Jonas Vingegaard has taken a significant step towards Giro d’Italia glory by claiming a dominant solo victory on stage 16 to extend his overall lead.
The Dane launched a devastating attack with six-and-a-half kilometres of the final climb remaining to Cari.
It marks his fourth stage win of this debut campaign in the Italian Grand Tour, but his first while wearing the prestigious pink jersey.
Gall moves into second as Eulalio drops
Felix Gall briefly attempted to match the blistering pace before eventually settling into a chasing group.
The Austrian rider finished one minute and nine seconds adrift, but the performance was enough to move him up to second in the general classification.
Gall now sits four minutes and three seconds behind the formidable Visma-Lease A Bike leader.
Former race leader Afonso Eulalio suffered heavily on the final ascent, dropping from second to fifth overall after losing more than three minutes.
Swiss stage sets up brutal weekend
The short 113km route from Bellinzona took place entirely within Switzerland and encouraged an aggressive day of racing.
However, the intention of the dominant Dutch team to set their primary rider up for another mountain victory was apparent from the start.
The peloton will face rolling terrain on stage 17, which is expected to favour a strong breakaway before the high mountains return this weekend.
Conor McGregor has agreed a new contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship ahead of his return to the octagon against Max Holloway in Las Vegas on 11 July.
The 37-year-old will headline UFC 329 at the T-Mobile Arena in what will be his first professional bout in five years.
The highly anticipated matchup takes place at welterweight and serves as a rematch 13 years after the Irishman outpointed his Hawaiian rival.
Contract disputes and a fresh start
Questions had surrounded the former dual-weight champion’s contractual status following the promotion’s recent shift away from a pay-per-view business model.
He previously claimed his existing agreement was rendered void by the structural changes.
However, the Dublin-born striker has now confirmed he reached a satisfactory resolution with the organisation.
“I’ve got a great opponent, I’ve got a great deal off the UFC. I’m very, very happy. They honored me, finally.”
Overcoming adversity and ring rust
The former featherweight and lightweight titleholder has not competed since suffering a horrific leg break against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
Despite the prolonged absence, he insists his physical condition and mental sharpness remain elite.
“My body’s fresh, my mind is sharp, I’m ready to come back.”
His upcoming opponent faces his own positional challenges, as the 34-year-old steps up to the 170lb division for the first time.
Holloway recently surrendered his symbolic ‘BMF’ title via a comprehensive points defeat to Charles Oliveira in March.
Preparing for every scenario
Acknowledging the traumatic end to his last appearance, the returning veteran revealed a more pragmatic approach to his training camps.
He explained that his preparations now heavily focus on surviving adverse situations inside the cage to prevent another premature stoppage.
“I have found, as I have gotten more experience in the fight game, to work my way backwards from the worst-case scenario to the best-case scenario.”
The PGA of America has removed president Don Rea Jr with immediate effect following his controversial handling of unruly fan behaviour at the Ryder Cup.
The organisation’s board of directors confirmed a leadership transition on Friday after suspending the executive for the remainder of his term, which was due to conclude in November.
Current vice-president Nathan Charnes has been immediately elevated to the role of acting president.
Bethpage Black controversy
The dismissed chief faced severe criticism following the September tournament in New York, where European players were subjected to vitriolic and expletive-laden abuse.
He initially downplayed the hostile atmosphere directed at Rory McIlroy and his team-mates, comparing the crowd’s hostility to what might be heard at a youth football match.
A week later, the embattled executive issued an apology via email to the governing body’s 30,000-plus golf professionals.
“Some fan behavior clearly crossed the line and was disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative of who we are as the PGA of America or as PGA of America golf professionals.”
He also admitted in the correspondence that his initial remarks had failed to represent the American golf authority in the best possible light.
Apologies and past dismissals
His eventual retraction followed a prior apology made by chief executive Derek Sprague directly to McIlroy and the Northern Irishman’s wife, Erica.
Further scrutiny fell upon the ousted president during the competition’s closing ceremony, where he awkwardly claimed Europe had retained the trophy rather than acknowledging their outright victory.
This development marks the second time the organisation has abruptly dismissed its figurehead over inappropriate public conduct.
In 2014, Ted Bishop was forced out of the exact same role after publishing a social media post that angrily referred to European stalwart Ian Poulter as a “lil girl”.
England head coach Charlotte Edwards faces a batting selection headache ahead of a home T20 World Cup following a 2-1 series victory over New Zealand.
The tournament hosts will play three crucial T20 fixtures against India, starting at Chelmsford on Thursday, to finalise their preparations for the global event.
The squad will be bolstered by the return of regular opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who missed the recent matches against the White Ferns to attend the birth of her first child.
However, influential all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt continues to recover from a calf injury and remains unavailable for the immediate future.
Search for the perfect top order
“I absolutely don’t know my best XI at the moment,” Edwards told BBC Sport after her side secured a seven-wicket victory at Hove.
The England boss praised the squad’s depth, noting that various players are continuously making strong cases for inclusion.
“But what players are doing is putting their hand up all the time. There’s certainly different combinations that we want to look at.” Charlotte Edwards
While the bowling attack appears settled, the battle for top-order positions remains fiercely competitive heading into the June 12 commencement.
Bowling stability and batting battles
The seam pairing of Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith has forged a formidable powerplay partnership for the host nation.
Their early breakthroughs allow the world-class spin duo of Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean to assert control during the middle overs.
Conversely, the batting line-up lacks the same level of certainty heading into next month’s showcase.
Alice Capsey seized her opportunity at the top of the order with a brilliant unbeaten 74 in Derby, though the 21-year-old registered lower scores in subsequent outings.
Middle-order mainstays and all-round options
Meanwhile, Sophia Dunkley has endured a frustrating run of promising starts without converting them into substantial totals.
The middle order is expected to rely on the vast experience of Heather Knight and the recovering Sciver-Brunt, provided the latter can ultimately manage her bowling workload.
Dynamic all-rounders Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp offer explosive hitting power and valuable flexibility in the field.
“I’m probably more sure of the bowling, but I guess the batters are giving us a few headaches, which you want – you want people wanting to put their hands up,” concluded the head coach.
Isle of Man TT organisers have abandoned the opening day of practice following a serious incident at Parliament Square in Ramsey.
The qualification session was red-flagged at approximately 13:50 BST, prompting officials to immediately implement emergency safety protocols.
No further information regarding the exact nature of the crash or those involved has been released by race authorities.
Emergency procedures initiated
Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson confirmed that all remaining track activity for Monday was scrapped.
The remainder of the day’s schedule has been cancelled as management of the incident continues.
Gary Thompson
The famous motorsport event takes place across closed public roads on the highly challenging 37.7-mile Mountain Course.
Schedule remains uncertain
This historic circuit is renowned for its immense speed and perilous nature, testing riders with dramatic elevation changes and narrow village streets.
The 2026 festival of motorcycling is currently scheduled to run until 6 June.
Further updates on the resumption of racing are expected once the situation in the northern section of the course is fully resolved.
Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the UFC against Max Holloway in Las Vegas on 11 July after his preferred bout with Michael Chandler was turned down.
The 36-year-old has not competed in mixed martial arts since suffering a horrific leg break against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
He was originally scheduled to face Chandler last year, but that highly anticipated contest was cancelled after the Irishman broke his toe.
McGregor’s management team has now revealed that the former two-weight world champion desperately wanted to honour that commitment.
UFC rejected Chandler bout
Audie Attar, the fighter’s manager, explained that they pushed hard to rebook the Chandler matchup for this summer’s comeback.
“Conor really wanted to give [his comeback fight] to Michael Chandler,” Attar said.
“He just felt Michael deserved it, having gone through the show and experienced that camp, the unfortunate injury and the cancellation of the bout.”
Despite their efforts, UFC executives decided against the pairing and booked Chandler against Mauricio Ruffy instead.
Holloway steps up to welterweight
With Chandler unavailable, attention turned to current ‘BMF’ champion Holloway, who previously lost a decision to McGregor at featherweight in 2013.
The Hawaiian agreed to step up to the 170lb welterweight limit to accommodate the Dubliner’s return.
“One of the things, obviously, with being out with the time Conor has been out for, it just made sense to do it at 170,” Attar added.
“Max was game right away and willing to step up and take the match-up at 170.”
‘The Mac is back’
The polarizing superstar insists he remains fully prepared for the octagon despite his lengthy spell of inactivity.
“My body’s fresh, my mind is sharp. I’m ready to come back,” McGregor stated.
“I’ve got a great opponent. I’ve got a great deal off the UFC. I’m very, very happy. They honored me, finally.”
Tyson Fury’s next heavyweight opponent will be revealed this week as the British boxer prepares for a highly anticipated November showdown against Anthony Joshua.
The veteran heavyweight returns to action following his victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.
Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that the upcoming bout will serve as a crucial test before the long-awaited all-British blockbuster.
Joshua clash looms in November
“We’ll hopefully be in a position to announce it next week, that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Speaking over the weekend, the seasoned boxing promoter insisted the warm-up fight will feature a highly credible challenger.
“Keep watching this space, and it’ll be a good opponent – it’ll be good for him.”
The former world champion cannot afford any mistakes in the ring, as Joshua also faces a vital interim test in the coming weeks.
“[Joshua’s] got to come through that, Tyson has to come through his, and then the big one will be in November.”
Itauma steps up in Manchester
Alongside the main event news, rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma is also preparing for a significant step up in competition.
The undefeated teenage prospect is scheduled to face a top-10 ranked contender in an upcoming Manchester fight card.
“He’s fighting a top 10 heavyweight, we expect to get the fight we want to make over the line.”
Warren concluded by declaring the current state of the heavyweight division as being “on fire” ahead of a busy boxing schedule.
Northwestern claimed their ninth NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse national championship by defeating North Carolina 14-11 on their home field in Evanston.
Freshman Gabriella McCollester proved to be the unlikely hero, scoring a career-high four goals in the second half.
She was thrust into the action after senior attacker Lucy Munro sustained a first-quarter injury.
Tewaaraton Award finalist Madison Taylor was instrumental for the victors, contributing six assists and scoring the final goal.
Taylor Lapointe and Aditi Foster also registered hat-tricks to ensure the Wildcats became the first team since 1984 to lift the trophy on home turf.
Tar Heels mount strong comeback
The hosts had initially surged into an early lead, forcing an opposition timeout within the opening five minutes.
However, the fiercely contested final was deadlocked at 6-6 heading into the half-time interval.
Following the restart, the Tar Heels embarked on a 3-1 scoring run to snatch their first advantage of the match.
During this dominant spell, reigning national player of the year Chloe Humphrey found the net to tie the Division I single-season record with her 109th goal.
Late surge secures historic victory
Despite falling behind, the home side demonstrated immense resilience in the fourth quarter.
McCollester completed her hat-trick to level the match at 11-11 before the hosts unleashed a devastating flurry of five unanswered goals.
A formidable defensive effort shut out the North Carolina attack for the entire final 15 minutes, supported by 11 crucial saves from goalkeeper Jenicka Cuocco.
The triumph cements head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s legacy as the most successful coach in Division I national championship game history.
Having resurrected the Illinois-based program in 2005, she now boasts an unprecedented nine national crowns.