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5 things about the Tour de France Stage 13

By WTOP Staff

GREG KELLER
Associated Press

CHAMROUSSE, France (AP) — Scorching hot temperatures continued to fry riders on the Tour de France, with another sweltering day in the saddle for race leader Vincenzo Nibali as he extended his lead during Stage 13. Others were not so fortunate, such as Australia’s Richie Porte, who dropped out of overall contention more than 11 minutes back and left his once mighty Team Sky looking for a new purpose at the Tour.

Here are five things to know about the Tour on Friday:

MOMENT OF SILENCE: The Tour de France briefly came to a halt Friday as riders and race followers held a moment of silence in honor of the 298 people on the Malaysian Airlines jetliner shot down over Ukraine on Thursday.

Before the start of the day’s stage in Saint-Etienne the 177 riders still in contention stood silently over their bikes and the normally boistrous crowd of fans and onlookers joined them in a minute of quiet reflection.

The plane was brought down by what authorities say was a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine.

Because the plane took off from Amsterdam, most of those killed were Dutch headed for Kuala Lumpur. Dutch squads Belkin and Giant Shimano wore black armbands over their cycling jerseys in an additional mark of respect for those killed in the attack.

BARDET IN WHITE: 23-year-old Frenchman Romain Bardet and his rival for the White Jersey, fellow Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, 24, continued their fight in the best young rider race, with each finishing the stage with reason to be happy.

Pinot narrowed his gap with Bardet, crossing the line half-a-minute ahead of his rival.

Bardet meanwhile kept the distinctive white jersey for top rider under 25 for a fourth consecutive day. The young AG2R team climber, riding his second Tour, has kept a low-profile but that would change overnight if he manages to keep his current podium spot all the way to Paris. The last time a Frenchman stood on the Tour’s final podium was 17 years ago, when Richard Virenque finished 2nd in the 1997 Tour.

Bardet finished Friday’s stage in seventh place, crossing the line 1 minute 23 seconds alongside 2012 White Jersey winner, American Tejay van Garderen.

Bardet, who finished 15th in his first Tour last year, said he’s suffered in the scorching heat Friday in the Alps. “It was suffocating, I felt like I was in a furnace,” Bardet said.

PLAN C FOR SKY: Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford says the British squad will keep up its fighting spirit, even after Richie Porte’s disappointing drop off the podium Friday.

Brailsford took a barrage of criticism for coming to the Tour without 2012 champion Bradley Wiggins. He now sees himself forced to look for a plan C, after original leader Chris Froome crashed out in Stage 5 and Plan B rider Porte plunged to 16th place from 2nd overall on the torrid ascent to the Chamrousse ski station.

Asked after the race how to explain Porte’s collapse, Brailsford said “I don’t know is the honest answer. That wasn’t the Richie that we’ve seen for the first part of the race.”

The Welshman promised that even decapitated of a second leader, Team Sky is “not going to just roll over.”

“We recalibrated to our Plan B as it were, and now we’ve got to recalibrate again,” Brailsford said outside the team’s bus, while Porte and teammate Geraint Thomas cooled down nearby.

Porte shrugged off the disappointment and promised to soldier on.

“It happened to me so it can happen to the other guys too, so we just have to keep on pushing,” Porte said.

ABANDONS: Three riders dropped out of the race during Friday’s stage: Garmin Sharp’s Janier Acevedo, Cofidis’ Daniel Navarro, and Frenchman Arthur Vichot of Team FDJ.fr. Acevedo had been vying for the Red Lantern near the bottom of the Tour’s overall classification, while Navarro was his team’s best-placed rider at 37th overall. The 25-year-old Vichot was riding his fourth Tour, and had never previously abandoned the race.

In a message posted to his Twitter account, Vichot said he was “gutted” by the decision to abandon but that “I ran out of strength.”

“That’s high-level sports: there’s no place for the weak and when you’re sick, you’re weak, so you’re out,” Vichot said.

Vichot had been one of the key lieutenants for FDJ.fr’s top rider Thibaut Pinot. Team boss Marc Madiot said the loss of Vichot in the upcoming mountain stages will be a hindrance to Pinot’s aim of taking the White Jersey or even making the Tour’s final podium in Paris.

“It’s always harmful to the team when someone abandons, it’s better to be 9 than 8,” Madiot said.

THE OTHER BADGER: Wisconsin native Matthew Busche worked hard all day for team leader Frank Schleck until the final punishing climb up to Chamrousse ski station. At that point, his work done, Busche peeled off and finished the climb in a small group almost 22 minutes behind stage winner Vincenzo Nibali. The 29-year-old riding his first Tour messaged on his Twitter account after the race “Wow that was a doozy of a day.” 5-time Tour champion Bernard Hinault, whose nickname is the Badger, would certainly agree.

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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