Van Aert wins stage, extends overall lead
CALAIS, FRANCE » Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the hilly fourth stage of the Tour de France and extended his overall lead after attacking strongly on the day’s final climb on Tuesday.
The Belgian rider kept the leader’s yellow jersey for the Jumbo—Visma team after taking it for the first time on Saturday. He also extended his lead in the green jersey contest for best sprinter.
Van Aert shook up the peloton when he surged ahead up the last of the five climbs — a 900-meter ascent up Cote du Cap Blanc-Nez at a gradient of 7.5 % — about 6 miles from the end.
He said he felt an early attack was the best way to avoid a mass sprint at the line.
“I didn’t want to take the risk of losing anymore. It was quite obvious that we were trying something with the team,” he said. “I went full gas to see what would happen. I went all out.”
The 27-year-old Van Aert is considered one of the best multi-skilled riders in the world and is a former three-time cyclo-cross world champion and a one-day classics specialist.
The Jumbo-Visma rider flapped his hands like a bird’s wings as he sat up on his bike. He crossed the line eight seconds clear of countryman Jasper Philipsen of the Alpecin— Fenix team, with Jumbo-Visma teammate Christophe Laporte taking third place in a sprint finish.
Allen: Seahawks, Blazers not for sale
SEATTLE » The NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers are not currently for sale, the chairwoman of both franchises said.
Jody Allen’s statement came amid growing speculation about the future ownership of the teams due to stipulations in Paul Allen’s will that called for both teams to eventually be sold and the proceeds given to philanthropic endeavors. Most of the speculation has centered on the future of the Trail Blazers.
“As chair of both the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, my long-term focus is building championship teams that our communities are proud of,” Jody Allen said in her statement. “Like my brother Paul, I trust and expect our leaders and coaches to build winning teams that deliver results on and off the court and field. As we’ve stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and there are no sales discussions happening.”
Allen has overseen both teams since her brother died in 2018 and is the trustee for his estate. She acknowledged the teams will eventually be put up for sale but said there is no set timeline.
Hockey ban on Russia, Belarus upheld
ZURICH » Appeals by Russia and its ally Belarus against bans from the world ice hockey championship following the invasion of Ukraine were rejected by the international governing body.
The decision “was not a sanction but was a safety policy” and also “the safety policy was not discriminatory and was proportionate,” the International Ice Hockey Federation disciplinary board ruled on Tuesday.
The IIHF council argued its decision on Feb. 28, four days after Russian troops surged over the border into Ukraine, was to ensure the safety of players, fans and other tournament participants.
Russia and Belarus could still take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as numerous other Russian sports organizations have done.
Felix gets mixed relay nod, heading to 10th worlds
INDIANAPOLIS » Allyson Felix was named to her 10th world championship team, where she will have a chance to run in the mixed relay event and add to her record medal collection.
Felix, whose 18 medals are the most in world-championship history, has announced that this will be her final season in track. At last month’s U.S. championships, she finished sixth in the 400 meters and did not qualify for any individual events. But the 36-year-old was named to the mixed relay pool Tuesday when USA Track and Field released its 151-person roster for worlds.
Missing from the roster was Sha’Carri Richardson, who failed to qualify for the finals of either the 100 or 200 meters at nationals. Richardson won the women’s 100 at Olympic trials last year but was banned from the games after testing positive for a substance found in marijuana.
World half-marathon championships canceled
MONACO » The world half-marathon championships have been canceled because China wasn’t able to host the races due to the coronavirus pandemic, World Athletics said.
The president of the governing body, Sebastian Coe, said it was “no fault” of local organizers in China that the event can’t be held in Yangzhou in November. The city will, instead, be given the rebranded world road running championships in 2027.