INSIDER
Defending champion Egan Bernal withdraws from Tour de France
Read full article: Defending champion Egan Bernal withdraws from Tour de FranceColombia's Egan Bernal and Slovakia's Peter Sagan ride at the end of the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 164 kilometers from La Tour-du-Pin to Villard-de-Lans Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)GRENOBLE – Defending Tour de France champion Egan Bernal has pulled out of the race ahead of a mammoth stage in the Alps, his Ineos Grenadiers team said Wednesday. Bernal was in 16th place overall, 19 minutes and fours seconds behind race leader Primoz Roglic. “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. ___More Tour de France coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/TourdeFrance and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Pogacar wins Stage 15 at Tour de France, Roglic retains lead
Read full article: Pogacar wins Stage 15 at Tour de France, Roglic retains leadTeam Jumbo - Visma riders lead the pack during the stage 15 of the Tour de France cycling race over 174 kilometers (108 miles), with start in Lyon and finish in Grand Colombier, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)GRAND COLOMBIER – Tadej Pogacar won Stage 15 of the Tour de France on a brutal final climb Sunday as his fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic retained the yellow jersey. Pogacar powered past Roglic on the final sprint at the top of Grand Colombier for his second stage win. Roglic leads Pogacar by 40 seconds overall, down from 44 seconds before the stage. Last year's winner, Egan Bernal, dropped off the lead group on the long Grand Colombier climb and appeared to lose his chance of retaining the title as he dropped out of the top 10.
Andersen wins Stage 14 at Tour de France led by Roglic
Read full article: Andersen wins Stage 14 at Tour de France led by RoglicDenmark's Soren Kragh Andersen crosses the finish line to win the 14th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 194 kilometers (120,5 miles) with start in Clermont-Ferrand and finish in Lyon, France, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Pool)LYON – Soren Kragh Andersen broke clear in a fast-changing finish on the roads of Lyon to win Stage 14 of the Tour de France on Saturday. Primoz Roglic, the overall leader, had a drama-free day to finish safely and keep the yellow jersey he claimed last Sunday. After two sharp climbs and several attacks in the last 10 kilometers (six miles), Andersen broke away with three kilometres (two miles) left to finish 15 seconds ahead of the chasing pack. In a stellar Tour for Slovenia, Luka Mezgec took the sprint for second and Simon Consonni was third.
Tour de France rookie Hirschi wins race's longest stage
Read full article: Tour de France rookie Hirschi wins race's longest stageThe pack rides during the stage 12 of the Tour de France cycling race over 218 kilometers from Chauvigny to Sarran, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)SARRAN Tour de France rookie Marc Hirschi won the longest stage with a bold solo breakaway on a previously unused sharp ascent, signaling a precious talent on Thursday. The Swiss rider powered away on the Suc au May climb, new to the 117-year-old Tour. This marked his inaugural victory at his inaugural Tour. Roglic kept the overall race lead, still 21 seconds ahead of Egan Bernal, last years winner from Colombia.
Pandemic pushes Colombians to commute by bicycle
Read full article: Pandemic pushes Colombians to commute by bicycleBut he's been using his bicycle much more frequently since the pandemic began. But the pandemic is now pushing more people to commute by bicycle in the South American country, where only one city has a subway system and most people still go to work on buses or cars. The small shop said it's been selling around thirty bikes each weekend during the pandemic, while previously it sold 15 to 20. It sells road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids and even state-of-the-art bikes for time trials that cost as much as a small car. Bogota was already a Latin American leader in bicycle use, registering about 880,000 trips each day before the pandemic.
Seventh heaven: Furious stage kick-starts Tour de France
Read full article: Seventh heaven: Furious stage kick-starts Tour de France(Benoit Tessier/Pool via AP)LAVAUR The most furious day of racing so far at the Tour de France produced multiple winners Friday. Among them were Alexander Kristoff, the winner of Stage 1, and Caleb Ewan, who won Stage 3. In a mid-stage sprint and again later at the finish, Sagan picked up sufficient points to wrest back the jersey from Bennett. He also won Stage 5. ___More Tour de France coverage: https://apnews.com/TourdeFrance and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Late but still going: The strangest Tour de France sets off
Read full article: Late but still going: The strangest Tour de France sets offAlexander Kristoff of Norway celebrates on the podium after winning the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 156 kilometers (97 miles) with start and finish in Nice, southern France, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. Riders will have daily health checks and coronavirus tests during the race, and can be tossed out if they fail them. Entire teams could be sent home if two or more riders or staff test positive for COVID-19 within a week. But the Tour, delayed from July, survived and is becoming a gauge of the feasibility of continuing to hold sporting mega-events during the pandemic. Another crash took out a heap of riders in the dash to the line on Nice's splendid seafront.
Uncertainty shrouds Tour de France racing against COVID-19
Read full article: Uncertainty shrouds Tour de France racing against COVID-19A woman wears a face mask as she walks past a Tour de France logo, in Nice, southern France, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. The Tour de France sets off shrouded in uncertainty and riding in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and mounting infections in France. If you love the Tour, if you love the champions, wear a mask," race director Christian Prudhomme said. On top of COVID-19 concerns, riders will contend with one of the most unrelenting Tour routes in memory, with an usually high total of 29 tough climbs. ___More Tour de France coverage: https://apnews.com/TourdeFrance
What Would Have Been: MLB All-Star Game and British Open
Read full article: What Would Have Been: MLB All-Star Game and British OpenThere has not even been a regular season game yet because of the coronavirus. Instead of MLB's best gathering this week at Dodger Stadium for the All-Star Game, players are at their home ballparks for summer camp to prepare for the start of the season July 23-24. At least the All-Star Game no longer determines home field advantage for the World Series, like it did from 2003-16, so the absence of the game won't be problematic in that sense. TRIVIA BREAK: When was the last time MLB didn't hold an All-Star Game, and where was that game supposed to be played? TRIVIA ANSWER: This is the first time since 1945 without an MLB All-Star Game, and only the second time since the first All-Star Game in 1933.