EPERNAY, France — He was sweating, baked by the sun, and burning through his energy reserves. But under the intense pressure of being pursued by the chasing pack of riders at the Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe also stayed as cool as a chilled glass of Champagne.
The French rider’s sparkling and poised Stage 3 ride on Monday into Epernay, the Champagne town that exports bubbly worldwide, delivered a first victory for France at this Tour and the country’s first yellow jersey since 2014 when Tony Gallopin held the race lead for one day.
The manner of Alaphilippe’s win — surprising other pretenders for the stage victory with a devastating burst of speed on a sharp climb and then gritting his teeth as he rode solo to the finish — oozed what the French call “panache,” or pure class.
He’d long targeted the stage, with its final section of sharp hills among the Champagne vineyards, as suiting his explosive strengths, and executed his plan to perfection.
Cheered on by thick roadside crowds, Alaphilippe delivered the decisive blow on the Cote de Mutigny, the steepest of four notable hill climbs heading toward Epernay.
“I did exactly what I’d planned to do,” he said. “When it works, you have to savor it.”
Jumping out of the saddle to hammer on his pedals up the final part of the 12% incline, Alaphilippe caught other riders cold.
But as the pack then reacted and laid chase, eating into his meager lead of around a half-minute, victory for Alaphilippe was by no means guaranteed.
Tongue lolling in the heat, the leader of the Deceuninck-Quick Step team kept his pursuers at bay for 10 long and lonely miles, speeding alone up Epernay’s cobbled Champagne Avenue heaving with sun-baked fans to the lung-busting uphill finish.
By the time he sped past a statue of Dom Perignon, a monk who lent his name to James Bond’s favorite brand of Champagne, it became clear Alaphilippe wouldn’t be caught.
DENVER — The Denver Nuggets bolstered their frontcourt by acquiring 25-year-old Jerami Grant from the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday for a 2020 first-round pick. ESPN first reported the deal.
It’s an additional first-round selection for the Thunder, who are in line for at least four more assuming the blockbuster deal that sends Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers goes through. It would also give Oklahoma City the rights to as many as 13 first-round picks over the next seven drafts.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Grant is coming off a breakout season that saw him set career highs in points (13.6) and rebounds (5.2).
SAN JOSE, Calif. — After losing a lot of talent in free agency, the San Jose Sharks locked up a young player who should be crucial to their success next season.
San Jose on Monday re-signed 23-year-old forward Kevin Labanc to a one-year, $1 million contract. With Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist gone, the Sharks are counting on Labanc continuing his career progression and taking advantage of a bigger role.
AUSTIN, Texas — A new University Interscholastic League rule requires physical exams or medical histories for students in school marching bands across Texas.
KXAN-TV in Austin reports doctors want to make sure marching band students are healthy enough to participate, especially during excessive heat.
The physicals requirement applies to marching band members entering the first and third years of high school.
Students in seventh and eighth grades who march in band also need physicals. A medical history form is required for marching band students in the second and fourth years of high school.
All paperwork is due by Aug. 1.
Some Texas school districts already require physical examinations for marching band students.
The UIL is the governing body for educational extracurricular academic, athletic and music contests.
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Information from: KXAN-TV, http://www.kxan.com
14 North Dakota high schools to create an esports league
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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Fourteen high schools in North Dakota plan to form competitive video gaming teams during this upcoming school year as interest in esports increases nationwide, including at the collegiate level where scholarships are offered for varsity teams.
The Bismarck Tribune reports that Mandan High School is one of them. Mandan Superintendent Mike Bitz says the school will spend around $20,000 this year to buy computers and other equipment to construct an esports lab for students.
Bitz says esports will help an “underrepresented population” of students who might not otherwise partake in school athletics or activities feel more included.
The Mandan esports season is slated to begin in October and will last through December.
Two universities in North Dakota have an esports team, and two more colleges will launch teams this fall.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com