SPORTS Saturday, April 21, 2018 23 Pinot seals title, Padun wins final stage hibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) Championships later this year. group, containing the other riders in punching the air in delight at his first sealed overall victory at the Tour On the last of three ascents of the top 10, back into the picture. professional victory. ofT the Alps as Bahrain-Merida’s Mark the Olympia climb that forms the Padun, the 21-year-old Ukranian Bennett crossed the line five Padun took a solo victory on the centrepiece of the circuit Pinot neo-pro, was in there and took seconds later to take second place final stage. went clear with Bahrain-Merida’s advantage of his relatively low overall on the stage, followed a second later Attack proved the best and Miguel standing - 16th at 3:33 at the start by Jan Hirt (Astana), form of defence for the Angel Lopez (Astana), the two riders of the day - to steal away from the (Bardiani-CSF) and Ben O’Connor Frenchman, who underlined directly below him on the overall group with four kilometres remaining. (Dimension Data). Pinot crossed the his Giro d’Italia credentials standings. Arms folded over his bars, he dug line three seconds later, finishing on with an aggressive display Once down the other side, however, in and finished the job, holding off the same time as his direct rivals, on the Innsbruck circuit that the road flattened out and the impetus a dangerous charge from Geroge Pozzovivo, Lopez, and will be used in the World waned, allowing the small chase Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo) before (Team Sky). (Cyclingnews) Results Stage five: Rattenberg to Innsbruck, 164.2km 1 Mark Padun (Ukr) Bahrain-Merida, in 4 hrs 16 min 10 secs 2 (NZl) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 5s 3 Jan Hirt (Cze) Astana Pro Team, at 6s 4 Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Bardiani CSF 5 Ben O’Connor (Aus) Dimension Data, all same time 6 (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 9s 7 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team 8 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 9 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, all same time 10 (Fra) Team Sky, at 11s Final general classification 1 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, in 14 hrs 12 min 29 secs 2 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 15s 3 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team 4 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky, at 16s Thibaut Pinot rides 5 (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-00 Winners celebrate on the podium Rosberg steps back from Marquez tops first practice Austin the Americas, a track where the in on their final efforts. Kubica management eigning MotoGP champion Spaniard is unbeaten. The track has undergone a London “We did have a close work together at Marc Marquez set the pace He ended up setting a best time of diamond-grinding process in recent obert Kubica says 2016 Formula 1 the end of last year, and we are in a good inR first practice at Austin, beating 2m05.530s. weeks, in an effort to eliminate its world champion Nico Rosberg has relationship, but for now, because I am nearest challenger Valentino Rossi The Honda rider was more than notorious bumps, but this has left a takenR a step back from being part of his doing what I am doing and he is very by four tenths of a second. a second clear of the field in the lot of dusty residue on the surface. management team. busy and he has his family, we are not Marquez sat at the top of the early stages, with the track surface Maverick Vinales was the first Rosberg took an active role in working as close as we were last year, “ time sheets for almost all of the dirty during the initial running, but rider to get within half a second of helping lead negotiations for Kubica Kubica said. “But we are still in touch.” 45-minute session at the Circuit of Marquez’s rivals were able to close Marquez, but it was his Yamaha with Williams as the team Kubica has made it clear, however, team-mate Rossi who beat him to pondered a replacement that it was not the case that Rosberg second spot, 0.396s off the pace. for Felipe Massa. and he had formally split - and that Vinales finished the session In the end, Williams it was only ever really intended 0.727s down in third. opted for Sergey Sirotkin for the German to help with the Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo was the and Kubica was handed specific talks at the end of 2017. final rider to get within a second of a reserve driver role for “It is just that this period Marquez in fourth place, ahead of this year. was very intense and now it’s a LCR Honda’s current points leader With the situation having completely different situation,” Cal Crutchlow, and the second been settled, and Rosberg added Kubica. works Desmosedici of Andrea working on other business “It is not a situation that Dovizioso. activities that includes Nico has been working Rookie Takaaki Nakagami (LCR) investment in Formula and now is not working. was a surprising seventh, ahead of E, Kubica said the It is just that the lead Suzuki rider Andrea Iannone pair’s working situation is that he is and Johann Zarco (Tech3 Yamaha). relationship has not as present as he Marc Marquez rides (file pic) (Autosport) changed. Robert Kubica (file pic) was.” (Autosport) Williams paying for putting money first London 1 season. Massa, who retired from have, prompting it to run the financial situation and I think is that I came out with my elipe Massa believes his Williams has endured a F1 at the end of last season, inexperienced but well-backed they made decisions for 2018 head held high. I have a good former team Williams is tough start to the 2018 season believes Williams’s difficulties pair of Lance Stroll and Sergey putting money first. relationship with everyone at Fpaying the price for putting and is the only team yet to can be traced back to it Sirotkin. “But this is not enough Grove and I hope that the money first in some of its score a point after the first lacking the kind of money Massa said: “It’s true that the to make a competitive best for the team comes out as decisions for the 2018 Formula three races. the big manufacturer teams team was suffering from the championship. All I can say soon as possible.” (Eurosport)