Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Tour de France 2013: Mark Cavendish wins stage five

Mark Cavendish
3 July 2013Last updated at 17:44 GMT


TOUR DE FRANCE

  • Dates: Saturday, 29 June - Sunday, 21 July (8 and 15 July are rest days)
Coverage: Live commentary on the final hours of each stage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra or online; live text commentary on BBC Sport website
Mark Cavendish defied a bout of bronchitis to claim a convincing win in a sprint finish at the end of stage five of the Tour de France.
The Manxman was led out perfectly by team-mate Gert Steegmans and surged clear of Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen and Slovakian Peter Sagan.
It was Cavendish's first stage win of this year's Tour and his 24th in total.
A large pile-up in the final kilometre split the peloton but Simon Gerrans retained the leader's yellow jersey.
American rider Teejay van Garderen and Belgium's Jurgen van den Broeck, who was fourth in last year's race, were among those to go down in the crash.

Most Tour de France stage wins

34 - Eddy Merckx (Bel) 1969 to 1975
28 - Bernard Hinaut (Fra) 1978 to 1986
25 - Andre Leducq (Fra) 1927 to 1935
24 - Mark Cavendish (GB) 2008 to present
Britain's Chris Froome stayed out of trouble and remains seventh overall, three seconds back, after finishing with the same time as Spain's Alberto Contador and Australia's Cadel Evans, who are seen as his major rivals for the general classification.
But the day belonged to Cavendish, who had endured a frustrating time in the opening days of the Tour as well as suffering from illness.
The 28-year-old was denied a chance of victory - and taking the yellow jersey - after being held up in a crash at the end of stage one, and missed out on the podium on Tuesday when his Omega Pharma-QuickStep team were denied victory by 0.75 seconds in the team time trial.
This time, however, there was no stopping Cavendish - despite rumours circulating during the stage that he was still on antibiotics and would not be contesting the final sprint.
An early breakaway of six riders escaped after 3km of the 228.5km stage from Cagnes-Sur-Mer to Marseille but the last survivor, Kazakhstan's Alexey Lutsenko was caught with 3km to go.

Analysis

"This stage was always going to come down to a sprint finish. It appeared there was a chance that the breakaway riders could stay clear but their lead came down very quickly before the end.
"That left us with a sprint and Mark Cavendish won very convincingly in the end. We were unsure how he would do because he has been under the weather but his team worked well for him and he made it look pretty easy.
"Now we know he is in good shape and he will be going for another win on Thursday. He might even get a chance on Friday, depending on how he is feeling before the race enters the Pyrenees.
"For me, Mark Cavendish has to not think about winning the points category. His main objective is to win stages and if he does that, the green jersey will take care of itself. "He has got a very difficult job to beat Peter Sagan anyway because Sagan will pick up points where Cavendish will not figure."
That set up the first bunch finish featuring the fastest men on this Tour, and it did not disappoint.
Cavendish stuck to Steegman's wheel before making his move with 250m to go and, although Boasson Hagen held off Andre Greipel to follow in his slipstream, neither he or the fast-finishing Sagan came close to denying him.
The Isle of Man rider raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the line, and is now only 10 wins short of Eddy Merckx's record of 34 Tour de France stage wins.
"I'm super happy," said Cavendish afterwards. "Now the pressure is kind of off and hopefully it has started the ball rolling.
"It would have been nice to win on Tuesday but it's not to be underestimated how hard it is to get one stage win on this race.
"I didn't feel great but when the guys are committed like they were - not just in the final, but all the way today - it's important to pay them back.
"They show their motivation by riding themselves into the ground and, like I always say, that really does give you something extra. If I'd lost that sprint, I really wasn't paying the lads back."
His Omega Pharma-QuickStep team manager Patrick Lefevere added: "We had targeted this stage.
"A lot of good sprinters [have] won in Marseille and Mark, who loves the history of cycling, wanted to have his name associated with Marseille."
Cavendish's win sees him move up to second in the points category with 76 points, 35 behind Sagan in the battle for the green jersey.
"I lost a couple of points to Cavendish but that's okay, the important thing is to not lose too many," Sagan said. "Mark is the fastest man in the world, it's almost impossible to beat him."
Thursday's sixth stage, a flat 176.5-km ride from Aix-en-Provence to Montpellier, gives Cavendish a chance for another victory.
He needs one more stage win to move level with Andre Leducq in third place on the Tour's all-time list of stage winners. Other than Merckx, only Bernard Hinaut, with 28, has more.

Swansea City complete £5m Jonjo Shelvey signing

Jonjo Shelvey
3 July 2013Last updated at 15:18 GMT


Swansea City have signed midfielder Jonjo Shelvey from Liverpool for an initial fee of £5m.
The 21-year-old, who made his England debut against San Marino in October 2012, has signed a four-year deal.
Crystal Palace, who were also linked with him, were outbid.
Shelvey, who has made only 17 Liverpool league starts since moving from Charlton Athletic in 2010, becomes Swansea's sixth permanent signing of the summer.
He paid tribute to Liverpool's fans on his Twitter account,  saying: "[I] will miss the city very much. And the club! Owe a lot to everyone there! Thank you. Time to start a new chapter in life in Wales. Thank you."
Swansea will pay the fee up front, with other add-ons accounting for a further £1m.

Swansea's summer signings

Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup
  • Jonjo Shelvey from Liverpool (£5m)
  • Alejandro Pozuelo from Real Betis (undisclosed fee)
  • Jose Canas from Real Betis (free)
  • Jordi Amat from Espanyol (£2.5m)
  • Jonathan de Guzman from Villarreal (season-long loan)
  • Gregor Zabret from NK Domzale (undisclosed fee)
  • Alex Gogic from Olympiakos (free)
Shelvey agreed personal terms with the club on Wednesday and will now join the rest of Swansea's squad for their pre-season tour of the Netherlands.
Having already signed three Spanish players this summer - taking their contingent to seven in the squad - chairman Huw Jenkins had spoken of the need to increase the number of British players at the club.
Teams cannot have more than 17 non-home-grown players aged over 21 in their 25-man squads and the arrival of Alejandro Pozuelo, Jose Canas and Jordi Amattakes Swansea's current non home-grown quota to 14.
"We have got to make sure that the make-up of our squad is right," Jenkins told the South Wales Evening Post. 
"And obviously part of that is making sure that we have so many British players in there.
"We have got to do that - there is no choice because they are the rules."
Nonetheless, Swansea are still targeting the European market, with FC Twente's Belgian international winger Nacer Chadli the latest to be linked with the Capital One Cup holders.
According to Chadli's agent, Daniel Evrard, Swansea have made a bid for the 23-year-old.
The Swans are also in the running to sign 24-year-old Ivory Coast strikerWilfried Bony from Vitesse Arnhem and France striker Bafetimbi Gomis from Lyon.
As well as the three Spanish signings, Swansea have secured a deal to bring Dutchman Jonathan de Guzman back for another season-long loan from Villarreal.
Swansea have also brought in Gregor Zabret from Slovenian side NK Domzale and Cypriot Alex Gogic from Olympiakos on a free transfer, with both teenagers expected to go into the reserves.

Formula 1: Ross Brawn planning to stay at Mercedes into 2014

Ross Brawn
3 July 2013Last updated at 10:29 GMT


Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn says he wants to stay on into next year.
Mercedes have earmarked as Brawn's eventual successor, former McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe, who started work at the team a month ago.
Brawn said a big change to regulations in 2014 - the introduction of turbo engines with extensive energy recovery - meant he wanted to continue.
"We're in good shape for next year. I wouldn't want to miss the fun," said the 58-year-old.

Ross Brawn

Age: 58
Position: Mercedes F1 team principal
Previous F1 roles: Team principal of Honda (2007-8) and Brawn (2009) teams; technical director of Ferrari (1997-2006); technical director Benetton (1991-96); Williams engineer (1986-89)
Successes: Benetton - drivers' world championship (1994 & '95) (Michael Schumacher); constructors' championship (1995). Ferrari - drivers' world championships 2000, '01, '02, '03, 04 (Schumacher). Constructors' championships: 1999-2004. Brawn - drivers' (Jenson Button) and constructors' titles (2009)
Toto Wolff was appointed as Mercedes' executive director in January 2013 as part of a team restructure that also saw Lowe brought in.
"This is a big regulation change - and the full package of the car; not just aerodynamics like we've had before," added Brawn, who masterminded Michael Schumacher's seven world titles while at Benetton and Ferrari.
"If you didn't start on it a year ago, you're in trouble."
Sources have said Japanese giant Honda is keen to lure Brawn to take charge of its F1 programme - it is returning to F1 as anengine supplier with McLaren in 2015.
But Brawn, who ran Honda's F1 team from 2007 until the company pulled out at the end of 2008, said: "I don't know anything about that."
When Mercedes employed Lowe last winter, it was in response to the team's dismal performance in the second half of last season and the initial intention was for him to replace Brawn from the start.
But they took a step back from that and have decided not to force him out. Any decision on Brawn's future will now be a joint discussion about a planned and agreed transition into which Brawn has input.
Mercedes believe that the old system of power in an F1 team concentrated in one person is antiquated.
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Ross Brawn
The Formula 1 career of Ross Brawn
This is illustrated by the job titles given to Lowe and Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff. Lowe is executive director (technical) and Wolff executive director (business) - indicating that they have roles of parallel seniority but dealing with different areas of responsibility.
It is understood that the intention at Mercedes is for Brawn to stay on into next year but not necessarily in his current role.
Discussions about exactly what his role might be and how it will combine with those of Lowe and Wolff are expected to take place over the forthcoming weeks, now that Lowe has been in place for enough time to get a sense of the team's situation.
Lowe said: "Ross is team principal at the moment. We don't know how long he will want to remain team principal. Those plans aren't made.
"I have come in to strengthen the team in its existing form, which I can do.
"There is a great deal to be done and I have already started to augment what we've got. What the future brings in terms of progression from there remains to be seen - it isn't set or defined at the moment.
"If Ross at some point wants to step up to something higher or step back then we will have the strength to react and respond to that and maintain a strong leadership. In the meantime there's a lot to do and I'm very comfortable with that."
If Ross at some point wants to step up to something higher or step back then we will have the strength to react and respond to that and maintain a strong leadership
Paddy LoweMercedes executive director (technical)
Lowe added: "My four weeks in the company have gone very quickly actually. It doesn't seem like four weeks.
"I'm still finding my feet. It took me three weeks to get round and meet everybody. F1 teams are big operations nowadays.
"So I'm still in that process and defining how it settles down in three or four months' time remains to be seen.
"But already I'm involved in some of the key points of strategy that we're developing, as well as diving into detail areas where I can.
"And that's whether it's on the very immediate race activity or looking ahead to what we're doing next year. I haven't focused on anything particular at the moment."
Lowe insisted there was no awkwardness between himself and Brawn considering the background to his employment.
"When I arrived on my first day, the first person to greet me and spend an hour with a cup of coffee was Ross," Lowe said.
"He was genuinely delighted to see my arrival and get me stuck into the business. So that will give you a sign that he isn't threatened by my position. He's very happy that I've joined the company. I'm very happy to work with him."

Ashes 2013: Grame Swann takes five wickets in England win

Graeme Swann
3 July 2013Last updated at 17:28 GMT


Warm-up match, Chelmsford (day four of four);
England 413-9 dec & 279-4 dec v Essex 278 & 186
Spinner Graeme Swann took five wickets as England warmed up for the Ashes series with a 228-run win over Essex.
Swann, who suffered a bruised bowling arm earlier in the match at Chelmsford while batting, took the first three wickets as Essex fell to 186 all out in their second innings.
Graham Onions (4-43) joined in as five wickets fell for 11 either side of tea.
England sealed victory with 23 overs to spare and will now prepare for the first Test at Trent Bridge on 10 July.

Lions 2013: Brian O'Driscoll call a terrible mistake - Keith Wood

Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll
3 July 2013Last updated at 15:02 GMT

AUSTRALIA V BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS, THIRD TEST

  • Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
  •  
  • Date: Saturday, 6 July
  •  
  • Kick-off: 11:00 BST (20:00 local)
Coverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website, updates on BBC Radio 5 live
Former Lions hooker Keith Wood says the decision todrop centre Brian O'Driscoll for Saturday's deciding Test with Australia is a "terrible mistake".
Ireland's O'Driscoll, 34, was expected to be named captain in Sam Warburton's absence, but has been omitted from the squad by head coach Warren Gatland.

Brian O'Driscoll's Lions record

Brian O'Driscoll
Tours: 4 (2001, 2005, 2009, 2013)
Matches: 18 (8 Tests)
Tries: 9 (1 in Tests)
Captain: 7 times (1 Test)
Test record: 2 wins, 6 defeats
"O'Driscoll has been quiet. But he has been the clarion call once [lock] Paul O'Connell got injured," said Wood.
He added on BBC Radio 5 live that the XV had left him "totally at a loss".
Former Ireland and Lions lock Willie John McBride believes Australia coach Robbie Deans will be "laughing" at the "absolutely amazing" decision to drop O'Driscoll.
On BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, he said: "I must admit I am quite gutted today because Brian O'Driscoll in my book has been the greatest player Ireland has ever seen.
"You live and die by your decisions, though, so we will see what happens at the weekend."
The series is currently level at one game apiece after Australia hit back with a gritty 16-15 second Test victory following theLions' 23-21 win in the opener.
Gatland - who also coaches Wales - has made six changes to the team beaten in Melbourne, with 10 Welshmen set to start in Sydney.
England prop Alex Corbisiero and Ireland flanker Sean O'Brien come into the pack while four Welshmen - fit-again centre Jamie Roberts, hooker Richard Hibbard, scrum-half Mike Phillips and number eight Toby Faletau - complete the changes.
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Lock Alun Wyn Jones captains the side while the 10-strong contingent equals the record for Wales - the previous occasion was the first Test against Australia in 1950 - while England hold the overall record with 12 players in the 1880s.
"You should pick a team with the best players in it and for me the ethos of the Lions is slipping," added McBride.
"I don't think this is the concept of the Lions that I know but let's see what happens on Saturday, we will all eat our words if we win."
The direct approach favoured by Gatland has been dubbed"Warrenball" by sections of the Australian media  and Wood - who played on two Lions tours and featured 58 times for Ireland - admitted he was concerned about the tourists' lack of creativity.
The 41-year-old said: "You could say he is picking on form, but he has picked an unbelievably direct team, with very little guile, specifically to play this game-plan.

Analysis

"You just wonder if they got a lucky bag and picked some names out. The Lions won the first Test and made eight changes to their squad. The Wallabies won the second and probably won't make any changes. The Lions lose by one point and there are six changes in the team and three guys on the bench who were nowhere near the team for the second Test. I was convinced Brian O'Driscoll should have been named as captain. It's catastrophic leaving him out. He's still one of the top centres in world rugby. He's a fantastic guy and has been on four tours and knows it all inside out. It's a massive mistake."
"The Lions is about getting the best of quality out of the players of these islands, not having an intransigent game plan that is low on subtlety but simplistic from the start.
"I just feel it has been incredibly hard watching because we are not seeing that spark we are used to seeing from the Lions because it is trying to play a game-plan that I do not know suits a lot of the players.
"It suits the Welsh players, and that is why there are 10 of them playing. It is really, really frustrating."
British and Irish Lions: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales); Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), Jamie Roberts (Wales), George North (Wales); Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Richard Hibbard (Wales), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (captain, Wales), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Sean O'Brien (Ireland), Toby Faletau (Wales).
Replacements: Tom Youngs (England), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Richie Gray (Scotland), Justin Tipuric (Wales), Conor Murray (Ireland), Owen Farrell (England), Manu Tuilagi (England).


RLWC 2013: England to face Italy in World Cup warm-up fixture

Sam Tomkins
3 July 2013Last updated at 10:03 GMT


England will face Italy at the Salford City Stadium on 19 October as part of their build-up for the World Cup.
The fixture, the first between the two nations, will take place seven days before England's opening group match against Australia in Cardiff.
"The match against Italy represents the final piece in the jigsaw for England," said England coach Steve McNamara.
"It will allow us to put the finishing touches to our extensive preparations for the World Cup."
The date had been reserved for England to play a final warm-up game, although their opponents had not been confirmed.
Italy, currently ranked 13th in the world, take on Wales in their first World Cup match as part of a double-header at the Millennium Stadium on 26 October.
McNamara continued: "We will go into the [Italy] match on the back of an intensive warm-weather training camp in South Africa and the run out will be just what many of the players need.
"It's important that we hit the ground running come the World Cup and this game gives us the best chance to do just that."
England beat the Exiles, a team made up of Super League's southern hemisphere players, at Warrington's Halliwell Jones Stadium last month.

Andy Murray beats Fernando Verdasco at Wimbledon

World number two Andy Murray
3 July 2013Last updated at 18:20 GMT

WIMBLEDON 2013

  • Venue: All England Club, London
  •  
  • Date: Wednesday, 3 July
Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC HD Channel, Red Button, BBC Radio 5 live, plus the BBC Sport website, tablet, mobile and connected TV.
British number one Andy Murray kept his hopes of winning Wimbledon alive with a dramatic five-set win over Fernando Verdasco on Centre Court.
Murray, the second seed, fought back to beat the Spaniard 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 7-5 and reach the semi-finals for the fifth year in a row.
Continue reading the main story
He served unbelievably well, especially when he was behind
Andy Murray
"There's been a lot of matches where I've been behind and managed to turn it round," he told BBC Sport.
"I don't know if it is the most emotional match, but it was an unbelievable atmosphere and great to get through."
The Scot, 26, had looked like joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the latest victim of a huge upset, but battled through in three hours and 27 minutes.
He moves on to face 24th seed Jerzy Janowicz in Friday's semi-finals, after the Pole beat his compatriot Lukasz Kubot 7-5 6-4 6-4 on Court One.
Top seed Novak Djokovic made smooth progress in the other half of the draw, beating Tomas Berdych in three sets to earn a semi-final against Juan Martin Del Potro.
Murray can still take advantage of an unexpected path to the final, but he produced an uncertain performance in the face of some big serving and heavy hitting from Verdasco.
The Spaniard, 29, made plenty of errors off his favoured forehand but kept the Scot on the defensive, fending off two break points in the first set with some good serving.

Match stats

MurrayVerdasco
Match time: 3 hrs 27 min
14
Aces
11
3
Double faults
9
69%
1st serve %
59%
77%
1st serve win %
72%
55%
2nd serve win %
48%
36
Winners
45
27
Errors
45
5/11
Break points
3/7
Murray was increasingly under pressure on his second serve, and in an edgy 10th game it came as no great surprise when he handed over the set with a double fault.
It was a poor start but the threat seemed to have been averted when Murray broke at 1-1 in the second, only for the Briton to give up his advantage with a dreadful sixth game.
Verdasco did superbly to return a smash but Murray should have done better than dump his volley in the net, and backhand and forehand errors followed.
Things got considerably worse when two desperate Murray forehands landed in the net, and Verdasco benefited from an unplayable net cord to break once again, making it five games in a row as he took a two-set lead.
With victory suddenly in sight, the former world number seven faltered and the errors flowed from his forehand, allowing Murray to break in game two and gain some breathing space.
He powered through the set in 31 minutes, his serve starting to crank into gear, and it came to his rescue four times as Verdasco pushed hard for the break in the fourth set.
Murray was clinging on, but he made the decisive move at 3-3 when Verdasco hammered a forehand long, and the crowd erupted as they headed into a fifth.
Tension gripped the spectators and players alike, Murray reacting badly to a camera flash while serving at 4-3 down, but he stayed on terms with the more aggressive Spaniard and finally broke him down at 5-5 in the decider.
A forehand deep into the corner on break point did the damage, and after the drama of the previous three and a half hours, Murray ended the match with a clinical love hold.
"He served unbelievably well, especially when he was behind," said the Briton.
"In the first set he played some really good stuff; in the second set my level dropped and I started rushing a bit but just managed to turn it round.
"He served fantastically well. He's a very, very good player. He's been at the top of the game before and he's playing well again.
"I started to play more solid and really took my time when I had the chance."