German Stefan Schumacher caught the favourites out to snatch the Tour de France overall leader's yellow jersey with victory in the fourth stage, a 29.5-km time trial around Cholet on Tuesday. The Gerolsteiner rider clocked a best time of 35 minutes and 44 seconds on a windswept course at an average speed of 49.534 kph to beat Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen of Team Columbia by 18 seconds.
Rider Stefan Schumacher's admission that he had used banned substances was welcomed by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and national cycling federation (BDR) on Friday.
Bahrain's Olympic 1,500 metres gold medallist Rashid Ramzi and two cyclists are among six athletes to test positive for the blood booster CERA at the Beijing Olympics, officials said on Wednesday. Italy's road race silver medallist Davide Rebellin and German Stefan Schumacher, who is already banned for doping, were confirmed to have tested positive for CERA along with Ramzi in re-tests of samples taken in Beijing last year.
Spain's Luis Leon Sanchez claimed his maiden Tour de France victory when he took the seventh stage with a bold solo attack in the finale of a 159-km ride from Brioude to Aurillac on Friday.
A procession of barges will take nearly 7,000 athletes along the river past Paris's most famous landmarks, while more than 300,000 spectators will watch from the banks.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been named Sweden's footballer of the year for the ninth time and although his eighth victory in a row came as no shock, his acceptance speech showing a more sensitive side surprised many.
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