Category Sports News

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel has taken the overall lead of the Criterium du Dauphine after victory in the time trial on stage 4.

The reigning Olympic and world time trial champion beat nearest rival Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike by 21 seconds on the 17.4km course.

Soudal-Quick Step’s Evenepoel, considered to be the world’s third best rider, will be competing against rivals Tadej Pogacar and Denmark’s Vingegaard at the Tour de France next month.

Reigning Tour champion Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG was a surprising 49 seconds down on the day to Evenepoel in a discipline in which the Slovenian is often peerless.

Pogacar trails Evenepoel by 38 seconds in the general classification, with Vingegaard 16 seconds down in fifth place.

Germany’s Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe is second in the GC, four seconds down.

“I’m very happy with this victory – the thousandth for the team,” said Evenepoel after completing the course in his special Olympic gold helmet. “This one is for Patrick [Lefevere, former boss] – for everything he did for the team.

“I think in terms of [my] weight, it’s already pretty good – much better than last year – I’ve been working super hard behind the scenes.”

The race, which takes place across the Dauphine region of south-east France, is the traditional warm-up for the Tour.

Only four times in the last 10 editions has the overall winner gone on to be victorious in the Tour.

Spaniard Ivan Romeo of Movistar lost the yellow jersey after victory on stage three, finishing one min 25 secs down to Evenepoel.

The eight-day stage race moves on to Saint Priest on Thursday for a hilly 183km test to Macon.

Stage four results

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick Step) 20mins 51secs

2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +21secs

3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/Visma-Lease a Bike) +38secs

4. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +49secs

5. Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +57secs

6. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +1mins 2secs

7. Remi Cavagna (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) +1min 7secs

8. Eddie Dunbar (Irl/Jayco-AlUla) +1min 10secs

9. Tobias Foss (Nor/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min 10secs

10. Paul Seixas (Fra/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +1min 12secs

General classification after stage four

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick Step) 14hrs 31mins 8secs

2. Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +4secs

3. Ivan Romeo (Spa/Movistar) +9secs

4. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +14secs

5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) +16secs

6. Eddie Dunbar (Irl/Jayco-AlUla) +30secs

7. Harold Tejada (Col/XDS Astana) Same time

8. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +38secs

9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/Visma-Lease a Bike) +39secs

10. Louis Barre (Fra/Intermarche-Wanty) +1min 3secs

England manager Thomas Tuchel says his mother views some of Jude Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as “repulsive” – but he believes any critics of the Real Madrid midfielder do not know the “special boy” he does.

Bellingham, 21, was angered by a VAR decision to rule out his second-half goal in Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal, when England were 2-1 down.

England eventually lost 3-1 at the City Ground, which was Tuchel’s first defeat in charge of the national team.

In an interview with Talksport, Tuchel said Bellingham’s “fire” is something he does not want to “dim down” but does need to be “channelled” in the right direction.

“It needs to be channelled towards the opponent and towards our goal, not to intimidate team-mates or be over-aggressive towards team-mates and officials, but always towards the solution, towards winning.

“He has the fire and I don’t want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire, but the fire comes with some attributes that can intimidate you, maybe even as a team-mate.

“You sometimes see the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game. If he can channel this in the right way, and we can help him with this, then for sure he has the something we need and a certain edge that is hard to find.

“He’s a nice kid, very open, very intelligent and he’s been very easy [to manage] so far.”

It was put to Tuchel that there may be some fans who feel England would be better without Bellingham in the team, to which he replied: “I struggle to see that and I think it has to be the other way around – how we can have the best version of him, that people understand what he brings to us and he’s bringing a certain edge.

“I see it can bring mixed emotions. I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice, well-educated, well-behaved guy that I see.

“If he smiles, he wins everyone. But sometimes you see the rage, the hunger and the fire and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive, for example, for my mother when she sits in front of the TV. I see that but, in general, we are very happy to have him. He’s a special boy.”

BBC Sport has been told there is no unease from the Football Association about the interview.

The governing body believes Tuchel’s intention was to portray just how special Bellingham is – something they feel the head coach has achieved.

Against Senegal, Tuchel made 10 changes to his starting line-up from Saturday’s World Cup qualifying victory against Andorra, with only captain Harry Kane keeping his place.

Asked about trying to get the best of the talent available to him and whether individual players may have to adapt for the betterment of the team, Tuchel said: “Gareth [Southgate] and Lee [Carsley] tried it, to bring as many of these highly talented players together.

“I am trying now at the moment and still we feel we are lacking the enthusiasm and the joy consistently on the international level.

“I can just underline that the individual has to take a step back for the greater good. It’s on us to find the right mixture, the right team, the right chemistry and the right connections in the team that they enjoy to play with each other. We haven’t done this yet.

“The first camp was a step in the right direction, the second camp was a bit of a mixture. We come to September, October and November, where by nature it gets more competitive and more straightforward in selection and the tone because we enter a World Cup year.”

England’s next two matches are in September, with World Cup qualifiers scheduled against Andorra and Serbia.

England manager Thomas Tuchel says that while some fans – including the German’s mother – may view some of Jude Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as “repulsive”, any critics of the Real Madrid midfielder do not know the “special boy” he does.

Bellingham, 21, was angered by a VAR decision to rule out his second-half goal in Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal, when England were 2-1 down.

England eventually lost 3-1 at the City Ground, which was Tuchel’s first defeat in charge of the national team.

In an interview with Talksport, Tuchel said Bellingham’s “fire” is something he does not want to “dim down” but does need to be “channelled” in the right direction.

“It needs to be channelled towards the opponent and towards our goal, not to intimidate team-mates or be over-aggressive towards team-mates and officials, but always towards the solution, towards winning.

“He has the fire and I don’t want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire, but the fire comes with some attributes that can intimidate you, maybe even as a team-mate.

“You sometimes see the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game. If he can channel this in the right way, and we can help him with this, then for sure he has the something we need and a certain edge that is hard to find.

“He’s a nice kid, very open, very intelligent and he’s been very easy [to manage] so far.”

It was put to Tuchel that there may be some fans who feel England would be better without Bellingham in the team, to which he replied: “I struggle to see that and I think it has to be the other way around – how we can have the best version of him, that people understand what he brings to us and he’s bringing a certain edge.

“I see it can bring mixed emotions. I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice, well-educated, well-behaved guy that I see.

Against Senegal, Tuchel made 10 changes to his starting line-up from Saturday’s World Cup qualifying victory against Andorra, with only captain Harry Kane keeping his place.

Asked about trying to get the best of the talent available to him and whether individual players may have to adapt for the betterment of the team, Tuchel said: “Gareth [Southgate] and Lee [Carsley] tried it, to bring as many of these highly talented players together.

“I am trying now at the moment and still we feel we are lacking the enthusiasm and the joy consistently on the international level.

“I can just underline that the individual has to take a step back for the greater good. It’s on us to find the right mixture, the right team, the right chemistry and the right connections in the team that they enjoy to play with each other. We haven’t done this yet.

“The first camp was a step in the right direction, the second camp was a bit of a mixture. We come to September, October and November, where by nature it gets more competitive and more straightforward in selection and the tone because we enter a World Cup year.”

England’s next two matches are in September, with World Cup qualifiers scheduled against Andorra and Serbia.

England manager Thomas Tuchel says that while some fans – including the German’s mother – may view some of Jude Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as “repulsive”, any critics of the Real Madrid midfielder do not know the “special boy” he does.

Bellingham, 21, was angered by a VAR decision to rule out his second-half goal in Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal, when England were 2-1 down.

England eventually lost 3-1 at the City Ground, which was Tuchel’s first defeat in charge of the national team.

In an interview with Talksport, Tuchel said Bellingham’s “fire” is something he does not want to “dim down” but does need to be “channelled” in the right direction.

“It needs to be channelled towards the opponent and towards our goal, not to intimidate team-mates or be over-aggressive towards team-mates and officials, but always towards the solution, towards winning.

“He has the fire and I don’t want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire, but the fire comes with some attributes that can intimidate you, maybe even as a team-mate.

“You sometimes see the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game. If he can channel this in the right way, and we can help him with this, then for sure he has the something we need and a certain edge that is hard to find.

“He’s a nice kid, very open, very intelligent and he’s been very easy [to manage] so far.”

It was put to Tuchel that there may be some fans who feel England would be better without Bellingham in the team, to which he replied: “I struggle to see that and I think it has to be the other way around – how we can have the best version of him, that people understand what he brings to us and he’s bringing a certain edge.

“I see it can bring mixed emotions. I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice, well-educated, well-behaved guy that I see.

Against Senegal, Tuchel made 10 changes to his starting line-up from Saturday’s World Cup qualifying victory against Andorra, with only captain Harry Kane keeping his place.

Asked about trying to get the best of the talent available to him and whether individual players may have to adapt for the betterment of the team, Tuchel said: “Gareth [Southgate] and Lee [Carsley] tried it, to bring as many of these highly talented players together.

“I am trying now at the moment and still we feel we are lacking the enthusiasm and the joy consistently on the international level.

“I can just underline that the individual has to take a step back for the greater good. It’s on us to find the right mixture, the right team, the right chemistry and the right connections in the team that they enjoy to play with each other. We haven’t done this yet.

“The first camp was a step in the right direction, the second camp was a bit of a mixture. We come to September, October and November, where by nature it gets more competitive and more straightforward in selection and the tone because we enter a World Cup year.”

England’s next two matches are in September, with World Cup qualifiers scheduled against Andorra and Serbia.

Three colours are used for cricket balls in different formats – red, white, and pink.

The difference in colour is down to visibility. The traditional red ball remains used for Test matches as they stand out in daylight and don’t clash with the players’ whites

White balls were introduced for matches in limited-overs formats, which often take place under floodlights like One-Day Internationals and T20s. They were developed in the 1970s and first used in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

Cricket balls have a cork interior, held together by tightly wound yarn. The exterior of first-class balls is typically made of four pieces of leather which is either machine or hand-stitched together to create the distinctive seam.

Whenever a manufacturer produces cricket balls for the men’s first-class game, they must abide by the following measurements:

The different balls are designed with distinct colours for visibility reasons only, and manufacturers often insist no difference exists beyond the colour.

But many players, coaches and fans believe they each behave differently.

There is a common perception the white ball swings more than the red ball, and bowlers also sometimes claim there is a difference in feel in the hand between the two, leading to a slight difference in grip and greater difficulty generating spin.

Given the discrepancy between what the manufacturers say and what players insist they experience, there is no conclusive answer which explains whether the different balls really do or do not play differently.

But if they do, what could possibly be behind it?

Well, the exteriors of the different kinds of ball are treated slightly differently during the manufacturing process.

Red balls are commonly darkened with wax before the lacquering process, lending them a leathery feel, while white balls can have an extra layer of polish applied to improve their shine under floodlights.

That creates a smoother, glassier finish which could allow white balls to move slightly more quickly through the air and face less resistance, leading it to swing farther than the red ball. The seam on a white ball can also be less prominent than on a red ball, leading to a further decrease in air resistance.

The pink ball is treated more similarly to the white ball, though it features a black or green seam to improve contrast. Some believe the pink ball has a tendency to swing even more than the white ball.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. This question was submitted by Mark in Preston. Thanks, Mark!

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

The team explores everything you need to know and calls upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.

We answer your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and go behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Three colours are used for cricket balls in different formats – red, white, and pink.

The difference in colour is down to visibility. The traditional red ball remains used for Test matches as they stand out in daylight and don’t clash with the players’ whites

White balls were introduced for matches in limited-overs formats, which often take place under floodlights like One-Day Internationals and T20s. They were developed in the 1970s and first used in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

Cricket balls have a cork interior, held together by tightly wound yarn. The exterior of first-class balls is typically made of four pieces of leather which is either machine or hand-stitched together to create the distinctive seam.

Whenever a manufacturer produces cricket balls for the men’s first-class game, they must abide by the following measurements:

The different balls are designed with distinct colours for visibility reasons only, and manufacturers often insist no difference exists beyond the colour.

But many players, coaches and fans believe they each behave differently.

There is a common perception the white ball swings more than the red ball, and bowlers also sometimes claim there is a difference in feel in the hand between the two, leading to a slight difference in grip and greater difficulty generating spin.

Given the discrepancy between what the manufacturers say and what players insist they experience, there is no conclusive answer which explains whether the different balls really do or do not play differently.

But if they do, what could possibly be behind it?

Well, the exteriors of the different kinds of ball are treated slightly differently during the manufacturing process.

Red balls are commonly darkened with wax before the lacquering process, lending them a leathery feel, while white balls can have an extra layer of polish applied to improve their shine under floodlights.

That creates a smoother, glassier finish which could allow white balls to move slightly more quickly through the air and face less resistance, leading it to swing farther than the red ball. The seam on a white ball can also be less prominent than on a red ball, leading to a further decrease in air resistance.

The pink ball is treated more similarly to the white ball, though it features a black or green seam to improve contrast. Some believe the pink ball has a tendency to swing even more than the white ball.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. This question was submitted by Mark in Preston. Thanks, Mark!

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

The team explores everything you need to know and calls upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.

We answer your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and go behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.