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Sir Marcel? Kittel wins last UK stage of Tour

By WTOP Staff

JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — At this point, the top Tour de France sprint star might be called Sir Marcel.

Marcel Kittel, the German with a French first name, led a bunch sprint to win Monday’s Stage 3 with a finish on the doorstep of Queen Elizabeth’s Buckingham Palace. Two days earlier, he courted royal attention as Prince William and Kate saw him win Stage 1 in Yorkshire in another sprint.

The stage wrapped up the English debut to this 101st Tour edition, a rousing success among cycling-crazed British fans. Riders hopped on planes and bid “au revoir” to the UK before flying across the English Channel onto the race’s home turf.

Rain in the City of London doused riders at the end of the 155-kilometer (96-mile) ride from the university town of Cambridge to a dramatic finish past landmarks Big Ben and Westminster.

Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey with a 2-second lead over the most likely contenders to win the three-week race in Paris on July 27.

Kittel, led out perfectly by Giant-Shimano teammates, made it look easy as he sped down a final wide approach on The Mall with Buckingham Palace behind him. Peter Sagan of Slovakia was second and Australia’s Mark Renshaw was third.

“I’m really, really happy I could win in front of Buckingham Palace,” said Kittel, who won four Tour stages last year. “It was one of the greatest finishes I’ve ever seen in front of this great scenery.”

FIRST PARIS, NOW LONDON

The hulking German made it a tale of two cities. He added London glory to his record after also winning on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, in the Tour finale last year. His job in the sprints got a lot easier after Britain’s Mark Cavendish pulled out of the race after injuring his shoulder in a crash in Saturday’s Stage 1.

“It’s one big opponent that is not in the race anymore,” Kittel said. “Of course, that changes things for me, but also for the team.”

Kittel is no threat for the yellow jersey. Like many sprinters, he struggles on climbs and fell nearly 20 minutes behind Nibali in the overall standings in an up-and-down ride on Sunday through the hills and dales of Yorkshire.

Nibali’s biggest challengers for the prized leader’s shirt remain title-holder Chris Froome of Britain and Spain’s Alberto Contador, who finished with the same time as the Italian and Kittel in an 84-rider bunch.

On Monday, the pack cruised nervously and let two breakaway riders go free on Monday. The duo was caught with about 6 kilometers (4 miles) left.

EUROPEAN UNITY AMONG FANS?

Tour officials estimated fans made nearly 5 million individual visits — some may have attended more than one stage — to the route in the first three stages. In signs of cross-Channel comity, Tour chief Christian Prudhomme took English lessons before the race; Britons waved both French tricolors and their beloved Union Jacks.

But the teeming curbs, sidewalks and roadsides again caused trouble for the riders. With about 30 kilometers (19 miles) left, 2010 Tour winner Andy Schleck of Luxembourg was among riders who crashed briefly, and French TV showed a fan on the ground. Schleck, who gingerly returned to the race, said he didn’t hit a spectator.

“I guess it was my own fault,” said Schleck, who collided with another rider and hurtled over his handlebars.

His Trek Factory Racing teammate Jens Voigt said: “I saw about 15 crashes today. In the end there were two guys on the ground but I don’t know what happened exactly … That’s the Tour de France. The first week is always nervous.”

In other spills, Ted King of Cannondale and Jan Bakelants, a Belgian rider on Cavendish’s Omega Pharma QuickStep team who wore yellow jersey two days last year, each scraped up their right elbows and knees.

Some fans got political. A few held up placards imploring Prime Minister David Cameron not to back a U.S.-European Union free trade pact. Three topless protesters bearing slogans condemning female genital mutilation staged a brief protest near the Houses of Parliament before police bundled them away in fluorescent vests.

The course route Monday notably bypassed Trafalgar Square, whose landmark Nelson’s Column commemorates a British hero of the Napoleonic Wars. Stage 4 takes riders over 163.5 kilometers (105 miles) from Le Touquet-Paris Plage to Lille Metropole on the border with Belgium.

Froome’s Team Sky floated the idea that the pack might well ride under the sea rather than fly over it one day, if the Tour ever returns to the UK. The team released a glitzy video Monday saying that last month he became the first man to cycle through the Channel tunnel.

In the video, Froome quipped: “This could be a really, really cool stage of a race.”

___

AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed from London.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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