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Nibali excels at Tour as Contador crashes out

By WTOP Staff

JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

PLANCHER-LES-MINES, France (AP) — After just 10 stages, the two pre-race favorites have crashed out of the Tour de France. And Vincenzo Nibali is wasting little time in showing that he’s now the man to beat.

On Monday, the Italian narrowly dodged a spill by Alberto Contador that left the two-time Tour champion with a fractured shin. Nibali went on to barrel past a panting breakaway rider to win a fog-and-rain coated, up-and-down Stage 10 and recover the yellow jersey that he had lost only a day earlier.

It didn’t come easy.

“This was the hardest stage I’ve ever done in a Grand Tour, with seven climbs and so many crashes,” said Nibali.

Contador’s mishap has given this 101st edition of cycling’s greatest event a dubious distinction of being the first in recent memory to force out its two top stars to crash injuries. Five stages earlier, reigning champ Chris Froome quit with a broken wrist and hand sustained in a string of spills.

As the race enters its first rest day on Tuesday, Nibali — who has already won the Spanish Vuelta and Italian Giro — looks on his way to winning his first Tour with just under two weeks to go.

When Stage 10 began, many race pundits — and Nibali himself — expected Contador to try to erase his 2 1/2 minute deficit to the Italian by attacking on the ride to the finish atop La Planche des Belles Filles ski resort. As FDJ.FR team manager Marc Madiot put it: “This is the day for Contador to put Nibali into trouble.”

Instead, it was Contador having the problems.

The 31-year-old Spaniard took a hard tumble in a high-speed downhill run in the Vosges mountains. After riding about 18 kilometers (12 miles) in pain, the Tinkoff-Saxo Bank team leader finally gave up. He put his foot down, got off his bike, wiped his eyes and got into a team car. An X-ray later showed a shin fracture.

Nibali said he had been ready for a “duel”.

“I already had a good lead and I was ready to fight in a big duel with Alberto,” he said. “Crashes are part of the sport. I’ve crashed myself many times in the past too. It’s a pity that the Tour has lost two major protagonists.”

The Astana team leader regained the lead from France’s Tony Gallopin — who had taken the yellow jersey off him a day earlier — in the 161.5-kilometer (100-mile) trek from eastern Mulhouse to the steep finish at La Planche des Belles Filles.

With a final burst of speed in the last two kilometers (1.2 miles), Nibali overtook breakaway rider Joaquim Rodriguez. By the end, Nibali crossed 15 seconds ahead of France’s Thibaut Pinot in second and Spain’s Alejandro Valverde in third, a further five seconds behind.

The Italian recovers the yellow jersey that he wore for seven days after he won the second stage in the hills of northern England. Overall, he leads Richie Porte of Australia by 2 minutes, 23 seconds, and Valverde, who is third, 2:47 back.

“My legs felt good. I knew the last three kilometers were the toughest, and that’s when I accelerated,” said Nibali, sucking his thumb in a tribute to his young daughter as he finished. “I thought Rodriguez would follow but he seemed to have trouble.”

A string of crash injuries has meant that the Tour will have a first-time winner this year. Andy Schleck, the 2010 Tour winner, dropped out before Stage 4 following a crash injury a day earlier, though the Luxembourg rider said before the race that he wasn’t in good enough shape to contend this year.

According to his spokesman, Contador said he wasn’t exactly sure what caused the crash — which happened while he was speeding downhill at over 70 kph (about 40 mph) about halfway through the stage. Contador began the stage in ninth place overall — 4 minutes, 8 seconds back of Gallopin.

“He explained to me just a few minutes ago that he (hit) a stone or a hole in the road or something — and he crashed,” Contador spokesman Jacinto Vidarte told The Associated Press by phone during the stage. “He couldn’t do anything about it.”

TV images showed thick streams of blood pouring from Contador’s right knee after the crash, his hip was scraped up, and the back of his jersey torn. Team director Bjarne Riis rushed over and bandaged the knee. Philippe Mauduit, a team sporting director, said initial X-rays showed that a Contador had a fractured shin.

Contador then sat back down on the grass bank and changed his left shoe as riders weaved through the narrow gap between him and his bicycle. After several minutes, he got back in the saddle of a new bike, and three teammates who had dropped back escorted him to try to make up lost time as the peloton pulled away up the Col du Platzerwaswel mountain pass.

The Spaniard rode for about another half-hour, clearly in pain, and finally stopped, got off, wiped his eyes and climbed into a team car.

Nibali said he was riding next to Contador, and almost went down himself.

“I feared that the Tour might be over for me too,” the Italian said. “There were a lot of risks today, and I’m really sorry for Alberto Contador. I was right behind him and luckily I was able to avoid him. It was on a descent. The road wasn’t in great condition.

“I don’t know what happened, but it was just incredible,” said Nibali. “He fell right in front of me and was rolling on the floor. We must have been going about 60 kilometers per hour.”

There were crashes elsewhere.

Italian rider Michele Scarponi — Nibali’s Astana teammate — sustained a heavy crash coming down from the penultimate climb up to Col des Chevreres. He misjudged a turn and thudded into a protective crash barrier, flipping over his bike and colliding with a spectator, who was unhurt. Scarponi was able to continue riding.

British rider Geraint Thomas also crashed but kept racing with blood pouring out of his left elbow.

The race resumes Wednesday with a slightly hilly 187.5-kilometer (116.3-mile) route from Besancon to Oyonnax in eastern France. Stage 11 will feature four moderate climbs toward the end.

The three-week race ends on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 27.

___

Eds: AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire in Plancher-les-Mines, France, contributed to this report.

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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