Abhinav Dutta

Castelnau-Magnoac, France

Riders on the Tour de France faced disruption on Stage 19 after a group of protesters encroached on the road. An environmental campaign organization- named Derniere Renovation- claimed responsibility for the act, bringing the race to a momentary halt. The 188 km stretch from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors- a flat road- is usually without demons, but the breakaway pack had to encounter a strange obstacle. The group of five- chained to each other- had glued themselves to the road, forcing the breakaway pack to skirt around them. Soon after, race organizers asked the peloton to stop as they cleared the field. Also Read: Chris Froome out of Tour de France with COVID-19,Today's interruption marks the third such instance during the ongoing Tour de France, with the same organization responsible for the previous disruptions. Taking to Twitter, they outlined the motivations behind their protest: ,These citizens assume the risks of their action because today the greatest risk is the inaction of the government which condemns the French to suffer waves of extreme heat, mass starvation and massacres. There is no more time to wait. These citizens are there to affirm that humanity is better than abandoning itself to its extinction. They are there to make the government and its deputies react and say that society will not give up in the face of death and the most absolute evil. They are there to force the change required for a new society to come about. To force governments to drastically reduce their CO2 emissions, nothing less. They are there for actions, not words. We are at the dawn of a sixth extinction, entering into resistance is not a pleasure it is a question of survival. Also Read: Tour de France 2022: Team Bahrain Victorious remains adamant in light of doping cloud,The race resumed soon after, with the leading pack allowed to push forward first before the peloton followed a couple of minutes later. With two stages remaining after today, Danish Jonas Vingegaard leads the race for the yellow jersey, followed by Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Veteran Welshman Geraint Thomas completes the top three.

{\"time\":1658500086800,\"strCount\":2602,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Riders on the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tourdefrance/\\\">Tour de France</a> faced disruption on Stage 19 after a group of protesters encroached on the road. An environmental campaign organization- named Derniere Renovation- claimed responsibility for the act, bringing the race to a momentary halt. The 188 km stretch from Castelnau-Magnoac to Cahors- a flat road- is usually without demons, but the breakaway pack had to encounter a strange obstacle. The group of five- chained to each other- had glued themselves to the road, forcing the breakaway pack to skirt around them. Soon after, race organizers asked the peloton to stop as they cleared the field.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/english/chris-froome-out-of-tour-de-france-with-covid-19\\\">Chris Froome out of Tour de France with COVID-19</a> \"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"others\",\"source\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\">Ces citoyens assument les risques de leur action car aujourd’hui le plus grand risque est l’inaction du gouvernement qui condamne les français à subir des vagues de chaleur extrême, des famines de masses et des massacres. Il n’y a plus le temps d’attendre. [1]<a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#TDF2022</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/HjD0c6qm3l\\\">pic.twitter.com/HjD0c6qm3l</a>&mdash; Dernière Rénovation (@derniere_renov) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/derniere_renov/status/1550453301707415552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"embed\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\">Ces citoyens assument les risques de leur action car aujourd’hui le plus grand risque est l’inaction du gouvernement qui condamne les français à subir des vagues de chaleur extrême, des famines de masses et des massacres. Il n’y a plus le temps d’attendre. [1]<a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#TDF2022</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/HjD0c6qm3l\\\">pic.twitter.com/HjD0c6qm3l</a>&mdash; Dernière Rénovation (@derniere_renov) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/derniere_renov/status/1550453301707415552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":null}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Today's interruption marks the third such instance during the ongoing Tour de France, with the same organization responsible for the previous disruptions. Taking to <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/business/elon-musks-twitter-takeover-a-complete-timeline-of-events-234555/\\\">Twitter</a>, they outlined the motivations behind their protest: \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"These citizens assume the risks of their action because today the greatest risk is the inaction of the government which condemns the French to suffer waves of extreme heat, mass starvation and massacres. There is no more time to wait. These citizens are there to affirm that humanity is better than abandoning itself to its extinction. They are there to make the government and its deputies react and say that society will not give up in the face of death and the most absolute evil. They are there to force the change required for a new society to come about. To force governments to drastically reduce their CO2 emissions, nothing less. They are there for actions, not words. We are at the dawn of a sixth extinction, entering into resistance is not a pleasure it is a question of survival.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/tour-de-france-2022-team-bahrain-victorious-remains-adamant-in-light-of-doping-cloud-691275/\\\">Tour de France 2022: Team Bahrain Victorious remains adamant in light of doping cloud</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The race resumed soon after, with the leading pack allowed to push forward first before the peloton followed a couple of minutes later. With two stages remaining after today, <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/wires/associatedpress/pogacar-wins-stage-17-vingegaard-moves-closer-to-tour-title-705994/\\\">Danish Jonas Vingegaard</a> leads the race for the yellow jersey, followed by Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Veteran Welshman Geraint Thomas completes the top three. \"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Stage 19 of the Tour de France was disrupted by a group of protesters</li>
 <li>The climate activist organization claimed responsibility for the protest</li>
 <li>Dane Jonas Vingegaard leads the race for the yellow jersey</li>
</ul>

Opoyi Central

Tour de France 2022: Climate activists disrupt stage 19

TourDeFrance

ClimateChange

Protest

cycling

Sports

France

Copenhagen, Denmark

Controversy visited the Tour de France on the eve of its 109th edition, set to begin at Copenhagen. Danish police officers- investigating on behalf of French prosecutors- raided Bahrain Victorious' hotel rooms for the second time in a week at the break of dawn on Thursday. During the 2021 edition, they came under a cloud of suspicion when prosecutors launched an initial investigation into alleged doping violations by the team. Also Read: Primoz Roglic denies doping as Egan Bernal destroyed on Tour de France mountain,Riders and staff of Bahrain Victorious refused to field questions on the ongoing investigations. The team did, however, release a statement acknowledging the same. It reads: ,“Following the police search into some staff and riders’ homes on Monday, the Team Bahrain Victorious hotel was searched by Danish Police at the request of the French Prosecutors this morning at 5:30 am. The officers searched all team vehicles, staff and riders’ rooms. The team fully cooperated with all the officers’ requests, and the search was completed within two hours. No items were seized from the team. Following the police search, the team is now looking forward to focusing on the world’s biggest and best cycling race, Tour de France. The team will make no further comment on the subject. Speaking in the aftermath of the twin raids, the team's performance manager Vladimir Miholjevic insisted that they were sleeping like babies and working like horses. A combative presence, he dared investigators and cycling authorities alike to spend time with the team: ,“Someone who is interested to see how we are working can join our team for a period of time and maybe these people will understand the effort that staff and riders are putting in their jobs to achieve their results,” quotes VeloNews. ,While the team denies any wrongdoing, the Marseille-based public prosecutor's office stated that they had seized materials from multiple European countries from across various racing events: ,This material reportedly includes “electronic equipment (telephones, computers, hard drives) and medicines whose nature and origin are still unknown. All items seized will be further investigated and analyzed,” quotes VeloNews. Also Read: 'That's for you, dad': Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour de France yellow,Intermittent raids have been an unwanted but necessary part of the Tour since widespread doping violations came to light in the 1990s, most notably the infamous Festina affair in 1998.

{\"time\":1656656824462,\"strCount\":2910,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Controversy visited the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tourdefrance/\\\">Tour de France</a> on the eve of its 109th edition, set to begin at Copenhagen. Danish police officers- investigating on behalf of French prosecutors- <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/wires/associatedpress/danes-search-bahrain-victorious-riders-hotel-ahead-of-tour-690524/\\\">raided Bahrain Victorious' hotel rooms</a> for the second time in a week at the break of dawn on Thursday. During the 2021 edition, they came under a cloud of suspicion when prosecutors launched an initial investigation into alleged <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/doping/\\\">doping violations</a> by the team.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/world/primoz-roglic-denies-doping-as-egan-bernal-destroyed-on-tour-de-france-mountain-356363/\\\">Primoz Roglic denies doping as Egan Bernal destroyed on Tour de France mountain</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Riders and staff of Bahrain Victorious refused to field questions on the ongoing investigations. The team did, however, release a statement acknowledging the same. It reads: \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“Following the police search into some staff and riders’ homes on Monday, the Team Bahrain Victorious hotel was searched by Danish Police at the request of the French Prosecutors this morning at 5:30 am. The officers searched all team vehicles, staff and riders’ rooms. The team fully cooperated with all the officers’ requests, and the search was completed within two hours. No items were seized from the team. Following the police search, the team is now looking forward to focusing on the world’s biggest and best cycling race, Tour de France. The team will make no further comment on the subject.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"others\",\"source\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\">? team presentation vibes <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/LeTour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">@LeTour</a> ?????<a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/RideAsOne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#RideAsOne</a> <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#TDF2022</a> ? <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/SprintCycling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">@SprintCycling</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/uDm7zlhx0s\\\">pic.twitter.com/uDm7zlhx0s</a>&mdash; Team Bahrain Victorious (@BHRVictorious) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/BHRVictorious/status/1542236092274991106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">June 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"embed\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\">? team presentation vibes <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/LeTour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">@LeTour</a> ?????<a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/RideAsOne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#RideAsOne</a> <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDF2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#TDF2022</a> ? <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/SprintCycling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">@SprintCycling</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/uDm7zlhx0s\\\">pic.twitter.com/uDm7zlhx0s</a>&mdash; Team Bahrain Victorious (@BHRVictorious) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/BHRVictorious/status/1542236092274991106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">June 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":null}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Speaking in the aftermath of the twin raids, the team's performance manager Vladimir Miholjevic insisted that they were \\\"sleeping like babies and working like horses\\\". A combative presence, he dared investigators and cycling authorities alike to spend time with the team: \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“Someone who is interested to see how we are working can join our team for a period of time and maybe these people will understand the effort that staff and riders are putting in their jobs to achieve their results,” quotes VeloNews. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"While the team denies any wrongdoing, the Marseille-based public prosecutor's office stated that they had seized materials from multiple European countries from across various racing events: \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"This material reportedly includes “electronic equipment (telephones, computers, hard drives) and medicines whose nature and origin are still unknown. All items seized will be further investigated and analyzed,” quotes VeloNews.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/thats-for-you-dad-julian-alaphilippe-takes-tour-de-france-yellow-589593/\\\">'That's for you, dad': Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour de France yellow</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Intermittent raids have been an unwanted but necessary part of the Tour since widespread doping violations came to light in the 1990s, most notably the infamous Festina affair in 1998. \"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>2022's Tour de France has come under a cloud of doping suspicion</li>
 <li>Danish police searched Team Bahrain Victorious' hotel rooms for the second time in a week</li>
 <li>The investigation continues from last year when prosecutors first began the investigation</li>
</ul>

Tour de France 2022: Team Bahrain Victorious remains adamant in light of doping cloud

Doping

Tokyo, Japan

Ecuador's Richard Carapaz <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tokyoolympics">won Olympic gold in the men's cycling road race</a> on Saturday, timing to perfection a tactical, final descent after a tough 234-kilometre course worthy of a mountain stage of the Grand Tour.,<a href="https://opoyi.com/rice-sports-clubs-a-killer-instinct-ingredients-of-mirabais-tokyo-silver?ref=share_post">It was only Ecuador's second-ever gold at the Olympics</a> after that of Jefferson Perez in the 50km race walk in the 1996 Atlanta Games.,Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, bidding to become the first cyclist to win the road race in the same year as the Tour de France, <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tokyoolympics">had to be content with bronze in a photo finish</a> with Belgium's silver medallist Wout van Aert.,"It's an incredible moment for me," said the 28-year-old Carapaz.,"You always have to believe. I have worked so hard to be here and it's a huge moment for me.,"I can only say thank you to them (the Ecuadoran people) for the support and, honestly, for giving us such a big push.",Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/tokyo-olympics-indian-mens-doubles-pair-of-satwiksairaj-rankireddy-chirag-shetty-topple-world-no-3?ref=share_post">Tokyo 2020: Indian men's doubles pair beat World No 3 in badminton group match</a>,The star-studded peloton rolled out of Tokyo's Musashinonomori Park with the unusual sight -- for these pandemic-delayed Games -- of tens of thousands of locals lining the roads, <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tokyoolympics">masked and with many toting umbrellas as early temperatures</a> soared to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).,The entire route accumulated a staggering 4,865 metres of climbing -- more demanding than the major mountain stages of the 2021 Tour de France in which Carapaz had finished third.,After Friday's opening ceremony at the 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium devoid of fans, it was a welcome sight to see Japanese spectators line the course around Mount Fuji -- the highest point in Japan at an altitude of 3,776 metres (12,388 feet).,As the peloton sped out of the greater Tokyo conurbation, lush green forests replacing the concrete jungle, locals waved, cheered and dutifully photo-snapped<a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tokyoolympics"> as if it were a Grand Tour stage in non-coronavirus times.</a>,Britain's Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France champion who sustained a dislocated shoulder in this year's edition before miraculously getting back on the saddle and finishing the race, suffered an early crash on Saturday and eventually withdrew.,Nic Dlamini, who this month became the first black South African to race the Tour de France, led a lead group of five riders up and over the Kagosaka Pass and then dived into a long descent before the climb to Fuji Sanroku (14.3km at 6 percent).,Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/rice-sports-clubs-a-killer-instinct-ingredients-of-mirabais-tokyo-silver?ref=share_post">Rice, sports clubs, a killer instinct: Ingredients of Mirabai’s Tokyo silver</a>,Riders hit speeds of up to 85 kilometres per hour (53 miles per hour) coming down from the second of the three major climbs.,Flashing by the pitlanes of the Fuji International Speedway racing circuit for a first time<a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tokyoolympics">, the breakaway was finally reeled in with 40km of the race remaining.</a>,It heralded the start of a cat-and-mouse game up to and over the Mikuni Pass, its 10km climb averaging 10.6 percent with some sections at more than 20 percent.,The peloton was quick to split at the start of the ascent, the Belgians and Slovenians taking up the pace before Pogacar further upped the ante.,It was the first of many surges, before Carapaz and Brandon McNulty bolted, the Ecuadoran former Giro d'Italia winner eventually dropping the American with 6km to race.,One-day specialist Van Aert, who finished 19th on the Tour de France, pushed in pursuit, but nothing could stop Team Ineos rider Carapaz, who slapped his handlebars in triumph as he crossed for an impressive solo win in 6hr 05min 26sec back at the Fuji racing circuit.,<a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tokyoolympics">Defending champion Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium</a> was one of 45 riders from the starting peloton of 130 who failed to finish the gruelling race.,But 41-year-old Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, appearing in his fifth Olympics, rolled home in 42nd position, more than 10 minutes off Carapaz's pace.

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I have worked so hard to be here and it's a huge moment for me.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I can only say thank you to them (the Ecuadoran people) for the support and, honestly, for giving us such a big push.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-indian-mens-doubles-pair-of-satwiksairaj-rankireddy-chirag-shetty-topple-world-no-203063/\\\">Tokyo 2020: Indian men's doubles pair beat World No 3 in badminton group match</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The star-studded peloton rolled out of Tokyo's Musashinonomori Park with the unusual sight -- for these pandemic-delayed Games -- of tens of thousands of locals lining the roads, <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tokyoolympics/\\\">masked and with many toting umbrellas as early temperatures</a> soared to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The entire route accumulated a staggering 4,865 metres of climbing -- more demanding than the major mountain stages of the 2021 Tour de France in which Carapaz had finished third.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"After Friday's opening ceremony at the 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium devoid of fans, it was a welcome sight to see Japanese spectators line the course around Mount Fuji -- the highest point in Japan at an altitude of 3,776 metres (12,388 feet).\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As the peloton sped out of the greater Tokyo conurbation, lush green forests replacing the concrete jungle, locals waved, cheered and dutifully photo-snapped<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tokyoolympics/\\\"> as if it were a Grand Tour stage in non-coronavirus times.</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Britain's Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France champion who sustained a dislocated shoulder in this year's edition before miraculously getting back on the saddle and finishing the race, suffered an early crash on Saturday and eventually withdrew.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Nic Dlamini, who this month became the first black South African to race the Tour de France, led a lead group of five riders up and over the Kagosaka Pass and then dived into a long descent before the climb to Fuji Sanroku (14.3km at 6 percent).\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/rice-sports-clubs-a-killer-instinct-ingredients-of-mirabais-tokyo-silver-573896/\\\">Rice, sports clubs, a killer instinct: Ingredients of Mirabai’s Tokyo silver</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Riders hit speeds of up to 85 kilometres per hour (53 miles per hour) coming down from the second of the three major climbs.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Flashing by the pitlanes of the Fuji International Speedway racing circuit for a first time<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tokyoolympics/\\\">, the breakaway was finally reeled in with 40km of the race remaining.</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"It heralded the start of a cat-and-mouse game up to and over the Mikuni Pass, its 10km climb averaging 10.6 percent with some sections at more than 20 percent.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The peloton was quick to split at the start of the ascent, the Belgians and Slovenians taking up the pace before Pogacar further upped the ante.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"It was the first of many surges, before Carapaz and Brandon McNulty bolted, the Ecuadoran former Giro d'Italia winner eventually dropping the American with 6km to race.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"One-day specialist Van Aert, who finished 19th on the Tour de France, pushed in pursuit, but nothing could stop Team Ineos rider Carapaz, who slapped his handlebars in triumph as he crossed for an impressive solo win in 6hr 05min 26sec back at the Fuji racing circuit.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tokyoolympics/\\\">Defending champion Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium</a> was one of 45 riders from the starting peloton of 130 who failed to finish the gruelling race.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"But 41-year-old Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, appearing in his fifth Olympics, rolled home in 42nd position, more than 10 minutes off Carapaz's pace.\"}}]}

Rishika Singh

<ul>
 <li>Ecuador's Richard Carapaz won Olympic gold in the men's cycling road race</li>
 <li>It was only Ecuador's second-ever gold at the Olympics</li>
 <li>Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar had to be content with bronze</li>
</ul>

Richard Carapaz trumps Tadej Pogacar in Olympic road race to win rare Ecuador gold

TokyoOlympics

Ecuador

Olympics

Tokyo

International

Paris, France

Mark Cavendish broke down and wept after sprinting to his first <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tourdefrance">Tour de France</a> stage victory in five years on Tuesday, taking his tally of wins to 31 on the world's greatest <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/bikes">bike</a> race.,Cavendish only made the Deceuninck Tour de <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/france">France</a> roster after <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/ireland">Irish</a> sprinter Sam Bennett pulled out at the last minute and was generous in his praise of the team's crucial role in his return to the top.,The signs looked good early on in the fourth stage when Cavendish won the intermediate sprint, his maximum 70-point gain on the day handing him the green jersey awarded to the sprint points leader.,In the sprint on this relatively short stage Cavendish showed all his savvy, biding his time to edge ahead with 50 metres to go and eventually finishing ahead of French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni.,Known as the "Manx Missile", the rider from the Isle of Man shook his head in disbelief as he pulled on the green jersey.,Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/van-der-poel-settles-debt-for-grandfather-poulidor-with-tour-de-france-yellow?ref=share_post">Van der Poel settles debt for grandfather Poulidor with Tour de France yellow</a>,"It's been five years too long," said Cavendish, inching closer to Belgian cycling legend Eddie Merckx's record of 34 individual stage wins between 1969-75.,"There has been a lot of talk about my condition and I hope this gives hope to people in my condition," said the 36-year-old who was diagnosed in 2017 with the Epstein-Barr virus, which can cause persistent fatigue.,Conversely there was heartbreak for Belgian rookie Brent Van Moer as the 23-year-old Lotto rider was caught just 150 metres from the finish line after leading an escape for the majority of the attack.,Cavendish hailed world champion Julian Alaphilippe, from whom he inherits the green jersey, after the Frenchman gave everything to get Cavendish into position.,"I didn't think we were going to catch him," Cavendish admitted.,"The GC (overall standings) guys were ahead blocking the road and we couldn't get them going.,"But I had fire in my eyes," said an emotional Cavendish.,"It's not easy winning a Tour de France stage, the hardest thing has been people not understanding how hard it was to win those stages," he said of the years when his career seemed to have stalled.,"It's not about proving anyone wrong. I knew I could do it, I just need someone to believe in me and that was Patrick Lefevere, and my wife at home, those are the people I wanted to believe.",Cavendish was out of contract in December but was taken 'home' to Deceuninck Quick-Step, who call themselves 'the Wolfpack', by maverick Belgian team boss Lefevere, a larger-than-life character Cavendish has always trusted and believed in.,Lefevere sent Cavendish to the level two Tour of Turkey in April and when he won four stages there, the foundation stone for a return to the top had been laid.,"I know why I'm good or bad, and I need a happy place, a team that functions as team, a bike that fitted me, that's why I came back to Quick Step (Deceuninck) for the happiest time of my life," said the stocky sprinter.,"The Wolfpack thing is not just the face of wolf on a t-shirt, look at Julian Alaphilippe today giving all that, I feel privileged," Cavendish said.,Alaphilippe won stage one to take the yellow jersey before losing it to Mathieu van der Poel on Sunday, but on Wednesday's time-trial the French rider, on paper at least, has a good chance of winning it back.,Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/113-km-long-high-speed-test-track-opened-in-indore-the-longest-in-asia?ref=share_post">11.3 km long high-speed test track opened in Indore, the longest in Asia</a>&nbsp;,The 2020 champion, Tadej Pogacar, is also gunning for a win on Wednesday.,"Yes tomorrow is critical," the Slovene said. "I've been thinking about it since I got here.",Dutch rookie Van der Poel, who shed his own tears in memory of his cycling grandfather on Sunday, said he felt he would lose the overall lead on the stage five time-trial.,"We'll be trying to get another stage victory somewhere else, it'll be too tough for us tomorrow," he said.,Alaphilippe has worn the yellow jersey 18 times and trails Van der Poel by just eight seconds, with Pogacar in sixth overall, a further 30 seconds down on his chief threat ahead of Wednesday's 27km test.

{\"time\":1624987768802,\"strCount\":4507,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Mark Cavendish broke down and wept after sprinting to his first <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tourdefrance/\\\">Tour de France</a> stage victory in five years on Tuesday, taking his tally of wins to 31 on the world's greatest <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/bikes/\\\">bike</a> race.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Cavendish only made the Deceuninck Tour de <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/france/\\\">France</a> roster after <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/ireland/\\\">Irish</a> sprinter Sam Bennett pulled out at the last minute and was generous in his praise of the team's crucial role in his return to the top.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The signs looked good early on in the fourth stage when Cavendish won the intermediate sprint, his maximum 70-point gain on the day handing him the green jersey awarded to the sprint points leader.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In the sprint on this relatively short stage Cavendish showed all his savvy, biding his time to edge ahead with 50 metres to go and eventually finishing ahead of French sprinter Nacer Bouhanni.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Known as the \\\"Manx Missile\\\", the rider from the Isle of Man shook his head in disbelief as he pulled on the green jersey.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/van-der-poel-settles-debt-for-grandfather-poulidor-with-tour-de-france-yellow-147476/\\\">Van der Poel settles debt for grandfather Poulidor with Tour de France yellow</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It's been five years too long,\\\" said Cavendish, inching closer to Belgian cycling legend Eddie Merckx's record of 34 individual stage wins between 1969-75.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"There has been a lot of talk about my condition and I hope this gives hope to people in my condition,\\\" said the 36-year-old who was diagnosed in 2017 with the Epstein-Barr virus, which can cause persistent fatigue.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Conversely there was heartbreak for Belgian rookie Brent Van Moer as the 23-year-old Lotto rider was caught just 150 metres from the finish line after leading an escape for the majority of the attack.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Cavendish hailed world champion Julian Alaphilippe, from whom he inherits the green jersey, after the Frenchman gave everything to get Cavendish into position.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I didn't think we were going to catch him,\\\" Cavendish admitted.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"The GC (overall standings) guys were ahead blocking the road and we couldn't get them going.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"But I had fire in my eyes,\\\" said an emotional Cavendish.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It's not easy winning a Tour de France stage, the hardest thing has been people not understanding how hard it was to win those stages,\\\" he said of the years when his career seemed to have stalled.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It's not about proving anyone wrong. I knew I could do it, I just need someone to believe in me and that was Patrick Lefevere, and my wife at home, those are the people I wanted to believe.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Cavendish was out of contract in December but was taken 'home' to Deceuninck Quick-Step, who call themselves 'the Wolfpack', by maverick Belgian team boss Lefevere, a larger-than-life character Cavendish has always trusted and believed in.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Lefevere sent Cavendish to the level two Tour of Turkey in April and when he won four stages there, the foundation stone for a return to the top had been laid.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I know why I'm good or bad, and I need a happy place, a team that functions as team, a bike that fitted me, that's why I came back to Quick Step (Deceuninck) for the happiest time of my life,\\\" said the stocky sprinter.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"The Wolfpack thing is not just the face of wolf on a t-shirt, look at Julian Alaphilippe today giving all that, I feel privileged,\\\" Cavendish said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alaphilippe won stage one to take the yellow jersey before losing it to Mathieu van der Poel on Sunday, but on Wednesday's time-trial the French rider, on paper at least, has a good chance of winning it back.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/113-km-long-high-speed-test-track-opened-in-indore-the-longest-in-asia-661871/\\\">11.3 km long high-speed test track opened in Indore, the longest in Asia</a>&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 2020 champion, Tadej Pogacar, is also gunning for a win on Wednesday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Yes tomorrow is critical,\\\" the Slovene said. \\\"I've been thinking about it since I got here.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Dutch rookie Van der Poel, who shed his own tears in memory of his cycling grandfather on Sunday, said he felt he would lose the overall lead on the stage five time-trial.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"We'll be trying to get another stage victory somewhere else, it'll be too tough for us tomorrow,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alaphilippe has worn the yellow jersey 18 times and trails Van der Poel by just eight seconds, with Pogacar in sixth overall, a further 30 seconds down on his chief threat ahead of Wednesday's 27km test.\"}}]}

Yash Bajaj

<ul>
 <li>Cavendish broke down and wept after sprinting to his first Tour de France stage victory in five years</li>
 <li>This victory took his tally of wins to 31</li>
 <li>Cavendish made the Deceuninck Tour de France roster after sprinter Sam Bennett pulled out</li>
</ul>

Cyclist Mark Cavendish on fire after first Tour de France stage win in five years

Mathieu Van der Poel won stage 2 of the <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tourdefrance">Tour de France</a> on Sunday to claim the overall leader's yellow jersey and strike a blow for his famous cycling family.,The Dutch 25-year-old is the grandson of late French cycling icon Raymond Poulidor, a regular on the Tour de France podium and beloved of French fans despite never wearing the fabled yellow jersey.,Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/four-time-winner-chris-froome-ready-to-continue-tour-de-france">Four-time winner Chris Froome ready to continue Tour de France</a>,After winning on his first Tour de France, Van der Poel dropped to the tarmac gasping for breath before weeping with his hands covering his face as the weight of Poulidor's historic legacy was lifted on two dramatic ascents of the same hill, the Mur-de-Bretagne.,"Imagine how he'd feel, he's not here," said van der Poel of Poulidor who died in 2019 at the age of 83.,Poulidor raced the Tour de France 14 times, ending it second three times and third five times. His great rival Jacques Anquetil won the Tour five times, but French roadside fans still loved Poulidor.,A generation of French children learned to cycle to the encouraging cry of 'vas y Poupou' a catchphrase using Poulidor's nickname as a term of encouragement.,Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/from-gangs-and-guns-to-tour-de-france-for-south-africas-nic-dlamini">From gangs and guns to Tour de France for South Africa's Nic Dlamini</a>,Poulidor worked with the Tour de France main sponsor (LCL bank) who dressed him in yellow until his death, and attracted as many fans as ever on his final Tour with his personal touch and generous attitude.,"I wish he could have been here and had a photo together, him in his yellow sponsors shirt and me in the leader's one, so sad he's not here," said van der Poel.,French fans saw their own hero Julian Alaphilippe lose the yellow jersey, but cheered the Dutchman both for his gung-ho passion and for his beloved grandfather.,Van der Poel collected the maximum of 18 bonus seconds for crossing the summit in the lead twice, and then winning by a clear margin after accelerating away from a chasing clutch of elite road racers.,Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/schedule-to-covid-norms-a-guide-to-wimbledon-2021">Schedule to COVID norms: A guide to Wimbledon 2021</a>,'VDP', as fans call him, had been a favourite Saturday, but most of his team went down in a late collective fall and he missed his moment to match another master of the short hard climb, Alaphilippe,"I knew I had to get the bonus on the first climb as this was my last chance. I also knew I had to win it and have a gap. I'm speechless it worked out," he said looking genuinely surprised.,When he crossed the line at the top of the second 2km seven per cent ascent, the Alpecin rider pointed to the sky, but the emotion had not yet hit him.,"The tears came when they told me I had the yellow jersey," he said breaking down again. "You can dream of a scenario like this, but to make it come true is another thing.",Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/wimbledon-novak-djokovic-has-his-mind-set-on-the-bigger-prize">Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic has his mind set on the bigger prize</a>,Van der Poel is a mountain bike world champion and is a favourite for gold at the Tokyo Olympics with Britain's Tom Pidcock.,"My main aim is Tokyo. I don't want to blow my chances of that here," he said, suddenly all business again.,Defending champion Tadej Pogacar was second followed by Primoz Roglic, while Alaphilippe was fifth at eight seconds.,Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/nick-kyrgios-wants-to-be-better-player-and-person-at-wimbledon">Nick Kyrgios wants to be 'better player and person' at Wimbledon</a>,Alaphilippe is second overall, also at eight seconds, and on Sunday pulled on the green sprint points jersey praising his Dutch rival as "the strongest man on the day".,Pogacar is third overall at 13sec, while his older Slovenian rival Roglic is fourth, just one second adrift as last year's battle, in which the younger man came out on top, begins to bubble early in the 2021 Tour.,Stage two passed off in relative calmly after two spectacular falls on stage one sparked a police investigation into the roadside spectator who caused a heart-stopping domino pile up.

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His great rival Jacques Anquetil won the Tour five times, but French roadside fans still loved Poulidor.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A generation of French children learned to cycle to the encouraging cry of 'vas y Poupou' a catchphrase using Poulidor's nickname as a term of encouragement.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/from-gangs-and-guns-to-tour-de-france-for-south-africas-nic-dlamini-150403/\\\">From gangs and guns to Tour de France for South Africa's Nic Dlamini</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Poulidor worked with the Tour de France main sponsor (LCL bank) who dressed him in yellow until his death, and attracted as many fans as ever on his final Tour with his personal touch and generous attitude.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I wish he could have been here and had a photo together, him in his yellow sponsors shirt and me in the leader's one, so sad he's not here,\\\" said van der Poel.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"French fans saw their own hero Julian Alaphilippe lose the yellow jersey, but cheered the Dutchman both for his gung-ho passion and for his beloved grandfather.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Van der Poel collected the maximum of 18 bonus seconds for crossing the summit in the lead twice, and then winning by a clear margin after accelerating away from a chasing clutch of elite road racers.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/schedule-to-covid-norms-a-guide-to-wimbledon-2021-434238/\\\">Schedule to COVID norms: A guide to Wimbledon 2021</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"'VDP', as fans call him, had been a favourite Saturday, but most of his team went down in a late collective fall and he missed his moment to match another master of the short hard climb, Alaphilippe\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I knew I had to get the bonus on the first climb as this was my last chance. I also knew I had to win it and have a gap. I'm speechless it worked out,\\\" he said looking genuinely surprised.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"When he crossed the line at the top of the second 2km seven per cent ascent, the Alpecin rider pointed to the sky, but the emotion had not yet hit him.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"The tears came when they told me I had the yellow jersey,\\\" he said breaking down again. \\\"You can dream of a scenario like this, but to make it come true is another thing.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/wimbledon-novak-djokovic-has-his-mind-set-on-the-bigger-prize-274454/\\\">Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic has his mind set on the bigger prize</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Van der Poel is a mountain bike world champion and is a favourite for gold at the Tokyo Olympics with Britain's Tom Pidcock.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"My main aim is Tokyo. I don't want to blow my chances of that here,\\\" he said, suddenly all business again.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Defending champion Tadej Pogacar was second followed by Primoz Roglic, while Alaphilippe was fifth at eight seconds.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/nick-kyrgios-wants-to-be-better-player-and-person-at-wimbledon-463539/\\\">Nick Kyrgios wants to be 'better player and person' at Wimbledon</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alaphilippe is second overall, also at eight seconds, and on Sunday pulled on the green sprint points jersey praising his Dutch rival as \\\"the strongest man on the day\\\".\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Pogacar is third overall at 13sec, while his older Slovenian rival Roglic is fourth, just one second adrift as last year's battle, in which the younger man came out on top, begins to bubble early in the 2021 Tour.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Stage two passed off in relative calmly after two spectacular falls on stage one sparked a police investigation into the roadside spectator who caused a heart-stopping domino pile up.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Mathieu Van der Poel is the grandson of late cycling icon Raymond Poulidor</li>
 <li>VDP collected the maximum of 18 bonus seconds for crossing the summit in the lead twice</li>
 <li>"My main aim is Tokyo," he said</li>
</ul>

Van der Poel settles debt for grandfather Poulidor with Tour de France yellow

Four-time winner Chris Froome, who was injured on Saturday in the opening stage of the <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tourdefrance">Tour de France</a>, declared himself "ready" for the second scheduled stage between Perros-Guirec and Mur-de-Bretagne on Sunday.,"It hurts quite a bit this morning but I will try to get past the stage today," said the 36-year-old, who races for the Israel Start-Up Nation team.,Froome was caught in the second of the <a href="https://opoyi.com/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france?ref=share_post">opening day's big crashes</a>, on a downhill, less than eight kilometers from the finish of the first stage in Landerneau.,The Briton remained seated on the road for several minutes before getting back on the bike and finishing the stage.,He then went to undergo medical examinations, including a scan.,"No fractures thankfully but there's a lot of swelling &amp; bruising to my left leg and thorax," Froome tweeted on Saturday evening.,Sunday's second stage is a hilly 183.5 km ride starting from Perros-Guirec and ending with a sapping double climb up the Cote de Mur-de-Bretagne.,<a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tourdefrance">Froome is racing the Tour de France</a> for the first time since suffering multiple injuries when crashing into a wall at high speed in May 2019.,He showed astonishing determination and professional focus on his long struggle back, leaving Ineos and joining ISN.,Froome won the Tour in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

{\"time\":1624787561630,\"strCount\":1494,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Four-time winner Chris Froome, who was injured on Saturday in the opening stage of the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tourdefrance/\\\">Tour de France</a>, declared himself \\\"ready\\\" for the second scheduled stage between Perros-Guirec and Mur-de-Bretagne on Sunday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It hurts quite a bit this morning but I will try to get past the stage today,\\\" said the 36-year-old, who races for the Israel Start-Up Nation team.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Froome was caught in the second of the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france-407330/\\\">opening day's big crashes</a>, on a downhill, less than eight kilometers from the finish of the first stage in Landerneau.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Briton remained seated on the road for several minutes before getting back on the bike and finishing the stage.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He then went to undergo medical examinations, including a scan.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"No fractures thankfully but there's a lot of swelling &amp; bruising to my left leg and thorax,\\\" Froome tweeted on Saturday evening.\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"twitter\",\"source\":\"https://twitter.com/chrisfroome/status/1409061063174332416\",\"embed\":\"chrisfroome/status/1409061063174332416\",\"width\":520,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":173.33333333333334}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Sunday's second stage is a hilly 183.5 km ride starting from Perros-Guirec and ending with a sapping double climb up the Cote de Mur-de-Bretagne.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/tourdefrance/\\\">Froome is racing the Tour de France</a> for the first time since suffering multiple injuries when crashing into a wall at high speed in May 2019.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He showed astonishing determination and professional focus on his long struggle back, leaving Ineos and joining ISN.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Froome won the Tour in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.\"}}]}

Joy Tirkey

<ul>
 <li>Chris Froome was caught in an accident on the opening day of Tour de France</li>
 <li>Froome remained seated on the road for several minutes before getting back on the bike and completing the stage</li>
 <li>Froome won the Tour in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017</li>
</ul>

Four-time winner Chris Froome ready to continue Tour de France

Cape Town, South Africa

South Africa's Nic Dlamini set off on cycling's <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tourdefrance">Tour de France on Saturday, a long way from the township of his childhood</a> and hoping his odyssey inspires youngsters growing up in similarly modest circumstances to reject gun crime.,Dlamini says there was an outpouring of joy when he was selected for the Tokyo Olympics that was redoubled when news came he'd be taking part in the world's greatest bike race, the first black South African to do so.,His status in South Africa is such that Dlamini had a surprise call of congratulation from Springboks' Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi.,Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/julian-alaphilippe-emerges-from-crash-carnage-with-tour-de-france-lead?ref=share_post">Julian Alaphilippe emerges from crash carnage with Tour de France lead</a>,"I wasn't going to sleep much tonight anyway, but that was the highlight of my day," explained Dlamini, whose sports director later said: 'Nic is the Siya Kolisi of cycling in Africa'.",The 25-year-old may have left <a href="https://opoyi.com/brittany-hill-scrap-opens-2021-tour-de-france?ref=share_post">South Africa in his late teens for the chic Italian town of Luca</a>, but he insists his thoughts will be with the Capricorn Park township kids who support him as he pedals his way around France over the next month.,"In the township itself, you'd be well known for owning a gun," he told AFP of his roots in Capetown.,"You'd be more respected for owning a gun or shooting someone. It's a place where doing the wrong things gets you up there.,"Growing up you'd see from a young age that the kids wanted to get involved in gangsterism because they see everyone looks up to the gangsters.",Dlamini says his ascent to professional sport is helping change that attitude.,Also&nbsp;Watch | <a href="https://opoyi.com/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france?ref=share_post">Spectator causes massive carnage at Tour de France</a>,"When they announced the Olympics (his own selection for the Tokyo road race) it started changing things, teenagers wanting to turn their lives around. It gave them hope that anything is possible. And when they announced the Tour it was even stronger," he said.,He may also be something of a role model for having stood up to rangers in 2019, who broke his arm in a scuffle over an alleged non-payment of an entry fee to where he was cycling.,Dlamini's own role model is South African trail-runner Ryan Sandes, who tried to persuade him to pursue a career in athletics.,"Cycling had become almost part of my backbone by then," he says of a decision that now seems to be the right one.,"My first bike was a re-spray, but I swear at the time it looked like the nicest bike I'd ever seen," Dlamini told AFP at his team hotel in Brittany.,"If you grow up in a township you are sort of like living in a box, you don't get to go out and see nicer things. So I thought my bike was really nice," he smiles.,He was soon in a sports club and spent time away from Capricorn in the extended summer holidays during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.,"We had a clubhouse and we trained and slept there, it wasn't the most beautiful place but I was 14 and we trained and watched the World Cup and the Tour de France with all the others," he says fondly remembering his beginnings.,"Lots of good memories from back then," said Dlamini, who would soon move on to Luca and then to Girona in Catalonia after he graduated to Qhubeka's World Tour team a few years ago.,"My mum (Gloria Zalani) is super proud and obviously the rest of my family are too. I have a five-month-old son and a wife and I wish they could be here with me," he says.,"Especially on Mandela Day in Paris," he added of July 18 which is also the date of the Tour's finish this year.

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It's a place where doing the wrong things gets you up there.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Growing up you'd see from a young age that the kids wanted to get involved in gangsterism because they see everyone looks up to the gangsters.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Dlamini says his ascent to professional sport is helping change that attitude.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also&nbsp;Watch | <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france-407330/\\\">Spectator causes massive carnage at Tour de France</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"When they announced the Olympics (his own selection for the Tokyo road race) it started changing things, teenagers wanting to turn their lives around. It gave them hope that anything is possible. And when they announced the Tour it was even stronger,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He may also be something of a role model for having stood up to rangers in 2019, who broke his arm in a scuffle over an alleged non-payment of an entry fee to where he was cycling.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Dlamini's own role model is South African trail-runner Ryan Sandes, who tried to persuade him to pursue a career in athletics.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Cycling had become almost part of my backbone by then,\\\" he says of a decision that now seems to be the right one.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"My first bike was a re-spray, but I swear at the time it looked like the nicest bike I'd ever seen,\\\" Dlamini told AFP at his team hotel in Brittany.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"If you grow up in a township you are sort of like living in a box, you don't get to go out and see nicer things. So I thought my bike was really nice,\\\" he smiles.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He was soon in a sports club and spent time away from Capricorn in the extended summer holidays during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"We had a clubhouse and we trained and slept there, it wasn't the most beautiful place but I was 14 and we trained and watched the World Cup and the Tour de France with all the others,\\\" he says fondly remembering his beginnings.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Lots of good memories from back then,\\\" said Dlamini, who would soon move on to Luca and then to Girona in Catalonia after he graduated to Qhubeka's World Tour team a few years ago.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"My mum (Gloria Zalani) is super proud and obviously the rest of my family are too. I have a five-month-old son and a wife and I wish they could be here with me,\\\" he says.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Especially on Mandela Day in Paris,\\\" he added of July 18 which is also the date of the Tour's finish this year.\"}}]}

Anjaly Raj

<ul>
 <li>Nic Dlamini says there was an outpouring of joy when he was selected for the Tokyo Olympics</li>
 <li>He would be taking part in the world's greatest bike race, the first black South African to do so</li>
 <li>Nic is the Siya Kolisi of cycling in Africa,' his ports director said</li>
</ul>

From gangs and guns to Tour de France for South Africa's Nic Dlamini

SouthAfrica

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe <a href="https://opoyi.com/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france?ref=share_post">dusted himself off from a fall</a> to claim the first yellow jersey of the <a href="https://opoyi.com/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france?ref=share_post">Tour de France</a> on Saturday, winning stage one by a clear margin on a crash-marred opening day.,World champion Alaphilippe shot up the early section of the final 3km climb taking ten bonus seconds at the finish line and ended another 12 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger.,Australia's Michael Matthews was second and is second overall at 16 seconds while Slovenia's Primoz Roglic came third and is in the same position in the overall standings 20sec down on the leader.,Crossing the line in his world champion's rainbow jersey <a href="https://opoyi.com/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france?ref=share_post">Alaphilippe put his thumb in his mouth</a> in honour of his newborn son with his partner Marion Rousse, a former professional cyclist and now commentator.,Ineos Grenadiers leader Geraint Thomas and defending champion Tadej Pogacar were just behind this group on a hugely stressful finish with major time gaps at stake that almost certainly led to the second of two mass falls on the day.,The first was caused by a fan <a href="https://opoyi.com/watch-spectator-causes-massive-carnage-at-tour-de-france?ref=share_post">brandishing a cardboard</a> banner trying to get on television, the second by a technical error at high speed as riders jostled for position at the foot of the final slope.,Alaphilippe is no stranger to the yellow jersey having spent much of the 2019 Tour in the lead before finishing fifth overall.

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<ul>
 <li>World champion Alaphilippe shot up the early section of the final 3km climb</li>
 <li>Australia's Michael Matthews was second and is second overall at 16 seconds</li>
 <li>Alaphilippe is no stranger to the yellow jersey having spent much of the 2019 Tour in the lead</li>
</ul>

Julian Alaphilippe emerges from crash carnage with Tour de France lead

The multiple-stage bicycle race <a href="https://opoyi.com/topic/tourdefrance">Tour de France</a> saw its first crash when a fan brandishing a sign brought down German rider Tony Martin. The massive fall&nbsp;involved around half of the peloton.,Some 45km away from the finish line of stage 1 of the Tour between Brest and Landerneau, the fan fell&nbsp;Martin,&nbsp;who was riding near the head of the pack and close to the excited roadside fans.,Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/roger-federers-highs-and-lows-at-wimbledon">Roger Federer's highs and lows at Wimbledon</a>,The incident stands as a stark warning to roadside fans trying to get themselves on television on Saturday.,Watch:,The Jumbo rider fell, bringing down a huge number of riders behind him. The crash held up the race for five minutes while bikes and bodies were untangled.,Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/germanys-thomas-mueller-declares-himself-fit-for-england-showdown">Germany's Thomas Mueller declares himself fit for England showdown</a>,The race leader slowed down to allow the stragglers to catch up and despite the spectacular tangle only one rider has so far had to pull out due to the accident.

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<ul>
 <li>The incident occurred some 45km away from the finish line of stage one</li>
 <li>The massive fall&nbsp;involved around half of the peloton</li>
 <li>One rider pulled out after the accident</li>
</ul>

Watch | Spectator causes massive carnage at Tour de France

Accident

Brest, France

The Tour de France will explode into action as Stage 1 rolls out of the Atlantic port of Brest on Saturday with a dramatic day of action assured and defending champion Tadej Pogacar in the thick of it.,The world's greatest bike race sets off on a three weeks jaunt across the nation from its westerly tip, through the Loire Valley and into the Alps, but action is assured Saturday when the race sets off from the naval stronghold at France's western tip.,The 197km first stage makes two loops between Brest and Landernau and ends with a climb that should leave Pogacar, or at least one of his chief rivals, with a first day deficit.,This potential deficit means all the top favourites, Pogacar, Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic will be forced to vie for position and struggle up the hill.,Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/englands-declan-rice-downplays-lack-of-goals-at-euro-2020">England's Declan Rice downplays lack of goals at Euro 2020</a>,The same goes for the men best suited to the terrain, world champion Julian Alaphilippe and much awaited rookie Mathieu van der Poel.,Dutchman Van der Poel is given hero status in France having vowed to get the yellow jersey his grandfather, France's revered nearly man Raymond Poulidor, never managed in his own storied career.,Van der Poel was given a raucous reception in Brest at the team presentation on Thursday evening.,Vast unmasked crowds are expected along the 2021 route, after many regions banned spectators in 2020, in a France that is emerging from its COVID curfew.,Bad weather will blight the first week and there will be constant grey skies to accompany the independently minded region's ubiquitous black and white flag along the roads of the lush green region.,The locals like to say 'Here it only rains on the idiots' and a few of the 184 riders are likely to leave the region feeling rather foolish for reasons other than the weather.,Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/euro-2020-ronaldo-brace-secures-2-2-draw-with-france-and-spot-in-last-16">EURO 2020: Ronaldo brace secures 2-2 draw with France and spot in last 16</a>,With a 10 seconds bonus at the stage 1 summit finish line atop a tough 3km climb, followed by an even more extreme version of this trap on stage 2's storied 'Mur (wall) de Bretagne' climb, anyone not yet fully primed will pay the price.,"Something will happen to somebody as it always does," said Geraint Thomas, the nominal head of a quartet of Ineos overall title hopes.,"Four could quickly become three," the Welshman said.,"It will be stressful in the wind and it could be a chaotic first week overall," he added.,The race leaves Brest at 12:30 local time (1030 GMT) after much wrangling followed original hosts Copenhagen pulling out until next year.,Four time winner Chris Froome is back at the Tour although out of the leadership roles, and suggested a clutch of the main favourites would be tough to beat.,Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/mlb-aaron-nola-strikes-out-10-in-a-row-to-match-tom-seavers-record">MLB: Aaron Nola strikes out 10 in a row to match Tom Seaver's record</a>,"Tadej Pogacar isn't slowing down is he?" Froome said of the defending champion.,"Primoz Roglic is really strong and has a good team around him while Ineos has multiple leaders," Froome pointed out.,The four Brittany stages will be followed by a 26km individual time-trial before the race heads through the Chateau-littered Loire Valley.,As it reaches the Alps the knives will likely come out for Pogacar.,"The one thing we can't do is let him within sight of the finish with a lead," Porte said, signalling Ineos may try and finish Pogacar off before the Pyrenees.,A great place to do that would be on the so-called Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux, with its treeless lunar upper reaches. The peloton must climb it not once but twice on stage 11.,The race then sweeps down to the Pyrenees before a transfer back to Paris and the final day sprint along the cobbles of the Champs Elysees where the champion will pull on the fabled winner's yellow jersey.

{\"time\":1624669352658,\"strCount\":4075,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Tour de France will explode into action as Stage 1 rolls out of the Atlantic port of Brest on Saturday with a dramatic day of action assured and defending champion Tadej Pogacar in the thick of it.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The world's greatest bike race sets off on a three weeks jaunt across the nation from its westerly tip, through the Loire Valley and into the Alps, but action is assured Saturday when the race sets off from the naval stronghold at France's western tip.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 197km first stage makes two loops between Brest and Landernau and ends with a climb that should leave Pogacar, or at least one of his chief rivals, with a first day deficit.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"This potential deficit means all the top favourites, Pogacar, Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic will be forced to vie for position and struggle up the hill.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/englands-declan-rice-downplays-lack-of-goals-at-euro-2020-428768/\\\">England's Declan Rice downplays lack of goals at Euro 2020</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The same goes for the men best suited to the terrain, world champion Julian Alaphilippe and much awaited rookie Mathieu van der Poel.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Dutchman Van der Poel is given hero status in France having vowed to get the yellow jersey his grandfather, France's revered nearly man Raymond Poulidor, never managed in his own storied career.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Van der Poel was given a raucous reception in Brest at the team presentation on Thursday evening.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Vast unmasked crowds are expected along the 2021 route, after many regions banned spectators in 2020, in a France that is emerging from its COVID curfew.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Bad weather will blight the first week and there will be constant grey skies to accompany the independently minded region's ubiquitous black and white flag along the roads of the lush green region.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The locals like to say 'Here it only rains on the idiots' and a few of the 184 riders are likely to leave the region feeling rather foolish for reasons other than the weather.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/world/euro-2020-ronaldo-brace-secures-2-2-draw-with-france-and-spot-in-last-16-301911/\\\">EURO 2020: Ronaldo brace secures 2-2 draw with France and spot in last 16</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With a 10 seconds bonus at the stage 1 summit finish line atop a tough 3km climb, followed by an even more extreme version of this trap on stage 2's storied 'Mur (wall) de Bretagne' climb, anyone not yet fully primed will pay the price.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Something will happen to somebody as it always does,\\\" said Geraint Thomas, the nominal head of a quartet of Ineos overall title hopes.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Four could quickly become three,\\\" the Welshman said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It will be stressful in the wind and it could be a chaotic first week overall,\\\" he added.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The race leaves Brest at 12:30 local time (1030 GMT) after much wrangling followed original hosts Copenhagen pulling out until next year.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Four time winner Chris Froome is back at the Tour although out of the leadership roles, and suggested a clutch of the main favourites would be tough to beat.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/mlb-aaron-nola-strikes-out-10-in-a-row-to-match-tom-seavers-record-335359/\\\">MLB: Aaron Nola strikes out 10 in a row to match Tom Seaver's record</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Tadej Pogacar isn't slowing down is he?\\\" Froome said of the defending champion.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Primoz Roglic is really strong and has a good team around him while Ineos has multiple leaders,\\\" Froome pointed out.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The four Brittany stages will be followed by a 26km individual time-trial before the race heads through the Chateau-littered Loire Valley.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As it reaches the Alps the knives will likely come out for Pogacar.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"The one thing we can't do is let him within sight of the finish with a lead,\\\" Porte said, signalling Ineos may try and finish Pogacar off before the Pyrenees.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A great place to do that would be on the so-called Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux, with its treeless lunar upper reaches. The peloton must climb it not once but twice on stage 11.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The race then sweeps down to the Pyrenees before a transfer back to Paris and the final day sprint along the cobbles of the Champs Elysees where the champion will pull on the fabled winner's yellow jersey.\"}}]}

Aman Butani

<ul>
 <li>Defending champion Tadej Pogacar will take the centre stage in the competition</li>
 <li>The first stage of the three week will be 197 kilometers</li>
 <li>Riders will have to work around two loops between Brest and Landernau to complete the first stage</li>
</ul>

Brittany hill scrap opens 2021 Tour de France

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Last year's winner Egan Bernal has withdrawn from the Tour de France, his Ineos team said on Wednesday, after the young Colombian fell out of contention and complained of back trouble.,The Colombian, 23, saw his title defense effectively extinguished on Sunday, the first major mountain stage, when he was more than eight minutes off the pace.,"This is obviously not how I wanted my Tour de France to end, but I agree that it is the right decision for me in the circumstances," Bernal said in a team statement.,Jumbo rider Primoz Roglic leads the Tour from fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogacar ahead of Wednesday's Stage 17. Bernal was a distant 16th in the standings.,"We have taken this decision with Egan's best interests at heart," said Ineos team principal Dave Brailsford.,"Egan is a true champion who loves to race, but he is also a young rider, with many Tours ahead of him and at this point, on balance, we feel it is wiser for him to stop racing.",Bernal's withdrawal almost certainly ends a sequence of five straight Tour de France victories for Ineos and its previous incarnation, Team Sky. Carapaz, Ineos's best-placed rider, is 14th in the standings, 17 minutes behind Roglic.,The British outfit has won cycling's biggest prize in seven of the last eight editions, interrupted only by Vincenzo Nibali's victory for Astana in 2014.,Ineos decided to drop four-time winner Chris Froome and 2018 champion Geraint Thomas for this year's race, a decision that left the team with less clout and Bernal exposed.,Questions have also been raised about Ineos's training and preparations -- usually meticulous -- as Bernal and his co-captain, Carapaz, have been run ragged.,It had already looked ominous for Bernal two weeks before the Tour, when he was forced out of the Criterium du Dauphine with a back problem.,On Sunday, he collapsed on the last of three massive mountain climbs on Stage 15, the defining moment of the race so far.,"I lost three years of my life on that climb, I gave it everything. But I just couldn't keep up," Bernal said after the stage.

{\"time\":1600291636981,\"strCount\":2059,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Last year's winner Egan Bernal has withdrawn from the Tour de France, his Ineos team said on Wednesday, after the young Colombian fell out of contention and complained of back trouble.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Colombian, 23, saw his title defense effectively extinguished on Sunday, the first major mountain stage, when he was more than eight minutes off the pace.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"This is obviously not how I wanted my Tour de France to end, but I agree that it is the right decision for me in the circumstances,\\\" Bernal said in a team statement.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Jumbo rider Primoz Roglic leads the Tour from fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogacar ahead of Wednesday's Stage 17. Bernal was a distant 16th in the standings.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"We have taken this decision with Egan's best interests at heart,\\\" said Ineos team principal Dave Brailsford.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Egan is a true champion who loves to race, but he is also a young rider, with many Tours ahead of him and at this point, on balance, we feel it is wiser for him to stop racing.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Bernal's withdrawal almost certainly ends a sequence of five straight Tour de France victories for Ineos and its previous incarnation, Team Sky. Carapaz, Ineos's best-placed rider, is 14th in the standings, 17 minutes behind Roglic.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The British outfit has won cycling's biggest prize in seven of the last eight editions, interrupted only by Vincenzo Nibali's victory for Astana in 2014.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ineos decided to drop four-time winner Chris Froome and 2018 champion Geraint Thomas for this year's race, a decision that left the team with less clout and Bernal exposed.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Questions have also been raised about Ineos's training and preparations -- usually meticulous -- as Bernal and his co-captain, Carapaz, have been run ragged.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"It had already looked ominous for Bernal two weeks before the Tour, when he was forced out of the Criterium du Dauphine with a back problem.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"On Sunday, he collapsed on the last of three massive mountain climbs on Stage 15, the defining moment of the race so far.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I lost three years of my life on that climb, I gave it everything. But I just couldn't keep up,\\\" Bernal said after the stage.\"}}]}

Akash Majumder

<ul>
 <li>Egan Bernal was a distant 16th in the standings</li>
 <li>Bernal's withdrawal ends a sequence of five straight Tour de France victories for Ineos</li>
 <li>He collapsed on the last of three massive mountain climbs on Stage 15</li>
</ul>

Champion Egan Bernal quits Tour de France after suffering in mountains

cyclingTour

Egan Bernal's defence of the Tour de France was reduced to cinders Sunday as the Colombian suffered a meltdown on the first major mountain of the race, while the overall leader Primoz Roglic denied any suggestions he was doping.,With three massive mountains, the stage itself was won by 21-year-old rookie Tadej Pogacar, but the extent of the 2019 champion's astonishing collapse on the final climb is the story of the Tour so far.,"I lost three years of my life on that climb, I gave it everything," said Bernal. "But I just couldn't keep up.",Jumbo-Visma's Roglic retained the overall lead after the concluding 17km ascent of the Grand Colombier, which he ascended with four teammates.,Ineos captain Bernal slipped to eight minutes and 25 seconds behind in the yellow jersey standings in 13th place.,Ineos, formerly known as Sky, have won seven of the last eight Tours led by such luminaries as Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas, and this jaw-dropping defeat marks something of a turning point for the British team.,Dutch team Jumbo led the peloton up the Grand Colombier's demanding climb in their yellow and black outfits with a relentless high tempo, but Roglic brushed off any suspicions of doping from the media.,"At 6 a.m. this morning I had a complete doping control, and just had another one right now," Roglic said, looking flabbergasted when asked.,"There is nothing to hide from my side. You can definitely trust me," Roglic added in his typical deadpan delivery.,Third on the day behind Australian Richie Porte, Roglic attacked first, but his 21-year old compatriot had the edge over the final 50m.,"Unfortunately I was a bit short on the last climb, but it was a great day for us," said the Jumbo leader, a former ski jumper who came to cycling late.,Roglic leads Pogacar by 40 seconds with six stages remaining, with Colombia's Rigoberto Uran of Education First in third at 1min 34sec, while Miguel Angel Lopez and Adam Yates round out the top five.,Pogacar said he had bided his time and just kept up.,"I need to be conservative, the perfect scenario would have been to take the yellow jersey, but we live in the real world.,"I don't know what happened to Bernal, but Jumbo set a terrible pace and some riders paid for it," the UAE leader explained.,Another casualty was Nairo Quintana, who also dropped out of the running for the overall lead.,"It was hot and all three climbs were really hard," Pogacar explained.,Asked how he felt about the Tour's decisive penultimate stage 20 next Saturday, an individual time trial run over 30km of rolling terrain before a 6km climb up the Planche des Belles Filles, Pogacar said he could hardly wait.,"I did the recon of the Planche but that was just a trial run. It'll be different after three weeks' racing. I'm really looking forward to it though.",The race left Lyon with 157 riders, some of whom had their dreaded nasal swabs early in the day as the final Covid-19 testing round of this Tour started. It will be concluded on the rest day on Monday.,The first ascent of the Montee de la Selle de Fromentel was the steepest and Ineos rider Luke Rowe, no wilting violet, shook his head in disbelief and laughed during one 18 percent section.,Sprinters and best friends, double stage winner Caleb Ewan and green jersey wearer Sam Bennett, kept each other company in a haggard struggle up the hill already several minutes adrift.,Often described as the Giant of the Jura, the Grand Colombier was alternatively dubbed "an excellent mountain" because of the breadth of the road offering so much room for manoeuvre.,But it proved the ruin of Ineos on Sunday as Bernal slipped off the back of the pack with 15km still to climb. Few had predicted however the extent of his colossal seven-minute loss over the remainder of the course.

{\"time\":1600021995645,\"strCount\":3801,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Egan Bernal's defence of the Tour de France was reduced to cinders Sunday as the Colombian suffered a meltdown on the first major mountain of the race, while the overall leader Primoz Roglic denied any suggestions he was doping.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With three massive mountains, the stage itself was won by 21-year-old rookie Tadej Pogacar, but the extent of the 2019 champion's astonishing collapse on the final climb is the story of the Tour so far.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I lost three years of my life on that climb, I gave it everything,\\\" said Bernal. \\\"But I just couldn't keep up.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Jumbo-Visma's Roglic retained the overall lead after the concluding 17km ascent of the Grand Colombier, which he ascended with four teammates.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ineos captain Bernal slipped to eight minutes and 25 seconds behind in the yellow jersey standings in 13th place.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ineos, formerly known as Sky, have won seven of the last eight Tours led by such luminaries as Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas, and this jaw-dropping defeat marks something of a turning point for the British team.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Dutch team Jumbo led the peloton up the Grand Colombier's demanding climb in their yellow and black outfits with a relentless high tempo, but Roglic brushed off any suspicions of doping from the media.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"At 6 a.m. this morning I had a complete doping control, and just had another one right now,\\\" Roglic said, looking flabbergasted when asked.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"There is nothing to hide from my side. You can definitely trust me,\\\" Roglic added in his typical deadpan delivery.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Third on the day behind Australian Richie Porte, Roglic attacked first, but his 21-year old compatriot had the edge over the final 50m.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Unfortunately I was a bit short on the last climb, but it was a great day for us,\\\" said the Jumbo leader, a former ski jumper who came to cycling late.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Roglic leads Pogacar by 40 seconds with six stages remaining, with Colombia's Rigoberto Uran of Education First in third at 1min 34sec, while Miguel Angel Lopez and Adam Yates round out the top five.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Pogacar said he had bided his time and just kept up.,\\\"I need to be conservative, the perfect scenario would have been to take the yellow jersey, but we live in the real world.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I don't know what happened to Bernal, but Jumbo set a terrible pace and some riders paid for it,\\\" the UAE leader explained.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Another casualty was Nairo Quintana, who also dropped out of the running for the overall lead.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It was hot and all three climbs were really hard,\\\" Pogacar explained.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Asked how he felt about the Tour's decisive penultimate stage 20 next Saturday, an individual time trial run over 30km of rolling terrain before a 6km climb up the Planche des Belles Filles, Pogacar said he could hardly wait.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I did the recon of the Planche but that was just a trial run. It'll be different after three weeks' racing. I'm really looking forward to it though.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The race left Lyon with 157 riders, some of whom had their dreaded nasal swabs early in the day as the final Covid-19 testing round of this Tour started. It will be concluded on the rest day on Monday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The first ascent of the Montee de la Selle de Fromentel was the steepest and Ineos rider Luke Rowe, no wilting violet, shook his head in disbelief and laughed during one 18 percent section.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Sprinters and best friends, double stage winner Caleb Ewan and green jersey wearer Sam Bennett, kept each other company in a haggard struggle up the hill already several minutes adrift.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Often described as the Giant of the Jura, the Grand Colombier was alternatively dubbed \\\"an excellent mountain\\\" because of the breadth of the road offering so much room for manoeuvre.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"But it proved the ruin of Ineos on Sunday as Bernal slipped off the back of the pack with 15km still to climb. Few had predicted however the extent of his colossal seven-minute loss over the remainder of the course.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Egan Bernal's defence of the Tour de France was reduced to cinders Sunday as he suffered a meltdown</li>
 <li>"I lost three years of my life on that climb, I gave it everything," said Bernal</li>
 <li>Roglic retained the overall lead after the concluding 17km ascent of the Grand Colombier</li>
</ul>

Primoz Roglic denies doping as Egan Bernal destroyed on Tour de France mountain

Paris

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has tested positive for Covid-19 but all the riders in the peloton were negative, organisers said on Tuesday.,Prudhomme must now leave the race for a week to go into quarantine.,Prudhomme, who is asymptomatic, said he had tested negative for coronavirus three times before the start of this year's race on "the 6, 20 and 27 of August".,His role as chief organiser means he attends a large number of social events during the race. On Saturday he accompanied French Prime Minister Jean Castex when the premier visited the race.,"I leave the Tour now for a week, I'm going to do what any French employee would in this kind of case," he confirmed to AFP.,"I'll be watching the Tour on television, something I haven't done for 15 years," added Prudhomme who has been in charge of the Tour since 2007.,He said he was not surprised that the peloton were all negative, saying "the riders live like monks or soldiers".,Intense interest had surrounded the results of the 652 swab tests as the riders were arriving by bus at the stage 10 start line on the Atlantic Island of Oleron.,Under the strict coronavirus protocol in place any team that returned two or more positive PCR tests, be they riders, managers, doctors, masseurs or mechanics, risk expulsion.,The test results were announced ahead of Tuesday's spectacular run between the two Atlantic Islands of Oleron and Re, both of which are now connected to the French mainland by road bridges.

{\"time\":1599622060446,\"strCount\":1481,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme has tested positive for Covid-19 but all the riders in the peloton were negative, organisers said on Tuesday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Prudhomme must now leave the race for a week to go into quarantine.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Prudhomme, who is asymptomatic, said he had tested negative for coronavirus three times before the start of this year's race on \\\"the 6, 20 and 27 of August\\\".\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"His role as chief organiser means he attends a large number of social events during the race. On Saturday he accompanied French Prime Minister Jean Castex when the premier visited the race.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I leave the Tour now for a week, I'm going to do what any French employee would in this kind of case,\\\" he confirmed to AFP.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I'll be watching the Tour on television, something I haven't done for 15 years,\\\" added Prudhomme who has been in charge of the Tour since 2007.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He said he was not surprised that the peloton were all negative, saying \\\"the riders live like monks or soldiers\\\".\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Intense interest had surrounded the results of the 652 swab tests as the riders were arriving by bus at the stage 10 start line on the Atlantic Island of Oleron.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Under the strict coronavirus protocol in place any team that returned two or more positive PCR tests, be they riders, managers, doctors, masseurs or mechanics, risk expulsion.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The test results were announced ahead of Tuesday's spectacular run between the two Atlantic Islands of Oleron and Re, both of which are now connected to the French mainland by road bridges.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>All the riders in the peloton tested negative</li>
 <li>Christian Prudhomme will now leave the race for a week to go into quarantine</li>
 <li>Any team that returns two or more positive PCR tests risk expulsion</li>
</ul>

Tour de France director positive for COVID-19 but peloton negative

Coronavirus

Slovenians took the laurels on the Tour de France on Sunday as rookie Tadej Pogacar won a Pyrenean mountain slog and his compatriot Primoz Roglic grabbed the overall lead. Overnight yellow leader Adam Yates of Britain made a valiant effort to keep hold of the yellow jersey but fell gradually away on the final climb as the gradient hit 12 percent.,Pre-Tour contender Roglic has been the form man this season and after Sunday's second place finish leads defending champion Ineos leader Egan Bernal by 21 seconds.,"Everybody dreams of wearing the yellow jersey one day in his life so first off I'm just happy how things are," said Vuelta a Espana champion Roglic.,Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/thats-for-you-dad-julian-alaphilippe-takes-tour-de-france-yellow">'That's for you, dad': Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour de France yellow</a>,"It's a fight for every second now and lots off things will happen to each of us on the road to Paris," he said.,When asked if he worried that Bernal was beathing down his neck after Jumbo-Visma put the hammer down for nine days, he shrugged.,"No-one could go as hard as Egan did there on the last climb," he said.,"We can enjoy a well deserved rest day now," he said.,Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/hope-and-expectation-as-tour-de-france-starts-in-virus-shadow">Hope and expectation as Tour de France starts in virus shadow</a>,Pogacar said he remembered little of the frantic sprint that gave him a first Tour stage win as he pipped Roglic and Swiss rider Marc Hirschi, who had set the pace for much of the day, on the line.,"I wanted to gain as much time as possible," said Pogacar, who twice lost time earlier in the week, but is now within 41 seconds of the lead.,"Ten seconds bonus for the stage win in the sprint is great but I don't know what happened in it," he said.,The 21-year-old Pogacar had a message of consolation for his 30-year-old countryman Roglic.,"He's won before and he'll win again. He and I can achieve great things for Slovenia," Pogacar said.,French pair Guillaume Martin and Romain Bardet are third and fourth overall with Colombian duo Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran within touching distance.,The 153km ninth stage set off from Pau in the south-west, and there were many spectators in berets along the route, and took in five climbs including two category 1 mountains.,Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/pierre-gasly-wins-italian-grand-prix-as-lewis-hamilton-hit-by-penalty">Pierre Gasly wins Italian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton hit by penalty</a>,The two Slovenians narrowly avoided disaster as they crossed the final summit, Col de Marie Blanque, together.,Pogacar looked round to see where Bernal was, swerved and clipped Roglic. Both did well to stay in the saddle.,"I was careless, I thought I'd gone past everyone," he explained.,"We all worked together then to put time into the others behind us.","This is a really amazing experience," said Pogacar, who won three stages on the Vuelta in 2019.,Bernal has had to race the first week without his key climb partner Pavel Sivakov who hurt both elbows on the opening stage but the Colombian remained confident he can defend his title despite losing time on Sunday.,"It's not just about the time gained or the time lost," he said. "At this point in the race the feeling on the bike is important. And today I felt better than the day before".,Bernal was only dropped by the two Slovenians at the end of the ascent of the Col de Marie-Blanque.,"I enjoyed the last climbs a lot", the Colombian. "In reality, you can't make much difference on an ascent like this. I know I lost time again against Roglic and Pogacar but I have to be patient. There are still two weeks to go and there are some difficult stages ahead of us.",The longer climbs awaiting the Tour in the latter stages should suit the slightly built 23-year-old, who last year only took the yellow jersey on the 19th of the 21 stages.,Monday is the first rest day but a nervous wait for results of Covid-19 swab tests awaits the riders with a ban on teams with two positive cases.

{\"time\":1599420325399,\"strCount\":4113,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Slovenians took the laurels on the Tour de France on Sunday as rookie Tadej Pogacar won a Pyrenean mountain slog and his compatriot Primoz Roglic grabbed the overall lead. Overnight yellow leader Adam Yates of Britain made a valiant effort to keep hold of the yellow jersey but fell gradually away on the final climb as the gradient hit 12 percent.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Pre-Tour contender Roglic has been the form man this season and after Sunday's second place finish leads defending champion Ineos leader Egan Bernal by 21 seconds.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Everybody dreams of wearing the yellow jersey one day in his life so first off I'm just happy how things are,\\\" said Vuelta a Espana champion Roglic.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/thats-for-you-dad-julian-alaphilippe-takes-tour-de-france-yellow-589593/\\\">'That's for you, dad': Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour de France yellow</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It's a fight for every second now and lots off things will happen to each of us on the road to Paris,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"When asked if he worried that Bernal was beathing down his neck after Jumbo-Visma put the hammer down for nine days, he shrugged.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"No-one could go as hard as Egan did there on the last climb,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"We can enjoy a well deserved rest day now,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/hope-and-expectation-as-tour-de-france-starts-in-virus-shadow-221959/\\\">Hope and expectation as Tour de France starts in virus shadow</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Pogacar said he remembered little of the frantic sprint that gave him a first Tour stage win as he pipped Roglic and Swiss rider Marc Hirschi, who had set the pace for much of the day, on the line.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I wanted to gain as much time as possible,\\\" said Pogacar, who twice lost time earlier in the week, but is now within 41 seconds of the lead.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Ten seconds bonus for the stage win in the sprint is great but I don't know what happened in it,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 21-year-old Pogacar had a message of consolation for his 30-year-old countryman Roglic.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"He's won before and he'll win again. He and I can achieve great things for Slovenia,\\\" Pogacar said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"French pair Guillaume Martin and Romain Bardet are third and fourth overall with Colombian duo Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran within touching distance.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 153km ninth stage set off from Pau in the south-west, and there were many spectators in berets along the route, and took in five climbs including two category 1 mountains.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/pierre-gasly-wins-italian-grand-prix-as-lewis-hamilton-hit-by-penalty-542422/\\\">Pierre Gasly wins Italian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton hit by penalty</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The two Slovenians narrowly avoided disaster as they crossed the final summit, Col de Marie Blanque, together.,Pogacar looked round to see where Bernal was, swerved and clipped Roglic. Both did well to stay in the saddle.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I was careless, I thought I'd gone past everyone,\\\" he explained.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"We all worked together then to put time into the others behind us.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"This is a really amazing experience,\\\" said Pogacar, who won three stages on the Vuelta in 2019.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Bernal has had to race the first week without his key climb partner Pavel Sivakov who hurt both elbows on the opening stage but the Colombian remained confident he can defend his title despite losing time on Sunday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It's not just about the time gained or the time lost,\\\" he said. \\\"At this point in the race the feeling on the bike is important. And today I felt better than the day before\\\".\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Bernal was only dropped by the two Slovenians at the end of the ascent of the Col de Marie-Blanque.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I enjoyed the last climbs a lot\\\", the Colombian. \\\"In reality, you can't make much difference on an ascent like this. I know I lost time again against Roglic and Pogacar but I have to be patient. There are still two weeks to go and there are some difficult stages ahead of us.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The longer climbs awaiting the Tour in the latter stages should suit the slightly built 23-year-old, who last year only took the yellow jersey on the 19th of the 21 stages.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Monday is the first rest day but a nervous wait for results of Covid-19 swab tests awaits the riders with a ban on teams with two positive cases.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Pre-Tour contender Roglic has been the form man this season</li>
 <li>Everybody dreams of wearing the yellow jersey one day in his life, said Primoz Roglic</li>
 <li>We can enjoy a well deserved rest day now, said Roglic</li>
</ul>

Primoz Roglic Tour de France lead as Tadej Pogacar grabs stage

World

Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas my not be there this year but another British rider, Adam Yates, is currently leading the Tour de France.,AFP Sport looks at a few facts about the Mitchelton-Scott climber., Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, near Manchester, which is just 10 miles away from the town of Bury where cycling brothers Adam and Simon Yates grew up. When Adam signed recently for Ineos there was talk of Ratcliffe liking the "no-nonsense style" of the climber's work and attitude. He joins Ineos on a two-year-deal in 2021., Adam and Simon were trained as cyclists by their father, and when Simon left for British cycling, Adam moved to France to pursue a road career at a club in Troyes in 2011. The pair however both signed for Australian outfit Orica-Greededge (now Mitchelton-Scott) and have been there ever since., Yates shot to attention while leading stage seven of the 2016 Tour before a bizarre accident involving a stray inflatable sign brought him down at full speed just 1km from the line in a fall that necessitated stitches in his chin., On the same 2016 Tour, Yates was again close to taking the yellow jersey on the now legendary climb of Mont Ventoux that saw Chris Froome abandon his bike and run after the Mitchelton-Scott man. Race organisers eventually neutralised the stage, handing Froome back the overall lead., Yates took the overall lead on this year's Tour by default when Julian Alaphilippe fell foul of a late water pickup and took a 20-second time penalty on stage five. The new leader was already on his team bus and had taken his shower when he got a phone call telling him to come to the podium to take one of cycling's most coveted prizes.

{\"time\":1599244513502,\"strCount\":1699,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas my not be there this year but another British rider, Adam Yates, is currently leading the Tour de France.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"AFP Sport looks at a few facts about the Mitchelton-Scott climber.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\" Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, near Manchester, which is just 10 miles away from the town of Bury where cycling brothers Adam and Simon Yates grew up. When Adam signed recently for Ineos there was talk of Ratcliffe liking the \\\"no-nonsense style\\\" of the climber's work and attitude. He joins Ineos on a two-year-deal in 2021.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\" Adam and Simon were trained as cyclists by their father, and when Simon left for British cycling, Adam moved to France to pursue a road career at a club in Troyes in 2011. The pair however both signed for Australian outfit Orica-Greededge (now Mitchelton-Scott) and have been there ever since.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\" Yates shot to attention while leading stage seven of the 2016 Tour before a bizarre accident involving a stray inflatable sign brought him down at full speed just 1km from the line in a fall that necessitated stitches in his chin.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\" On the same 2016 Tour, Yates was again close to taking the yellow jersey on the now legendary climb of Mont Ventoux that saw Chris Froome abandon his bike and run after the Mitchelton-Scott man. Race organisers eventually neutralised the stage, handing Froome back the overall lead.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\" Yates took the overall lead on this year's Tour by default when Julian Alaphilippe fell foul of a late water pickup and took a 20-second time penalty on stage five. The new leader was already on his team bus and had taken his shower when he got a phone call telling him to come to the podium to take one of cycling's most coveted prizes.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Adam Yates was trained as a cyclist by his father</li>
 <li>He moved to France to pursue a road career at a club in Troyes in 2011</li>
 <li>Yates shot to attention while leading stage seven of the 2016 Tour before a getting involved in an accident</li>
</ul>

Five things about Tour de France leader Adam Yates

Awards

Alexey Lutsenko of Astana won stage six of the Tour de France on Thursday completing a long breakaway over two mountains in the magnificent Cevennes National Park.,Briton Adam Yates held on to the overall leader's yellow jersey despite a dramatic late bid by Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe to snatch it back with a trademark kick to the finish that clawed back a few seconds.,"It went really well, with an escape with big riders we needed to control, but a good day for us," Yates said.,Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/thats-for-you-dad-julian-alaphilippe-takes-tour-de-france-yellow">'That's for you, dad': Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour de France yellow</a>,Alaphilippe lost the yellow jersey to Yates on Wednesday when a careless late water-bottle pick-up cost him a 20 seconds time penalty, with the Mitchelton Scott rider admitting he wouldn't have wanted to take the lead in that manner but would defend it with everything he had.,"Tomorrow should be easy," said Yates when asked about Friday's flat stage, where he will likely keep the lead.,There were no other attempted attacks from among the favourites on the mountain stage. The race, which culminates in Paris on September 20, still a long way to go.,"The final ascent is a shallow climb, where you'd waste a lot of energy to gain just a few seconds if you tried anything," explained Yates, who rides for Mitcheton Scott of Australia. Adam's twin brother Simon Yates won three stages on the 2019 Tour de France. "When you grow up as a kid everyone wants to wear the Tour de France yellow," said Yates, who grew up in Bury, Lancashire.,Lutsenko, started the day trailing Yates by more than five minutes as the peloton left the Ardeche region. He tagged along with an escape group including Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet on his golden bike, who finished third 55 sec down with Spaniard Jesus Herrada in second. "That was the most beautiful win of my career," said the Kazakh national champion, who has also won a Vuelta stage.,"It was important for my team Astana too.",Lutsenko did not falter on the final climb. "Near the end I knew Herrada couldn't catch me," he said.,Alaphilippe was the focus of attention at the start line as he and the 170 other riders embarked on the 191km route through dozens of pretty villages perched along the gorges.,Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/alexander-kristoff-takes-tour-de-france-opening-stage-after-truce-in-rain-chaos">Alexander Kristoff takes Tour de France opening stage after truce in rain chaos</a>,This was the first stage where the traditional party mood could be detected on the roadside and fans had gathered on the penultimate climb where there was dancing and singing hours before the passage of the peloton and most of the signs were in support of the emotional Thibaut Pinot, France's favourite 'boy next door'.,Notoriously moody, Pinot stopped to chat with the press Thursday, which was interpreted as a good sign by the French media pack.,"I'm feeling better and better," said Pinot, who fell hard on day one in the rain at Nice.,Stage seven takes the peloton back through the plains with a 168km run to Lavaur, where British sprinter Mark Cavendish won back in 2011.

{\"time\":1599166315154,\"strCount\":3223,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alexey Lutsenko of Astana won stage six of the Tour de France on Thursday completing a long breakaway over two mountains in the magnificent Cevennes National Park.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Briton Adam Yates held on to the overall leader's yellow jersey despite a dramatic late bid by Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe to snatch it back with a trademark kick to the finish that clawed back a few seconds.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It went really well, with an escape with big riders we needed to control, but a good day for us,\\\" Yates said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/thats-for-you-dad-julian-alaphilippe-takes-tour-de-france-yellow-589593/\\\">'That's for you, dad': Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour de France yellow</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alaphilippe lost the yellow jersey to Yates on Wednesday when a careless late water-bottle pick-up cost him a 20 seconds time penalty, with the Mitchelton Scott rider admitting he wouldn't have wanted to take the lead in that manner but would defend it with everything he had.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Tomorrow should be easy,\\\" said Yates when asked about Friday's flat stage, where he will likely keep the lead.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"There were no other attempted attacks from among the favourites on the mountain stage. The race, which culminates in Paris on September 20, still a long way to go.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"The final ascent is a shallow climb, where you'd waste a lot of energy to gain just a few seconds if you tried anything,\\\" explained Yates, who rides for Mitcheton Scott of Australia. Adam's twin brother Simon Yates won three stages on the 2019 Tour de France. \\\"When you grow up as a kid everyone wants to wear the Tour de France yellow,\\\" said Yates, who grew up in Bury, Lancashire.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Lutsenko, started the day trailing Yates by more than five minutes as the peloton left the Ardeche region. He tagged along with an escape group including Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet on his golden bike, who finished third 55 sec down with Spaniard Jesus Herrada in second. \\\"That was the most beautiful win of my career,\\\" said the Kazakh national champion, who has also won a Vuelta stage.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It was important for my team Astana too.\\\",Lutsenko did not falter on the final climb. \\\"Near the end I knew Herrada couldn't catch me,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alaphilippe was the focus of attention at the start line as he and the 170 other riders embarked on the 191km route through dozens of pretty villages perched along the gorges.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read |&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/alexander-kristoff-takes-tour-de-france-opening-stage-after-truce-in-rain-chaos-561565/\\\">Alexander Kristoff takes Tour de France opening stage after truce in rain chaos</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"This was the first stage where the traditional party mood could be detected on the roadside and fans had gathered on the penultimate climb where there was dancing and singing hours before the passage of the peloton and most of the signs were in support of the emotional Thibaut Pinot, France's favourite 'boy next door'.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Notoriously moody, Pinot stopped to chat with the press Thursday, which was interpreted as a good sign by the French media pack.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I'm feeling better and better,\\\" said Pinot, who fell hard on day one in the rain at Nice.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Stage seven takes the peloton back through the plains with a 168km run to Lavaur, where British sprinter Mark Cavendish won back in 2011.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Briton Adam Yates held on to the overall leader's yellow jersey</li>
 <li>It went really well, Adam Yates</li>
 <li>Adam's twin brother Simon Yates won three stages on the 2019 Tour de France.</li>
</ul>

Adam Yates keeps Tour de France lead as Alexey Lutsenko wins impressive stage

India

A year after thrilling his home nation for a fortnight on last year's <a href="https://opoyi.com/alexander-kristoff-takes-tour-de-france-opening-stage-after-truce-in-rain-chaos">Tour de France</a>, a tearful Julian Alaphilippe produced an almost carbon-copy capture of a stage win Sunday to claim the overall leader's yellow jersey once again.,On the day's final climb, Alaphilippe launched a blistering attack to clinch bonus seconds at the summit before a white-knuckle descent to the finish line in Nice also gave him bonus time.,Alaphilippe, described by former winner Geraint Thomas on Sunday as the "darling of France", leads Britain's Adam Yates, who accompanied him in his wild dash from distance, by just four seconds.,The main overall contenders are 17 seconds adrift.,"I just wanted to dedicate this victory to my dad. It was important to me," said a tearful Alaphilippe whose father Jo passed away in June.,Former soldier Alaphilippe began punching towards the sky as he turned to see just how close behind him the onrushing peloton was to overtaking his escaping trio on the Promenade des Anglais finish line.,The set-up of the second stage was eerily close to how Alaphilippe stole away from the peloton last year on day three to Epernay and eventually led the Tour for 14 days before wilting on the penultimate stage to finish fifth overall.,No Frenchman has won the <a href="https://opoyi.com/hope-and-expectation-as-tour-de-france-starts-in-virus-shadow">Tour de France</a> since 1985.,"I really wanted to try something and I had nothing to lose," said Deceuninck-Quick Step's leader.,"It really hurt me, I was digging deep at the end there," said Alaphilippe.,"It's a great pride and responsibility and I will defend this honour day by day, I won't be giving it up tomorrow that's for sure," he promised.,Jumbo-Visma may, however, be furious at the circumstances accompanying the win.,Shortly after Alaphilippe's attack, Team Ineos' Michal Kwiatkowski somehow backed into Jumbo co-captain Tom Dumoulin and knocked him to the floor.,The former Giro winner dusted himself off as Kwiatkowski apologised profusely, but the team was slow to react.,The Dutch outfit had been leading the head of the peloton all day, but suddenly they slowed down and abandoned their pursuit of Alaphilippe, who had the Swiss Marc Hirschi and Yates for company on their tense 15-minute dash to the line where they never led by more than 30 seconds.,Mitchelton-Scott rider Yates has recently signed for British team Ineos.,He has a track record at the <a href="https://opoyi.com/tour-de-france-rescheduled-to-august-29-to-be-preceded-by-several-warm-up-races">Tour</a> after a fourth-place finish in 2016 when he won the best young rider white jersey.,"In the end I was never going to win the sprint, but to come third on stage two, I'm pretty happy with that," said Yates.,The man who started the day in yellow, Norway's Alexander Kristoff, who won Saturday's crash-marred opening stage, finished way off the pace as one of the heaviest set men in the peloton had to go over two category one mountains.,He will, however, embark on Monday's stage three in the green sprint jersey.,"I didn't want to hurt my chances of winning a sprint later in the tour by pushing too hard in the hills," he explained.,The climb was doubly difficult for several of the peloton, nursing nasty knocks from stage one.,It looked like French contender Thibaut Pinot would withdraw at one stage before he rallied "hurting all over" to finish with the main pack.,Monday's stage three heads to Sisteron, a town of 8,000 that British sprinter Mark Cavendish will have fond memories after a stage win in 2010.,The 198km run into the Haute-Provence region via the Riviera backcountry and the wonderfully named 'Valley de la Durance' is tailor-made for a successful escape.

{\"time\":1598812808898,\"strCount\":3837,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A year after thrilling his home nation for a fortnight on last year's <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/alexander-kristoff-takes-tour-de-france-opening-stage-after-truce-in-rain-chaos-561565/\\\">Tour de France</a>, a tearful Julian Alaphilippe produced an almost carbon-copy capture of a stage win Sunday to claim the overall leader's yellow jersey once again.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"On the day's final climb, Alaphilippe launched a blistering attack to clinch bonus seconds at the summit before a white-knuckle descent to the finish line in Nice also gave him bonus time.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Alaphilippe, described by former winner Geraint Thomas on Sunday as the \\\"darling of France\\\", leads Britain's Adam Yates, who accompanied him in his wild dash from distance, by just four seconds.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The main overall contenders are 17 seconds adrift.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I just wanted to dedicate this victory to my dad. It was important to me,\\\" said a tearful Alaphilippe whose father Jo passed away in June.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Former soldier Alaphilippe began punching towards the sky as he turned to see just how close behind him the onrushing peloton was to overtaking his escaping trio on the Promenade des Anglais finish line.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The set-up of the second stage was eerily close to how Alaphilippe stole away from the peloton last year on day three to Epernay and eventually led the Tour for 14 days before wilting on the penultimate stage to finish fifth overall.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"No Frenchman has won the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/hope-and-expectation-as-tour-de-france-starts-in-virus-shadow-221959/\\\">Tour de France</a> since 1985.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I really wanted to try something and I had nothing to lose,\\\" said Deceuninck-Quick Step's leader.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It really hurt me, I was digging deep at the end there,\\\" said Alaphilippe.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It's a great pride and responsibility and I will defend this honour day by day, I won't be giving it up tomorrow that's for sure,\\\" he promised.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Jumbo-Visma may, however, be furious at the circumstances accompanying the win.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Shortly after Alaphilippe's attack, Team Ineos' Michal Kwiatkowski somehow backed into Jumbo co-captain Tom Dumoulin and knocked him to the floor.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The former Giro winner dusted himself off as Kwiatkowski apologised profusely, but the team was slow to react.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Dutch outfit had been leading the head of the peloton all day, but suddenly they slowed down and abandoned their pursuit of Alaphilippe, who had the Swiss Marc Hirschi and Yates for company on their tense 15-minute dash to the line where they never led by more than 30 seconds.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Mitchelton-Scott rider Yates has recently signed for British team Ineos.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He has a track record at the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/tour-de-france-rescheduled-to-august-29-to-be-preceded-by-several-warm-up-races-489756/\\\">Tour</a> after a fourth-place finish in 2016 when he won the best young rider white jersey.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"In the end I was never going to win the sprint, but to come third on stage two, I'm pretty happy with that,\\\" said Yates.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The man who started the day in yellow, Norway's Alexander Kristoff, who won Saturday's crash-marred opening stage, finished way off the pace as one of the heaviest set men in the peloton had to go over two category one mountains.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He will, however, embark on Monday's stage three in the green sprint jersey.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I didn't want to hurt my chances of winning a sprint later in the tour by pushing too hard in the hills,\\\" he explained.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The climb was doubly difficult for several of the peloton, nursing nasty knocks from stage one.,It looked like French contender Thibaut Pinot would withdraw at one stage before he rallied \\\"hurting all over\\\" to finish with the main pack.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Monday's stage three heads to Sisteron, a town of 8,000 that British sprinter Mark Cavendish will have fond memories after a stage win in 2010.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 198km run into the Haute-Provence region via the Riviera backcountry and the wonderfully named 'Valley de la Durance' is tailor-made for a successful escape.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>On the day's final climb, Julian Alaphilippe launched a blistering attack to clinch bonus seconds at the summit</li>
 <li>I just wanted to dedicate this victory to my dad, said Alaphilippe</li>
 <li>No Frenchman has won the Tour de France since 1985</li>
</ul>

'That's for you, dad': Julian Alaphilippe takes Tour de France yellow

Nice, France

After a late pile-up on Nice's iconic Promenade des Anglais, Alexander Kristoff of UAE Emirates won a crash-marred opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday.,The Norwegian will now wear the overall race leader's yellow jersey, having fought back from an early fall that looked like ruling him out.,The 2020 Tour set off two months later than planned due to the coronavirus and under strict health protocols.,However, the first rain in the Mediterranean city since June turned the opening jaunt of the 21-day race into a lottery.,Key victims of the multiple crashes included French hopes Thibaut Pinot and Julian Alaphilippe, with Colombia's Astana captain Miguel Angel Lopez suffering a jaw-dropping downhill slide that saw him slam face-first into a traffic sign.,Top riders, led by the Jumbo team, were shocked by the crash.,A truce was called that slowed down the race.,"That was great for me, allowed me to get right back in," said 33-year-old Kristoff, who had been around six minutes adrift after his own tumble.,The heavy COVID-19 atmosphere weighing on the seaside city was lightened slightly at the start when French government minister Michel Blanquer sent out a rare message of hope the Tour would make it all the way to Paris in three weeks' time.,"You can't rule out the cancellation of the Tour, but it has been so well prepared that the possibilities of it happening are very slim," he said.,Local newspaper Nice-Matin raised eyebrows on Saturday running a picture of the Dutch team Jumbo's leader Primoz Roglic, one of the favourites, instead of a Frenchman.,But the key Frenchmen in the race both had days to forget.,After 14 days in the lead last year Alaphilippe was forced to fight back alone from two minutes down after a mechanical issue.,While luckless fan favourite Pinot was involved in the last of many falls as the peloton swept along the rain-sodden seafront walkway.,Sunday's 186km stage also starts and ends in Nice but will be run under blue skies and over the Alps in the Nice back country.

{\"time\":1598724951759,\"strCount\":2028,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"After a late pile-up on Nice's iconic Promenade des Anglais, Alexander Kristoff of UAE Emirates won a crash-marred opening stage of the Tour de France on Saturday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Norwegian will now wear the overall race leader's yellow jersey, having fought back from an early fall that looked like ruling him out.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 2020 Tour set off two months later than planned due to the coronavirus and under strict health protocols.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, the first rain in the Mediterranean city since June turned the opening jaunt of the 21-day race into a lottery.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Key victims of the multiple crashes included French hopes Thibaut Pinot and Julian Alaphilippe, with Colombia's Astana captain Miguel Angel Lopez suffering a jaw-dropping downhill slide that saw him slam face-first into a traffic sign.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Top riders, led by the Jumbo team, were shocked by the crash.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A truce was called that slowed down the race.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"That was great for me, allowed me to get right back in,\\\" said 33-year-old Kristoff, who had been around six minutes adrift after his own tumble.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The heavy COVID-19 atmosphere weighing on the seaside city was lightened slightly at the start when French government minister Michel Blanquer sent out a rare message of hope the Tour would make it all the way to Paris in three weeks' time.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"You can't rule out the cancellation of the Tour, but it has been so well prepared that the possibilities of it happening are very slim,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Local newspaper Nice-Matin raised eyebrows on Saturday running a picture of the Dutch team Jumbo's leader Primoz Roglic, one of the favourites, instead of a Frenchman.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"But the key Frenchmen in the race both had days to forget.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"After 14 days in the lead last year Alaphilippe was forced to fight back alone from two minutes down after a mechanical issue.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"While luckless fan favourite Pinot was involved in the last of many falls as the peloton swept along the rain-sodden seafront walkway.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Sunday's 186km stage also starts and ends in Nice but will be run under blue skies and over the Alps in the Nice back country.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>The 2020 Tour set off two months later than planned due to the coronavirus and under strict health protocols</li>
 <li>Alexander Kristoff won the opening stage of the Tour de France</li>
 <li>Kristoff will now wear the overall race leader's yellow jersey</li>
</ul>

Alexander Kristoff takes Tour de France opening stage after truce in rain chaos

The Tour de France set off from the French Riviera on Saturday, two months later than planned and under the shadow of a coronavirus pandemic which could still shatter hopes of the world's greatest bike race making it to the Paris finish line in three weeks' time. Originally slated for June, stage one of the three-week epic over the peaks and plains of France rolled out of Nice for a 154km loop likely to end in the kind of mass bunch sprint on the iconic Promenade des Anglais which is tailor-made for a global TV audience tuning in from 190 countries.,However, coronavirus still has the race in its grip. On Thursday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex put Nice on a Covid-19 "red zone" list with tightened health protocols. And race director Christian Prudhomme told AFP Saturday that the rule of expelling teams from the Tour with two riders testing positive had been tightened to two positives from the whole entourage, including the likes of mechanics, cooks and drivers along with riders.,In a worrying appetiser, Belgian team Lotto have already sent home four of its staff after one positive test and one "suspicious" result.,Saturday's finish line on the Promenade des Anglais will allow just 100 spectators.,Throughout the Tour, a virus testing cell will travel with the teams. The pandemic means a very different looking Tour this year for riders and fans. Current French government law limits public gatherings to 5,000.,That means a cataclysmic change for organisers, with some climbs in previous years attracting hundreds of thousands of people along the roadsides. "Yes, the public will have access to the Tour de France," Prudhomme insisted, explaining that screening areas would be in place to monitor numbers.,Health and safety protocols for riders and teams involve them being kept in a bubble and tested several times, with the smallest possible interaction between respective bubbles. Dave Brailsford, the head of Team Ineos which has gobbled up seven of the last eight Tour de France titles, admitted there remains uncertainty over the race getting to the Champs-Elysees on September 20.,"If there comes a point when it becomes too much of a risk for riders and teams, to society in general, then people need to take that on board," he said.,Brailsford has, incidentally, dropped two former Tour winners, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.,David Lappartient, the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), warned teams to be vigilant. "There is no such thing as zero risk," he said. "It is not impossible that some teams do not get to the end. "But with respect for the rules, we should not come to that." On Saturday the riders will attempt to think only of the challenge ahead.,Lotto-Soudal's diminutive Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan, who stands at 5ft 5in (1.65m), is a red hot favourite to win the opener after three stage wins in 2019. "I'm ready to take up the challenge," said the 26-year-old.,"Stage 1 is not too hard for me, it'll be cool and maybe rainy, which suits me." Sunday's stage will certainly see the overall leader's yellow jersey change hands again with a 187km run from the seafront over the top of two mountains summiting at over 1500m.,After the second of those, the Col de Turini, a white-knuckle 30km downhill stretch towards the finish line is not for the faint hearted. Former French soldier Julian Alaphilippe, who led the race for 14 days in 2019, has vowed to try his luck again. ,"It was unforgettable," he said. "So if I feel good Sunday I'll go for it, for the win and the yellow jersey," he said.,Defending champion Egan Bernal and his key rival, Slovenian former ski jumper Primoz Roglic, may even be tempted to exert themselves early. "I'll have to be careful of him," the 23-year-old Bernal said Friday. ,"He was the strongest in the warm-ups," he said of his 30-year-old rival who has an impressive last 500m acceleration on the climbs. There will be five summit finishes and 29 classified mountain climbs over the three weeks. With the two-month delay, the French plains will likely be whipped by autumn winds, especially on runs along the coast such as stage 10 between the Atlantic islands of Oleron and Re. ,Suspense will be cranked up throughout, however, as the penultimate day features a potential shake-up with an individual time trial on the fan-favourite Planches des Belles Filles climb.

{\"time\":1598728563581,\"strCount\":4368,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Tour de France set off from the French Riviera on Saturday, two months later than planned and under the shadow of a coronavirus pandemic which could still shatter hopes of the world's greatest bike race making it to the Paris finish line in three weeks' time. Originally slated for June, stage one of the three-week epic over the peaks and plains of France rolled out of Nice for a 154km loop likely to end in the kind of mass bunch sprint on the iconic Promenade des Anglais which is tailor-made for a global TV audience tuning in from 190 countries.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, coronavirus still has the race in its grip. On Thursday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex put Nice on a Covid-19 \\\"red zone\\\" list with tightened health protocols. And race director Christian Prudhomme told AFP Saturday that the rule of expelling teams from the Tour with two riders testing positive had been tightened to two positives from the whole entourage, including the likes of mechanics, cooks and drivers along with riders.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In a worrying appetiser, Belgian team Lotto have already sent home four of its staff after one positive test and one \\\"suspicious\\\" result.,Saturday's finish line on the Promenade des Anglais will allow just 100 spectators.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Throughout the Tour, a virus testing cell will travel with the teams. The pandemic means a very different looking Tour this year for riders and fans. Current French government law limits public gatherings to 5,000.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"That means a cataclysmic change for organisers, with some climbs in previous years attracting hundreds of thousands of people along the roadsides. \\\"Yes, the public will have access to the Tour de France,\\\" Prudhomme insisted, explaining that screening areas would be in place to monitor numbers.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Health and safety protocols for riders and teams involve them being kept in a bubble and tested several times, with the smallest possible interaction between respective bubbles. Dave Brailsford, the head of Team Ineos which has gobbled up seven of the last eight Tour de France titles, admitted there remains uncertainty over the race getting to the Champs-Elysees on September 20.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"If there comes a point when it becomes too much of a risk for riders and teams, to society in general, then people need to take that on board,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Brailsford has, incidentally, dropped two former Tour winners, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.,David Lappartient, the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), warned teams to be vigilant. \\\"There is no such thing as zero risk,\\\" he said. \\\"It is not impossible that some teams do not get to the end. \\\"But with respect for the rules, we should not come to that.\\\" On Saturday the riders will attempt to think only of the challenge ahead.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Lotto-Soudal's diminutive Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan, who stands at 5ft 5in (1.65m), is a red hot favourite to win the opener after three stage wins in 2019. \\\"I'm ready to take up the challenge,\\\" said the 26-year-old.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Stage 1 is not too hard for me, it'll be cool and maybe rainy, which suits me.\\\" Sunday's stage will certainly see the overall leader's yellow jersey change hands again with a 187km run from the seafront over the top of two mountains summiting at over 1500m.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"After the second of those, the Col de Turini, a white-knuckle 30km downhill stretch towards the finish line is not for the faint hearted. Former French soldier Julian Alaphilippe, who led the race for 14 days in 2019, has vowed to try his luck again. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It was unforgettable,\\\" he said. \\\"So if I feel good Sunday I'll go for it, for the win and the yellow jersey,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Defending champion Egan Bernal and his key rival, Slovenian former ski jumper Primoz Roglic, may even be tempted to exert themselves early. \\\"I'll have to be careful of him,\\\" the 23-year-old Bernal said Friday. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"He was the strongest in the warm-ups,\\\" he said of his 30-year-old rival who has an impressive last 500m acceleration on the climbs. There will be five summit finishes and 29 classified mountain climbs over the three weeks. With the two-month delay, the French plains will likely be whipped by autumn winds, especially on runs along the coast such as stage 10 between the Atlantic islands of Oleron and Re. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Suspense will be cranked up throughout, however, as the penultimate day features a potential shake-up with an individual time trial on the fan-favourite Planches des Belles Filles climb.\"}}]}

Chandandeep Kour

<ul>
 <li>It was originally slated for June</li>
 <li>Race director said the rule of expelling teams from the Tour has been tightened to two positives from the whole entourage</li>
 <li>It is one of the world's greatest bike race</li>
</ul>

#TourDeFrance