Woods back at Sri Lanka fight Open, but back after doubts persist Elgar century THURSDAY, JULY 17, 201417 18 One down, one to go: Rio Olympics next for Brazil Page 17 OYONNAX: Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, rides with his teammates in the pack during the eleventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race. — AP Gallopin wins 11th Tour stage OYONNAX: Tony Gallopin won the 11th stage of the Tour de the leader’s jersey, which has been his since the second stage, “My back hurts but I wanted to continue for the team. I con- “I thought I was in a good position and I wanted to do well France yesterday and then said it was even better than wearing barring Monday when it was worn by Gallopin. tinued for the team, for the guys,” he said through sobs. but no-one wants to work with me because they know that if I go the leader’s yellow jersey. Richie Porte remains second at 2min 23sec with Alejandro “They trusted me for this Tour, I did not want to stop after to the finish (with them) it’s hard to beat me in the sprint. “But The 26-year-old Frenchman had not thought life could get Valverde third at 2:47. One of the main stories of the day, though everything they did for me.” The day began with a three-man then for me it’s hard to sprint in the group if I’ve been in the any better than Sunday when he snared yellow for a day from was the battle to stay in the race faced by Andrew Talansky. escape involving Swiss champion Martin Elmiger and Frenchmen breakaway.” Meanwhile, Irishman Nicolas Roche said he would try Vincenzo Nibali, thus earning the honour of wearing it on Bastille The American crashed on Friday and Saturday while Monday Cyril Lemoine and Anthony Delaplace that lasted more than again after his bid for a stage victory yesterday came up short. Day. his victory hopes went up in smoke as he suffered badly and lost 100km. Lemoine and Delaplace dropped off and Elinger was The son of former Tour winner Stephen Roche was part of a four- But he said this victory at the end of the 187.5km stage from more than 10 minutes. Yesterday morning, he woke up with a caught by a counter-attack from the peloton including Ireland’s man breakaway before striking out on his own on the final third Besancon to Oyonnax had topped that. bad back and was dropped by the peloton early in the stage. Nicolas Roche. category climb. “It’s different because I’d thought about the yellow jersey for At one point he climbed off his bike and seemed to have quit The Irishman attacked on his own on the final third category But he never had more than around 20-seconds on the pelo- five days and all day during the stage (on Sunday) and then the but after a few minutes talking to his team, he got back in the climb before being caught on a fast descent in the final 20km. ton and was caught on a fast descent in the final 20km. But with reward arrived,” said the Lotto-Belisol rider. saddle and carried on, in floods of tears, facing a race against On the next descent following a small bump, Gallopin team leader Alberto Contador back in Madrid after crashing out “But here I didn’t believe I would do it until the last 100 time to finish inside the cut-off point. attacked and although Peter Sagan, Michal Kwiatkowski and on Monday and breaking his shinbone, Roche is free to try again. metres. I thought I’d be caught so the feeling and the joy is He rolled in just over 32 minutes behind Gallopin, and more Australian Michael Rogers caught him, when he struck out for “I’ll give it another go, there are still 10 stages left, there’s still a greater for a stage win.” Gallopin escaped from a depleted pelo- than 11 minutes behind the ‘grupetto’ of stragglers, but crucially home again, the chase dallied and he got away. lot to go for in this Tour,” he said, before passing on his best ton on a fast descent in the last 13km. around five minutes inside the cut-off point to live and fight Green jersey wearer Sagan, who finished ninth, complained regards to Contador. Although he was caught by a trio of chasers, he attacked another day. that once again his reputation as a fast finisher had cost him. “Get well quick and let’s kick arse in the Vuelta (a Espana).” them in the final 3km and held on for victory ahead of the bunch The 25-year-old Garmin-Sharp team leader, nicknamed ‘Pit “For me it’s a strange situation because at the front it was a Despite Contador’s absence, Roche said there is still much for his sprint, led by John Degenkolb and Matteo Trentin. Bull’, said he carried on as a thanks to the work his teammates breakaway with strong riders: Kwiatkowski, Rogers and Gallopin,” Tinkoff-Saxo team to fight for. “I suppose I’m disappointed, I Italian Nibali finished safely in the chasing pack and held onto have done for him. said the 24-year-old Slovak. attacked and put a lot of energy and effort in. —AFP Rosberg all set to keep Germany celebrating HOCKENHEIM: Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg can keep Now, after Fangio’s compatriots failed to deny previous race at Silverstone won by team mate marks hanging over Hockenheim. Germany on a winning roll on Sunday by becom- Germany victory in last Sunday’s World Cup final, Lewis Hamilton. The German is still four points Race director Charlie Whiting wrote to teams ing the first German driver in the history of the Rosberg arrives at Hockenheim with the party clear of the Briton and hungry for his first home warning that the governing FIA considered their Formula One world championship to win his well underway and fans keen to keep the beer win - if Monaco, where he grew up and lives, is front and rear interconnected suspension (FRIC) home grand prix with a German car. flowing in the forest campsites as F1 reaches the excluded from the reckoning. systems to be illegal. It has been 60 years since a Mercedes works halfway point in the season. “I lost a lot of points and the championship Such systems, which stabilise the car through team last won at home — and it was the late He has plenty to celebrate himself, having battle is very close but I’m feeling good,” he said corners, have been in use for some years but the Argentine great Juan Manuel Fangio they had to signed a new multi-year contract after getting this week. “Hockenheim is a crucial race for all of FIA believes they have now developed to the thank for that in 1954. married last week and, even if his team are British us, it’s the home grand prix for Mercedes-Benz point where they are aerodynamic devices. The historians would have to delve back to based, a win for the ‘Silver Arrows’ in Germany will and a second home race for me after Monaco, so While the FIA offered teams the chance to 1939, before the outbreak of World War Two, to be something special. I’m really focused on getting a top result this keep using them until the end of the year, the nec- find the last all-German home triumph - Rudolf Rosberg knows he has a real chance, even if weekend. essary unanimous agreement appears to be lack- Caracciola for Mercedes-Benz at the he may have lost some of the momentum after “It’s actually the circuit I’ve won the most races ing with some smaller teams eager for any oppor- Nuerburgring. suffering his first retirement of the season in the at during my career through all the junior cate- tunity to close gaps. The question now is, if teams gories so I know it suits my driving style,” he added. strip out the FRIC systems for fear of possible It also suits Hamilton, with the Briton winning exclusion, who could suffer most and whether the there in his 2008 title season, and a repeat will see pecking order might undergo a subtle shift. him regain the overall lead - with Hungary, where Mercedes have the dominant car, and signifi- he won last year, next up. cant resources to improve it, but rivals will be “It is always good to beat others on their home watching closely for any signs of their consider- turf. It will be great to win in Germany,” he told able advantage narrowing. reporters after Silverstone. “This is a fresh start, the “There are maybe a couple of teams who have second half of the season and this is really when it been extreme and obviously who could be poten- is going to be tough.” tially in trouble to switch back to a non-connect- Red Bull’s quadruple champion Sebastian ing system,” McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier Vettel was a home winner last year at the told reporters last week. Nuerburgring while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso has “But for most of the teams, I think it won’t be a won the last two races held at Hockenheim under game-changer.” Williams have had Valtteri Bottas the current alternation agreement. on the podium in the last two races and can “The last 2 times we had the race in expect to be competitive again while Alonso’s Hockenheim, 2 victories,” the Spaniard tweeted record - he has won three times at Hockenheim - this week, before posting a mock-up of himself as means the Spaniard is always in the reckoning.