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FRANCE : ’s Michael Rogers (right) ride in a breakaway during the 237.5 km sixteenth stage of the 101st edition of the cycling race. (Inset) Rogers celebrates after crossing the finish line. — AP Rogers wins first Tour stage

FRANCE: Australian Michael Rogers finally earnt his first stage The other big loser amongst the leading pack was American Asked where he’d expected to be at this time, Peraud alluded includes three first category climbs before the hors category victory in his 10th Tour de France yesterday. The three-time world who was dropped much earlier than Bardet to the withdrawal of favourites and Alberto summit finish at Saint-Lary. It’s the biggest danger for sprinters timetrial champion, riding for -Saxo, came home on his and gave up around 3:30 to drop to more than four minutes off a Contador through injury earlier in the race. who will need to get home inside the time limit in order to con- own at the end of the mammoth 237.5km 16th stage from podium spot. “I expected there would two more ahead of me for starters,” tinue. If that isn’t enough, Thursday’s 145.5km stage from Pau Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon. Meanwhile, Jean-Christophe Peraud admitted he had not he added. But that’s not to say Peraud, whose best previous finish tackles the two behemoths of the race, the Col du Tourmalet and The wily veteran, who won two stages at the Giro d’Italia in even ridden the three tough Pyrenean stages at the Tour de was ninth in 2011, didn’t come into the race with ambitions. the Hautacam summit finish. May after coming back from a temporary doping suspension, France in advance because he didn’t expect to be competing for “The aim was fifth place but now there’s perhaps room to do With Nibali almost over the hill and out of sight, there is at outfoxed four escape companions to finish 9sec ahead of a podium. better.” One who can hardly do any better is Italian Nibali, who least an intriguing battle for second with five riders separated by Frenchman , who took second in a sprint finish The 37-year-old French rider has unexpectedly found himself leads second-placed Alejandro Valverde by 4:37. just 1:31. ahead of of Belarus. in sixth place overall and only 1min 18sec of a podium position Even so, he said he and his Astana teammates will need to American Tejay Van Garderen is fifth and says that closeness Further behind Italian Vincenzo Nibali held onto his race with less than a week to go. take care. “The week that’s coming is very important, the best should make for exciting racing amongst the leading names. leader’s yellow jersey, 4min 37sec ahead of Alejandro Valverde, as The veteran AG2R rider is enjoying a surprise Indian summer thing will be to keep our concentration because there will be dif- “It definitely makes for interesting racing, if everyone was sep- he came home in a small and elite group of his closest rivals. to his career as he largely flies under the radar with most of the ficulties,” said the 29-year-old Italian. arated by two minutes (between each rider) it wouldn’t be that One of the big losers on the day, though, was 23-year-old attention focussed on runaway race leader Vincenzo Nibali and “We must be wary of breakaways because there will be peo- much fun to watch any more,” he said. Frenchman Romain Bardet, who was dropped on the hors cate- young French hopes Romain Bardet, his teammate, and Thibaut ple who are now a long way back in the standings who could get “Since Nibali has a solid lead he looks almost untouchable. It’s gory Port de Bales climb and lost 1:50 to his rivals for a podium Pinot. But now that he finds himself in the thick of battle for a top into a dangerous breakaway, so it could become difficult to man- good there are more battles going on, it makes it exciting.” finish. finish, Peraud is regretting not having studied the next three age the race and the support of the team will be very important.” Even so, Van Garderen denied the chasers have already given That promoted 24-year-old compatriot Thibaut Pinot from Pyrenean stages more closely. Tuesday’s 237.5km trek from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de- up on overhauling Nibali to simply concentrate on battling each fourth to third with veteran 37-year-old Jean Christophe Peraud, Asked if he knew any of the climbs he would scale from Luchon is the longest stage of the race and tackles the hors cate- other. “I don’t think we’ve been racing each other rather than rac- another Frenchman, moving up from sixth to fourth. Tuesday to Thursday, Peraud replied: “No, not at all. I’ve never gory Porte de Bales climb before heading into a speedy 20km ing him (Nibali) necessarily,” he said. “It’s just when he attacks no- Bardet dropped from third to fifth and is now 6:40 off Nibali done the Hautacam because I didn’t have enough time. “We’ve descent to the finish. one has the legs to follow but then when we start to chase it but, more importantly having started the day 16sec ahead of had a very busy season and I’m a father. I regret that a little bit. I Wednesday’s stage from Saint-Gaudens is more than 100km becomes tactical because some people want to pull and try to Pinot, he now trails his compatriot by 1:36. didn’t expect to be at this level.” shorter at 124.5km but that will merely push the pace up and it get him back and other people want to get a free ride.” — AFP Golden Boot Rodriguez Haase calms his nerves to kick for Real Madrid by winning Gstaad start GSTAAD: Last year’s finalist Robin Haase had to Gstaad. Two-time champion Thomaz Bellucci MADRID: Real Madrid yesterday signed Colombian Monaco paid EUR45 million ($60m) when he fight through an extended case of first-match began his quest for a hat-trick as he beat striker James Rodriguez, the top scorer at the World signed from FC Porto of Portugal. Monaco said in a nerves to advance over Aleksandr Nedovyesov Austrian qualifier Gerald Melzer, brother of Cup, from Monaco on a six season contract. statement that it had not wanted to sell Rodriguez but 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 on another rainy day at the Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and a quarter. Spanish media said Real paid about EUR80 million that it was “proud to have carried out one of the Swiss Open yesterday. The Dutchman, who lost Kenny De Schepper of France beat Italy’s ($108m) for Rodriguez, making him one of the most biggest transfers in football history.” the final a year ago on the Bernese alpine clay Filippo Volandri 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) while Blaz Rola of expensive players ever. Neither club gave a figure, but Spanish sports daily Marca, which has close ties to Russian Mikhail Youzhny, failed to close out Slovenia stopped Brazilian Fabiano De Paula 6- Monaco said it was “one of the biggest transfers in with Real Madrid’s board, said Real will pay EUR75 mil- his win in two sets against the 99th-ranked 4, 6-4. football history.” lion straight away and up to five million more in add Nedovyesov who beat him in the spring at Meanwhile, Dudi Sela and American Sam Rodriguez, 23, scored six goals for Colombia at the ons. If confirmed, the fee would make Rodriguez the Casablanca. Querrey advanced to the second round of the World Cup to win the Golden Boot award. A spectacu- fifth most expensive player in history behind Gareth Haase led a set and 5-4 when he was broken, ATP Atlanta Open with victories Monday while lar volley against Uruguay went down as one of the Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo (both of Real) and Neymar and with Kazakh Nedovyesov winning a tiebreaker French third seed Gael Monfils withdrew from best goals of any World Cup. Luis Suarez of Barcelona. to take the contest into a deciding set. the event. Sela ousted American Donald Young Shortly before the announcement, Rodriguez Rodriguez went to the World Cup as Colombia’s The seventh seed found his game just in 6-3, 6-0 while Querrey blasted 20 aces in elimi- posed for pictures and gave the thumbs up sign as he second best known striker. But Radamel Falcao was time, though, breaking for 3-1 to earn the edge nating countryman Steve Johnson 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 left a Madrid clinic where he passed a medical test. injured in January leaving the starring role to his for eventual victory. Haase admitted that his in the $568,000 hardcourt event, an early warm- “I am very happy. We will talk later,” he told Monaco teammate as Colombia reached the last 16 case of early-match nerves lasted much longer up tournament for the US Open. Querrey, who reporters. The Colombian striker is Real’s second major for the first time. Uruguay’s coach Oscar Tabarez com- than expected as he finally advanced in just won in 92 minutes after taking the only break of signing in five days as they prepare for a new season pared Rodriguez to Argentine legends Diego under two hours in a contest played in mid- the match in the final game, and Sela will meet of confrontation against eternal rivals Barcelona. Maradona and Lionel Messi, the “players who succeed teens temperatures and occasional drizzle. “It’s in the second round with the winner in line to German midfielder Toni Kroos moved from Bayern in doing things because they are special.” normal to have some nerves but they usually go face Canadian fourth seed Vasek Pospisil in the Munich on Thursday, just days after the 24-year-old The Colombian has made it clear for a long time away in the first few games,” said world number quarter-finals. helped Germany win the World Cup. that it was the Spanish league that he wanted to get 51 Haase, winner of two career titles. “In the first Monfils, who has been nagged by a right Real have also been linked with a move for Keylor to. “The Spanish league is a league that I’ve always BRAZIL: Colombia’s midfielder James Rodriguez and second sets I was playing with nerves. knee injury, was replaced in the draw by New Navas, the goalkeeper whose heroics helped Costa watched-it’s different from the English League, which runs with the ball in this file photo. — AFP “It was only in the third set that I relaxed for Zealand qualifier Michael Venus. Rica reach the World Cup quarter finals. Navas plays is very physical,” he told FIFA.com in an interview in Banfield” after scoring an extraordinary left-footed lob the first time. I was feeling a lot of pressure, I Venus, ranked 349th in the world, enjoys a with Levante in the Spanish first division. November. for the unfashionable side in February 2010. He had finalist points to defend from last year, and first-round bye in quest of the $103,000 top Rodriguez had only been at Monaco for one year “The game in Spain is more about technique, and moved to FC Porto in Portugal where more spectacu- I’ve not been playing that well on clay. prize. He will face either American Jack Sock or but his sizzling performance at the World Cup made about getting more touches on the ball. That’s why I lar goals brought three league titles in three seasons. “I’ve had some good matches but I lost Colombia’s Alejandro Gonzalez in the second him the number one target for many European clubs. like it so much.” Rodriguez started his career at 16 for Monaco bought him in May 2013. them. I can only look ahead to the next round. round. US top seed John Isner and South In a FIFA.com poll released Monday, his volley Colombian second division side Envigado FC and built Rodriguez prides himself most in having been There are no certain (easy) matches any more.” African second seed Kevin Anderson, two of the against Uruguay in the last 16 was declared goal of the up an immediate reputation. dubbed ‘El Pibe Nueva’ (the New Kid) in place of Carlos Haase, whose two titles came on clay in tour’s tallest players, met in last year’s final with World Cup by more than four million voters-three In 2008, he was signed by Argetinian side Atletico Valderrama, Colombia’s star of the 1990s, who was Kitzbuehel in 2011 and 2012, won his 12th Isner taking the title after two prior Atlanta run- quarters of those who took part. Banfield where he became known as “James Bond of called ‘El Pibe’. — AFP match of the season and improved to 5-1 at ner-up finishes. - — AFP