Sports FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015

Cycling: Degenkolb ready to take responsibility from absent Kittel

UTRECHT: Paris-Roubaix winner John much risk,” said Guiberteau. ist, capable of a fast burst to the line but also Paris-Roubaix in April, Gent-Wevelgem last Degenkolb claims he is feeling no more pres- “He really had to be in super form, espe- with the strength to get over short climbs year and nine Vuelta a Espana stages since sure ahead of the now that his cially this year with the course, which is very that tend to spit sprinters out the back of the 2012, but he has yet to win a Tour stage- Giant-Alpecin team have dropped king tough for sprinters. We believed he had a peloton. “Marcel is not here so I have more something he hopes to rectify this month. . The last two years, burly good training camp and then he came back responsibility to be the lead sprinter in the “Basically, the general goal is to win a German Kittel won four stages in each Tour, before the Sierra Nevada camp and then flat stages. I’m probably not the biggest stage. The goal hasn’t changed but if there’s including both the first and last. The entire went to the Elenco Tour and we said we’ll see. favorite in these kind of sprints, that’s not my the possibility to go for the green jersey, defi- Giant team was built around bringing him to “But there you go, he was coming back but best quality, but with a great team behind me nitely I will try it and will not leave chances on the sprint finishes on flat stages with the best not quickly enough-he needed another and a lead out that gives me an advantage the ground.” And Degenkolb, 26, already has possible lead-out train-and Kittel rarely failed month.” It means Degenkolb will be the main over other riders, I see great chances to com- certain stages in mind such as stage six from to deliver the final punch to the line. man for the German outfit not only in the flat pete in flat sprints,” said Degenkolb, although Abbeville to Le Havre with its three fourth But the 27-year-old has been suffering stages where they would normally have been he admitted he hadn’t expected this oppor- category climbs and slight uphill finish. from illness this year and only really started planning to set up Kittel for the bunch sprint, tunity. “There are these stages where you maybe his season in May, at which point he was but also on those intermediate or rolling “It was in the end of course a surprise (that have to survive a climb before the finish line always struggling for form to be fit to make stages in which the lead peloton that reaches Kittel was dropped). I trained a lot with him and be there in a reduced group of 30, 40 or the Tour start. Giant coach Christian the line tends to be reduced. and was a long time with him together. I saw 50 riders. I think that would be the chances Guiberteau said the Tour has just come a his progression and knew it would be really where I have the best qualities to win a stage, touch too early for Kittel. “We knew it wasn’t Classics specialist tight for the Tour, but still it was a surprise but also flat stages are not bad for us with ideal because he had to catch up. We had all That’s the kind of stage that ideally suits because it’s a big step to make a decision like Koen de Kort, Ramon Sinkeldam, Albert the team around him to give him confidence Degenkolb who is not a pure out-and-out this.” Degenkolb may have won some presti- Timmer and Roy Curvers. We have a very but in the end we decided there was too sprinter but rather a one-day classics special- gious races such as Milan-San Remo in March, experienced team.”— AFP

F1 - Hamilton seeks to halt charging Rosberg

SILVERSTONE: World champion Lewis Hamilton is seeking a return to his most dominant form on home soil this weekend when he bids to beat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the British Grand Prix. The 30-year-old Englishman has only a 10- points advantage over the German following Rosberg’s victory at the Austrian Grand Prix and knows he needs to regain his earlier supremacy to repeat his triumph in last year’s race. “I don’t feel like I ever really reached my peak in Austria,” said Hamilton. “It wasn’t the smoothest of weekends for me, so to come away with second place wasn’t a disaster in the circumstances. “Silverstone, though... that’s different. I can’t describe the feeling I had last year, lifting that trophy again in front of a sea of fans on pit straight, after so many years, and after a tough start to the weekend too. “It’s something that will always stay with me and nothing less than the same again will do. I’m lucky enough to have fans all around the world, but winning in front of your home crowd is something else. “We have a fantastic car this year, even better than in 2014 and it should suit this track. I’ll be going all out to make the most of it.” Rosberg’s triumph at the Red Bull Ring was his third in four races and confirmed the momentum that has recharged his title challenge after a season-opening peri- od in which he was swept aside by Hamilton.”My week in Austria could not have come together much better,” said Rosberg. “Apart from a mistake in qualifying, I felt right on top of things from the start and it was great to get another win. UTRECHT: Spain’s Alberto Contador (3rd right) speaks with Slovakia’s (2nd right), as they take part in a “With the extra day in the car testing on Wednesday, also, training session with others riders of Russia’s Tinkoff-Saxo yesterday in Utrecht, The Netherlands, two days helping the team prepare for Silverstone, I feel ready to go full before the start of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race. — AFP attack at a circuit I really enjoy. It should suit our car nicely with the focus on down-force and we learned some useful things dur- ing the test.”I’m sure we’ll be strong once again. The crowds are A Tour for everyone really incredible at this race and it’s always a great atmosphere. Of course, I know they have their favorite, but hopefully we can have a good fight and keep the fans on their feet.” UTRECHT: In recent years a lot of focus on would begin in a handful of mountain ish of the Fleche Wallonne, one of three As the Mercedes duo head towards the ninth round of the 19- cycling and in particular the Tour de France stages in which a powerful team would ride . The punchers will be out race season amid temperatures soaring towards 35 degrees has been about how things have changed at a leg-burning tempo until their leader in force on that day, as well as stages six to Celsius, their duel has left many observers calling for changes - or in a new cleaner era. While no-one believes attacked on the final climb, decimating the Le Havre and eight to the Mur de Bretagne, doping has been completely eradicated, so competition. which have similar short, sharp climbs to a Ferrari revival-to add drama to the championship and the sport. to a large extent it has at least been Prudhomme has created a Tour route in the finish. Two major surveys of Formula One fans and supporters - one car- reduced and what remains is perhaps less which no two days are alike and therefore ried out by the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (PGDA) — resulted effective. The worry now is about hard-to- no two challenges equal-although there Mini Paris-Roubaix in calls for a return to refueling and a ‘tyre war’, but neither detect micro-doping rather than the game- are still appetising titbits both for sprinters Before then you have stage four with its received much support from paddock insiders. —AFP changing blood-doping brought on by EPO and climbers. Right from the off, there will seven cobbled sections totaling 13.4km and blood transfusions. The effect on the be a complete examination of a rider’s making it a mini Paris-Roubaix, which peloton has not gone unnoticed with the cycling capabilities, and indeed intelli- should catch the attention of the cobbled winning gaps, particularly on high moun- gence. The race begins with a short individ- classics specialists. By the time the peloton tain stages, greatly reduced. It has changed ual timetrial before a team race against the reaches the first mountain stage 10, there slightly the way riders race but there is also clock on stage nine, but again relatively will have already been several opportuni- another thing responsible for that-the short at 28km-no rider should lose the Tour ties not only for the favorites to put time course. because either he or his team are weak at into each other, but also for other riders to These last few years, Tour organizers timetrialling. perhaps stoke interest in the race by also Amaury Sports Organization (ASO) and Stage two is flat and ideal for a sprint being involved in the business end. Stage Tour director Christian Prudhomme in par- finish but there is the possibility of cross- 10 finishes with an hors category climb at ticular, have gone to great efforts to create winds coming off the North Sea and caus- the end of a lumpy but relatively gentle exciting, unpredictable stages. Gone are ing splits in the peloton, meaning everyone stage. It’s followed by a far more brutal the days when the Tour would amble will be fighting for a place near the front, mountain stage with six categorized climbs through the first 10 days to two weeks of driving up the pace, increasing the tension but a long descent off the hors category MONTREAL: Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain rounds the carbon-copy flat stages with a breakaway and provoking probable crashes. Stage Col du Tourmalet before a short third cate- Senna corner on his way to winning the Canadian Grand followed by a chase and usually a bunch three ends on the short brutal climb called gory climb to the finish, favoring either a Prix in Montreal. — AP sprint finish. Until finally the true race the Mur (wall) du Huy which is also the fin- breakaway or a specialist descender. —AFP