Cycling
Aru summits a stage victory; Quintana pulls out of Vuelta
SANTUARIO DE SAN MIGUEL DE ARALAR, Spain – Fabio Aru of Italy won the 11th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Wednesday, while Alberto Contador hung on to the overall race leader’s red jersey.
Nairo Quintana, one of the race favorites, had to withdraw with a broken shoulderblade after crashing just 12 miles into the stage, his second fall in two days.
Aru, a 24-year-old Astana Pro rider, climbed to the finish line at the summit of the Santuario de San Miguel de Aralar peak after a 95-mile ride from Pamplona in 3 hours, 41 minutes, 3 seconds.
Alejandro Valverde of Spain crossed the finish line six seconds behind Aru and is 20 seconds overall behind Contador.
Abbott and Small make the worlds roster for USA
COLORADO SPRINGS – Shelley Olds and Evie Stevens will lead a powerful United States team into the women’s road race at the cycling world championships this month in Ponferrada, Spain.
Olds, one of the world’s top sprinters, and Stevens, who finished fifth a year ago, were joined by Megan Guarnier and Alison Powers in earning automatic berths on the seven-member team.
They’ll be joined by discretionary picks Mara Abbott, Durangoan Carmen Small and Lauren Hall.
Abbott is a four-time Iron Horse Bicycle Classic champion.
Small also was selected to race the time trial, hoping to improve on her bronze medal from a year ago. Powers and Stevens also will compete in the race against the clock.
The men’s roster is expected to be finalized in the coming week.
The weeklong world championships will begin Sept. 21.
Golf
Europe has five vice captains for this year’s Ryder Cup
VIRGINIA WATER, England – Europe will be taking five vice captains to the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, with Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal added to the list of Paul McGinley’s assistants Wednesday.
McGinley named Des Smyth and Sam Torrance his first two vice captains in March.
The Ryder Cup in Gleneagles, Scotland, is Sept. 26-28. Europe is seeking an eighth win in 10 competitions.
Soccer
USA plays young in 1-0 win against Czech Republic
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Alejandro Bedoya scored in the 39th minute, and a youthful United States’ soccer team started the four-year cycle of preparation for the 2018 World Cup with a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic in Prague on Wednesday night.
Three players made their U.S. debuts, with 23-year-old defender Greg Garza entering in the 63rd, 21-year-old forward Joe Gyau playing the entire match and 18-year-old midfielder Emerson Hyndman coming in four minutes later. Hyndman, a grandson of former FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman, made his debut last month with Fulham in England’s second tier.
Tim Ream, a 26-year-old defender who failed to make this year’s World Cup roster, entered at the start of the second half, his first national team match since October 2011.
Brad Guzan played the first half as he took over as the Americans’ No. 1 goalkeeper from Tim Howard, who is taking a year off from the national team. Guzan, who will turn 30 on Sept. 9, was the oldest player in the U.S. starting lineup.
The only U.S. player over 30 was 35-year-old goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who made several excellent saves in the second half, including a leg stop of Daniel Punil’s point-blank shot in the 89th.
The U.S. went ahead when goalkeeper Petr Cech, dropped from Chelsea’s starting lineup by manager Jose Mourinho, sent the ball upfield to Vladimir Darida. Mix Diskerud stripped the midfielder and dribbled right back at Cech. The goalkeeper made a diving stop, and the ball ricocheted to Bedoya, who scored on a left-footed shot for his second goal in 33 international appearances.
Associated Press
