Tour takes ugly turn for some
Ahead of two grueling days filled with some truly punishing ascents, the main contenders on the Tour de France were all hoping that Wednesday would be a nice, relaxed day on the bike. It didn’t happen.
Rather, Stage 11, a 126-mile ride from Eymet to Pau, the gateway to the Pyrenees mountains, took a toll on some of the Tour’s top riders after a series of crashes left them nursing cuts and bruises. Stiff crosswinds arrived and led to some crashes near the end of the stage.
German sprinter Marcel Kittel avoided problems and won the stage with a sprint at the end. He has five stage victories in this Tour.
Frenchman Romain Bardet, who is third overall behind race leader Chris Froome, was not so fortunate. He hit the deck and slightly hurt his knee, but the AG2R La Mondiale rider was able to continue after changing bikes and did not lose any time.
Two-time champion Alberto Contador went down twice, and second-place Fabio Aru lost one of his Astana teammates when Dario Cataldo was forced to retire with a broken wrist after a crash in the feed zone midway through the stage. Fifth-place Jakob Fuglsang was caught in the same crash.
Though he was able to reach the finish, his team, Astana, said in a statement that Fuglsang had suffered two minor fractures in his left wrist and left elbow but that he intends to ride in Thursday’s stage.
Froome kept his overall lead intact ahead of the big battle in the Pyrenees. He has an 18 second-lead over Aru, with Bardet 51 seconds off the pace. Trailing 55 seconds behind Froome in the general classification, Rigoberto Uran remains in contention and Fuglsang is still within reach of the podium, 1:37 behind the yellow jersey.
Thursday’s stage will be difficult, with six categorized climbs. It features a short but steep uphill finish at an altitude of 5,200 feet. Froome described the finish as “quite savage.” earned $90,000.
Hall of Famer Laura Davies (68) tied for third at one over with Helen Alfredsson (69) and Wendy Doolan (71).
Chuck Blazer, the American soccer executive whose admissions of corruption set off a global scandal that ultimately toppled FIFA President Sepp Blatter, has died. He was 72.
At a November 2013 court hearing during which he entered guilty pleas to federal charges, Blazer said he had rectal cancer, diabetes and coronary artery disease.
With huge girth, charm, wit and a pet parrot, Blazer cut a large figure as he made deals from an office and apartment in Trump Tower.
The No. 2 official in the governing body of soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean region from 1990 to 2011 and a member of FIFA’s ruling executive council from 1997 to 2013, Blazer was central to the rise of the sport in the United States.
He accused CONCACAF President Jack Warner and fellow executive committee member Mohamed bin Hammam of offering $40,000 bribes to voters in the 2011 FIFA presidential election. Bin Hammam had been the lone challenger to Blatter, who was elected to a fourth term after Warner and bin Hammam were suspended.
But it turned out Blazer’s conduct was as corrupt as the actions of the people he accused. U.S. government agents threatened him with arrest, and he became a government informant.
Blazer pleaded guilty in November 2013 to one count each of racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and willful failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, and to six counts of tax evasion.