Sagan sprints to victory in Tour de France Stage 5
Peter Sagan of Slovakia silenced his critics and won the fifth stage of the Tour de France Wednesday as Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe kept the race leader’s yellow jersey.
The three-time world champion posted a 12th career stage win at cycling’s biggest race, emerging victorious from a bunch sprint in the eastern city of Colmar at the end of a 109-mile trek through the green forests and hills of western France’s Vosges massif.
Sagan, the dominant sprinter in recent years, arrived at the Tour in the wake of a disappointing season and was well beaten in Tuesday’s sprint in Nancy.
He said he was slowed by illness earlier this year but recovered in time to prepare for the Tour as planned.
“I think you cannot compare my current form with the one I had this spring,” said Sagan, who is bidding for a record seventh green jersey, which is awarded to the best sprinter.
“I was sick, lots of sickness in my body. I’ve recovered, and now I’m here.”
Since 2012, Sagan has failed to win the green jersey just once, when he was disqualified following a crash with Mark Cavendish two years ago.
He took a resounding revenge in Colmar, surging ahead in the middle of the road to edge Wout van Aert and Matteo Trentin.
“I just have to ride with passion and the victory comes,” Sagan said. “I have to say thanks to all my teammates. They have done a great job and finally we have the Tour de
France victory that we were looking for. It’s very nice for us. We controlled all day, on the flat part and towards the finish. I did my best. Everyone needs good luck and a good day for winning.”
The sprint was not contested by pure specialists, who got dropped over the four climbs on the day’s program.
Alaphilippe finished in the main pack alongside other main contenders including defending champion Geraint Thomas, with no change at the top of the overall standings.
The stage got off to a lively start and a group of four riders managed to break away from the pack following a series of unsuccessful attacks.
Mads Wurtz, Tim Wellens, Toms Skujins and Simon Clarke collaborated well and built a twominute lead over the peloton. The pace at the back of the race picked up in the second half of the stage but the quartet went over the summit of the Cote du Haut Koenigsbourg with 1 minute, 45 seconds on their pursuers.
Skujins attacked in the Cote des Trois Epis — a nearly three mile climb at an average gradient of 6.8 percent —to drop his breakaway companions with a sustained effort. The Latvian rider’s lead over the main pack was reduced to one minute at the top and he was caught in the final difficulty on the program, the Cote des Cinq Chateaux.
ETC.
College basketball:
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The NCAA has charged North Carolina State with four violations, accusing a former assistant coach of providing payments and benefits connected to the recruitment of one-anddone basketball player Dennis Smith Jr. The school said Wednesday that its notice of allegations was received Tuesday, and now has 90 days to respond.
The notice includes four serious charges, with two that are potential top-level charges. The NCAA alleges that from 2014-17, former assistant Orlando Early provided Smith and his associates approximately $46,700 in impermissible inducements and benefits — including $40,000 that a government witness testified he delivered to Early intended for Smith’s family in 2015.
The NCAA also said former coach Mark Gottfried, now coaching at Cal State Northridge, was “presumed responsible” and “did not demonstrate” that he monitored Early for compliance. It also accuses Gottfried of failing to monitor the program’s pass list, leading to a total 164 impermissible complimentary admissions to games. The notice indicates the NCAA’s hearing panel could levy show-cause penalties against both Gottfried and Early.
NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers ● cornerback Ryan Smith has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers. Smith is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games. He will be allowed to return to the team Sept. 30, after Tampa Bay’s Week 4 game at the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams. Smith is entering his fourth NFL season with the Buccaneers. He was a fourth-round pick in 2016 by Tampa Bay.
College football: UCF ● quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. broke his ankle and it is unclear when he will be able to resume playing football. Mack was primarily used as a backup to McKenzie Milton, but stepped into the starting role after Milton went down with a season-ending knee injury.