the Tasmanian looking to follow in his footsteps this year.
Porte has had a near perfect season with BMC which started by winning the YOUNG Queenslander Cameron Smith faced another restless night before playing off for a maiden US PGA Tour title and million-dollar payday alongside Swedish teammate Jonas Blixt in New Orleans today.
Smith and Blixt finished tied at 27under-par with American pair Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner at the Zurich Classic, the tour’s first team tournament in 36 years.
If Smith, 23, and Blixt, 33, can win, each player will earn $1.02 million and gain a two-year exemption on the US PGA Tour. Tour Down Under and the queen stage of Paris-Nice.
“If I’m honest, it’s a bit of a shock to win,” Porte said.
“I knew I was in good condition for this race so to finish off the hard work that BMC Racing Team have put in for me is incredible.
“The team has backed me to the hilt this year.
“They have built a team around me, they have put no pressure on me and it is just going so well right now.”
Craig and Mitton snare hat-tricks Smith on verge of huge payday Cool Bottas wins first grand prix Minjee fifth in Texas Shootout
FORMULA One has a new Finnish iceman on top of the podium.
Valtteri Bottas kept his cool under pressure in yesterday’s Russian Grand Prix to claim his first F1 victory, swooping past Sebastian Vettel for the lead on the first lap, and keeping the hard-charging German behind him on the final lap.
“When I drive, there’s not much emotion in there,” Bottas said. “I’m just trying to get everything right.”
Australian Daniel Ricciardo, of Red Bull, pulled out on lap six after his right-rear brakes caught fire. AUSTRALIA’S Minjee Lee finished equal fifth long before Japan’s Haru Nomura finally won a marathon sudden-death playoff to clinch victory in the LPGA Tour’s Texas Shootout.
Nomura, 24, claimed her third LPGA title with a two-putt birdie at the sixth extra hole to prevail over American Cristie Kerr yesterday.
Confirming her good form when third at the year’s first major, the ANA Inspiration, Lee carded at 73 and was in a tie for fifth at one over. Fellow Australian Katherine Kirk was 21st and Sarah Jane Smith 44th.