Sports
Valverde and Nibali prepare for last race
The final World Tour race of the road cycling season marks the end of a classic year of racing.
This year, Il Lombardia – or the ‘race of the falling leaves’ as it is known – also brings to an end the careers of two of the sport’s legends.
At 37, it feels as if Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali has been in the autumn of his career for some time, but that’s nothing compared to his Spanish counterpart, Alejandro Valverde, who is climbing off the bike at the same time, yet five years older.
For years – 20 in Valverde’s case – the pair have entertained across the Alps and the cobbled classics with explosive riding that has inspired a generation of fans and commanded the highest respect across the peloton.
They are cycling’s goodfellas.
‘The Shark’
For Sicilian Nibali, it was all in his race craft. ‘The Shark of Messina’ had power and strength in abundance – a higher form of athlete who could win the hardest races, the three-week Grand Tours.
He won four, in fact, including being the only rider to break Team Sky’s dominance by claiming the 2014 Tour de France for Astana.
A Vuelta a Espana (2010) and Giro d’Italia (2013) had preceded that – the latter including a dominant victory in the driving snow up on Tre Cima de Lavaredo – before a second Giro followed in 2016 during which he dramatically grabbed the pink jersey with just two stages to go.
Ironically, going downhill was what made Nibali great in the eyes of so many. His balletic poise on the bike while travelling at speeds of 100kp/h would see him power to victory, sometimes wheelie-ing over the treacherous trickles of icy water wandering across the mountain hairpin bends.
If anything, it’s a surprise he didn’t win the legendary season-opening ‘monument’ – one of five in the sport – from Milan-San Remo more than once, given its terrifying final descent off the Poggio climb.
It was there in 2018 that ‘The Shark’ blew away his rivals with an acceleration into San Remo for Bahrain Merida.
It’s fitting that Nibali ends his World Tour career in Italy in the season-closing monument, on roads in Como that will be emblazoned with his name, given he is the only Italian rider in recent times to come close to past heroes such as Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi and Marco Pantani.
“Winning can be addictive,” Nibali told Eurosport last year. “When you cross the finish line, it’s a mix of emotions that goes to your soul, but also your head.”
He later added: “I can’t forget that I left home when I was 15 years old. I think I gave a lot to cycling and now it’s time to give time back to all the people who sacrificed things for me.”
‘El Bala’
Spaniard Valverde will also be at home in the sense his final act is a one-day race – his speciality.
Valverde has won several races in his career, including 16 Grand Tour stages, but there was one particular week during most seasons where he was practically unbeatable. He notably won the often brutally cold Belgian monument Liege-Bastogne-Liege four times, and the preceding classic La Fleche Wallonne on five occasions.
His slight frame was seemingly perfect for Belgium’s short, sharp climbs, even though he did win across three weeks in his home Vuelta a Espana in 2009.
“Liege-Bastogne-Liege is a really hard race, very demanding,” Valverde told BBC Sport recently. “Any World Tour race is hard, but I don’t know… I like the race atmosphere and doing a monument is always very special – this race also suits my characteristics really well.”
His career is decorated, and no other rider is treated more royally than ‘El Bala’ (The Bullet), not least by his Movistar team. That was illustrated in the Netflix documentary ‘The Least Expected Day’, which highlights the Spanish squad’s struggles on the road and in the team bus.
And yet Valverde’s ‘palmares’ – his CV – is viewed by some as lacking. Britain has a lot to do with that, given the country’s success – through Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas – across the Sky/Ineos era which often put paid to the efforts of both these patriarchs of the peloton.
One of Valverde’s greatest races, he remembers, was a victory soon after the death of his friend Michele Scarponi in 2017 following the Italian’s training accident.
“Man, all of these races are very beautiful, really any of them such as perhaps 2006 or ’08, but the year I won after Michele Scarponi was a bit more special.”
Scarponi was another ‘goodfella’ and a team-mate of Nibali’s at Astana. It is the team Nibali will end his career with after a total of five seasons with them and 17 on the road in total.
The results in recent years haven’t come easily, but Valverde’s world road champion’s rainbow jersey in 2018, and the pair coming over the line within 10 seconds of each other for first and second in a shortened stage 20 of the 2019 Tour de France, demonstrate why they were so admired in the cycling community.
Both the riders and their fans will shortly have to get used to the peloton losing two of its legends.
Reports /TrainViral/
Argentina beat Colombia to win a record 16th Copa America but the game was marred by the kick-off being delayed by 80 minutes because of trouble outside the ground in Miami.
Lautaro Martinez struck in the second half of extra time from Giovani lo Celso’s through ball to secure the win.
Captain Lionel Messi was left in tears when he had to be replaced midway through the second half after injuring himself while chasing for the ball – but was celebrating his country’s third successive major tournament at the final whistle.
Kick-off was delayed because of chaos outside the Hard Rock Stadium.
Organisers said ticketless fans tried to get into the ground, leaving some fans waiting for hours in the Miami heat for the gates to open.
Fans and police officers and security clashed with several arrests made. Several supporters needed treatment from paramedics.
On top of that the half-time break lasted for 25 minutes because of a concert by Colombian popstar Shakira on the pitch, a move that was criticised by Colombia boss Nestor Lorenzo beforehand.
It was a game of few clear chances in hot, humid conditions, with Colombia’s Jhon Cordoba hitting the woodwork in the first half.
Argentina thought they had taken the lead with 15 minutes to go but Nicolas Tagliafico’s effort was ruled out for offside.
Martinez would end up as the hero – and win the Golden Boot with five goals.
What now for Messi after Copa America glory?
Lionel Messi went off injured in the second half
Messi had never won a senior international tournament until the age of 34 and now he has won three in three years after the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup.
The final was played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami – which is just over 20 miles from the city of Fort Lauderdale, where Messi’s Inter Miami club play.
The 37-year-old said before this tournament he had yet to make a decision on whether he will play on for his country until the next World Cup, which is also in the US – as well as Canada and Mexico.
His powers seem to be waning and his only goal of the tournament came in the semi-final win over Canada. He missed a penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Ecuador.
In this game he was hurt by a tackle in the first half and hobbled off in the second period, holding an ice pack on his ankle on the bench.
Is this his final major tournament appearance of a legendary career?
It was certainly the final appearance of Angel di Maria’s international career. The 145-times capped player had already announced he would retire from the international stage after this.
Trouble before the game
There were problems getting fans into the ground for kick-off
The delays before the game were more bad news for organisers – with the Hard Rock Stadium due to host games at the 2026 World Cup.
In the semi-finals in Charlotte, Uruguay players clashed with Colombia fans after the final whistle – because they were worried about the safety of their families.
Players’ families were affected too in Miami.
Roberto Garnacho, brother of Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, wrote on social media: “What a shame CONMEBOL, the families not being able to enter the stadium, unbelievable.
“We were with [Argentina defender Marcos Acuna’s] family outside, getting away from the fights… Argentina’s security had to come get us, children of players crying, people entering without tickets.”
Colombia’s wait goes on
Colombia had been unbeaten in 28 games, a run stretching over two years going back to a World Cup qualifier against Argentina.
But their only Copa America triumph remains the 2001 success in their home country.
They had chances against the Argentines, most notably when Cordoba hit the post early on with a hooked volley.
Writtes /BBC/
Reports /Trainviral/
Ex-Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK.
Mr Anderson was suspended as a Conservative MP after refusing to apologise for claims Islamists had “control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The defection ends weeks of speculation about the Ashfield MP and TV presenter’s future.
Mr Anderson said he had been given the chance to “speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country” who support Reform.
He becomes Reform UK’s first ever MP, representing a party polling around 10% of national voting intention.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Anderson said he was “prepared to gamble on myself” because he said he knew “how many people support Reform and what they have to say”.
“All I want is my country back,” he added.
Reform UK founder and honorary president Nigel Farage said called the defection “huge”. He said: “I don’t think Westminster really understands this yet.”
Mr Anderson ruled out calling a by-election in his own seat, telling the BBC it “would be pretty reckless for me to suggest a by-election when we could have a general election in May”.
Two years ago, Mr Anderson backed a failed bid to let constituents trigger a by-election when their MP changes parties.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said Mr Anderson had “made a real mistake” in defecting from the Conservatives.
“Reform is not the answer,” he added.
Mr Cleverly said he agreed with Mr Anderson’s comments from January this year, when he said a “vote for Reform will only let the Labour party in”.
Red Wall ‘champion’
Mr Anderson was elected in 2019 to the Red Wall seat of Ashfield with a 5,700 vote majority – having previously served as a Labour councillor for his home town.
The son of a coal miner, Mr Anderson belonged to Arthur Scargill’s National Union of Mineworkers. His first job in politics was working in the office of local Labour MP Gloria De Piero, serving as district councillor at the same time.
After switching to the Conservative Party, the staunch Brexit supporter became an ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson.
He was made deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in February last year, but resigned in January to rebel against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill.
Announcing Mr Anderson’s defection, Reform UK Leader Richard Tice said his party had founds a “champion” for its plans to supplant the Conservatives in the Red Wall.
Mr Anderson was a “person of great integrity”, Mr Tice added.
The Reform leader said: “I think millions of British people endorsed the concerns and sentiments of what Lee was saying, which is that we are sick and tired of our streets being taken over by these pro-Hamas, extremist, antisemitic people and Islamist extremists.”
Reform UK has confirmed he will stand for Ashfield in the general election, superseding Henry Grisewood – who the party had initially chosen.
Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, said Mr Anderson’s defection showed “the Conservatives are falling apart”.
“The truth is that the prime minister is too weak to lead a party too extreme to be led,” he said.
Some of Mr Anderson’s former colleagues criticised his defection – saying it made “a less conservative Britain more likely”.
The New Conservatives, made up mostly of 2019 Tory Red Wall MPs like Mr Anderson, said “the responsibility for Lee’s defection sits with the Conservative Party”.
In a statement, the group argued the Tory party’s failure to stick to the promises of the 2019 general election had led to split in the party.
Mr Anderson sparked a backlash after he claimed last month that the capital had been “taken over” amid the weekly pro-Palestinian protests over the war in Gaza.
In an interview with GB News, Mr Anderson said: “I don’t actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is that they’ve got control of Khan, they’ve got control of London.
“He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”
Mr Anderson was stripped of the Tory whip after he refused to apologise for the remarks. He instead doubled down on his comments although conceded his phrasing was “clumsy”.
Analysis by BBC chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman
Lee Anderson’s decision to join Reform is unquestionably a significant blow for Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.
Despite having no MPs and just a small handful of councillors, Reform are reliably polling around 10%. That is a high enough figure that some Conservative MPs believe it is as important for them to win back voters they are losing to Reform as it is those who are switching to Labour.
By giving Reform a parliamentary figurehead for the first time, Mr Anderson may make it harder for the Conservatives to reunite the right.
There are some important caveats. Most importantly, Mr Anderson is not making his defection from a position of strength. He was suspended from the Conservative ranks at Westminster after accusing Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, of being controlled by Islamists.
Mr Anderson refused to apologise for his comments, making his suspension all but inevitable. There was grumbling from some Conservatives who wanted Mr Anderson to be handed a clear path back into the fold – but any such route would almost certainly have required him to apologise, which he again refused to do today.
It’s also worth noting that while Mr Anderson is well-known in Westminster for his pugnacious style, and has a show on GB News, he is not exactly a major national figure. Arguably a more worrying announcement for the Conservatives would have been the return of Nigel Farage to active campaigning duties.
Yet one person who definitely does rate Mr Anderson’s ability to connect with a slice of the British public is the prime minister himself. Mr Sunak appointed Mr Anderson a deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in February last year. And as recently as January Mr Anderson starred with him in a campaign video about how “we should be so proud of our country”.
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