CYCLING

CRASHES MAR THIRD STAGE OF TOUR DE FRANCE Wheels touch. Bikes and riders go down. A bone breaks. Tour de France over. So it went for Alejandro Valverde during an accident-strewn third stage yesterday. The Spaniard, whom Lance Armstrong once said could be cycling’s next big thing, fractured his right collarbone, taking yet another favorite out of the showpiece race that already lost its top contenders to a doping scandal even before it began.

On the road, there was a new overall leader, Tom Boonen, who donned the Tour’s yellow jersey over the rainbow-striped world champion’s shirt he already owns. Germany’s Matthias Kessler won the hilly stage that covered three countries – Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It was the first stage victory in four tours for Kessler.

Boonen holds a one-second lead over Australian Michael Rogers, the world time trial champion. American George Hincapie is third, with previous leader Thor Hushovd of Norway slipping back to fourth after he struggled on the final hill of the 134.5 miles route from Esch-sur-Alzette.

American Fred Rodriguez’s Fourth of July holiday finished in a hospital emergency unit. A pothole ended his sixth Tour, one of his teammates said. Rodriguez injured his right shoulder and wrist and sustained a concussion. Dutch rider Erik Dekker apparently hit the same hole, his Rabobank team said, catapulting him over his handlebars onto the road. He broke teeth, ripped his upper lip, had multiple deep cuts on his face and sustained a concussion. A four-time stage winner, he had been riding his 12th Tour.

TENNIS

NAVRATILOVA TO RETIRE AFTER THIS YEAR Martina Navratilova is ready to retire. Really. Navratilova, who turns 50 in October, announced yesterday at Wimbledon that this will be her final year of professional tennis, although she’s not sure where she’ll play her last tournament. As of now, Navratilova plans to play doubles at hard-court tournaments in Montreal and San Diego, but she hasn’t decided whether to compete at the U.S. Open.

“It’s time. It’s enough,” she said. “I just, you know, want to move on to my next life. … Most of all, it’s to spend more time at home.”

She spoke after reaching the doubles quarterfinals at the All England Club with Liezel Huber by beating Elena Likhovtseva and Anastasia Myskina 7-5, 6-0. Huber and Cara Black won Wimbledon last year. Navratilova is also in Wimbledon’s mixed doubles quarterfinals with Mark Knowles.

Navratilova originally retired in 1994, with a record 167 singles titles and having spent 331 weeks ranked no. 1. She returned to the tour as a doubles player in 2000, and eventually couldn’t resist dabbling in singles, including a first-round victory at Wimbledon in 2004.

– Associated Press