THE BULLETIN • Monday, July 18, 2011 D5
NBA
CYCLING: TOUR DE FRANCE
Lockout doesn’t threaten fundraiser
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CAMPS/CLASSES/CLINICS DIRT DIVA NIGHTS: Women-only event features presentation by guest speaker and Bend mountain biker Lindsay Voreis and includes general information/open discussion for women about learning to mountain bike; Wednesday, July 20; 7 p.m.; Pine Mountain Sports, 255 S.W. Century Drive, Bend; 541-385-8080. WOMEN’S ROAD CYCLING 101: Weekly classes for beginner and intermediate women provide “how to” road cycling guide to bike handling and road etiquette; taught by professional cycling coaches; 5:30 p.m. Mondays beginning today; meet at Rebound Sports Performance Lab, 143 S.W. Century Drive, Bend; $99 for six sessions; 541-585-1500; info@reboundspl.com.
By Anne M. Peterson The Associated Press
PORTLAND — The NBA lockout isn’t really posing any challenges for Brian Grant’s big fundraiser to fight Parkinson’s disease, contrary to widespread reports and Internet buzz. Last summer, a few NBA players lent Grant a hand in his “Shake It Till We Make It” gala dinner and golf tournament. This year, that won’t be the case. Grant, who has the disease, serves as a community ambassador for the Portland Trail Blazers. Because of the labor dispute between league owners and players, team employees can’t have contact with players. There will be plenty of other celebrities to help Grant’s cause on July 31 at the Rose Garden Arena dinner. The golf tournament will be held the next day at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club west of Portland. Grant raised $350,000 last year, with participants including Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali, Pat Riley and Bill Russell. Reports surfaced this week that Grant was being hamstrung by the no-contact edict and the story spread to Twitter. But the criticism was unfounded, said “Shake It Till We Make It” spokeswoman Sara Perrin. “The NBA has been an awesome partner for us. They couldn’t be more supportive,” she said. Grant can’t address the rumors himself without facing a possible fine. NBA spokesman Tim Frank says neither Grant nor the Blazers have asked for an exemption to the no-contact rule. But others have asked and received exclusions. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was allowed to appear with his team at the recent ESPY awards. Employees of the Miami Heat were permitted to attend Chris Bosh’s wedding this weekend. The NBA was criticized for allowing Michael Jordan to play in a celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe over the weekend — while Grant had not been given the same blessing. But Frank said Jordan, an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, and Vinny Del Negro, coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, checked with the league office before the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship to make sure they weren’t breaking any rules. Frank told The Associated Press in an e-mail that there are no rules against owners and players being at an independent event, such as the golf tournament, where they’re among many other people. Problems arise when team business or the labor dispute is discussed. But Grant, as a team employee, cannot invite current players to attend his own fundraiser unless he has an exemption. Additionally, the event takes place at the Rose Garden, which could be problematic. The collective bargaining agreement between team owners and the players union expired at the end of the day June 30. Owners locked out the players after the sides remained far apart in their final proposals. Among the sports celebrities attending Grant’s dinner this year are Riley, Russell, Charles Barkley, Bill Walton and Detlef Schrempf. Muhammad Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, will speak. Muhammad Ali also suffers from Parkinson’s. The fundraising dinner is sold out, Perrin said. Only a few active NBA players, including Portland’s Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, attended the event last year. A first-round draft pick in 1994 out of Xavier, Grant played for five NBA teams. The dreadlocked 6-foot-9 forward built a reputation for hard-nosed play after a ferocious battle against Karl Malone in the 1999 playoffs. Two years ago, soon after he decided to make Portland his home, Grant was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. About 1.5 million Americans have the disease, which destroys brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical key to the functions that control muscle movement. Patients suffer from increasingly severe tremors and periodically rigid limbs. They can have trouble walking, speaking and writing. There is no cure.
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CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS CASCADE CYCLING CLASSIC: Volunteers needed for numerous positions daily during the sixday stage race in Central Oregon; July 19-24; www.mbsef.org; Renee at 541-771-1094. CASCADE CYCLING CLASSIC: Host homes needed to house men’s and women’s professional cycling teams during the six-day stage race in Central Oregon; July 19-24; www.mbsef.org; Taylor at 541-633-9776.
JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT
Laurent Cipriani / The Associated Press
The HTC Highroad team of Mark Cavendish leads the chase of the pack on the breakaway group during the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race on Sunday. Cavendish won the stage heading into today’s rest day.
Cavendish wins Tour’s 15th stage; Voeckler maintains lead By Jamey Keaten The Associated Press
MONTPELLIER, France — British sprinting star Mark Cavendish overcame high wind and “bashing” in the pack to collect his fourth stage victory Sunday at this year’s Tour de France, as French rider Thomas Voeckler earned the race leader’s yellow jersey for a sixth straight day. Victory in the 15th stage was a 19th win on the Tour for Cavendish, who clocked 4 hours, 20 minutes, 24 seconds. Tyler Farrar, of the United States, was second, and Alessandro Petacchi, of Italy, was third, both in the same time as Cavendish. The mostly flat, 120-mile route through vineyards from Limoux to Montpellier was expected to favor sprinters, giving them a chance to shine again after three days of tough climbs in the Pyrenees. “I had a lot of trouble in the mountains. It was difficult,” the 26-year-old Cavendish said. “Today, it was a difficult, technical finish — there was wind on both sides and lot of bashing.” The breezy conditions reminded Cavendish of his native Isle of Man. “The wind today is the way it always is at home,” he said. The Manxman is now three career stage wins behind Lance Armstrong — who is fifth with 22. Belgium’s Eddy Merckx holds the record with 34. Voeckler, a 32-year-old rider with the Europcar squad, kept the overall lead that he first took in a crash-marred Stage 9 and surprisingly held through the mountains. “I am happy it was flat,” he said. “It was dangerous near the end, we knew that with a finish in town, you have to be really careful, plus the fact after two weeks, there’s the fatigue factor.” The main contenders also played it safe on the windswept ride toward the Mediterranean and finished in the pack right behind the sprinters. Frank Schleck, of Luxembourg, remains second overall, 1:49 behind, while two-time Tour runner-up Cadel Evans is third, 2:06 back. Defending champion Alberto Contador is seventh, 4 minutes back. As the stage began, five riders — all about 2 hours behind Voeckler — surged out of the pack at the mile mark and built a lead of 4:15. But the pack, led by Cavendish’s HTC-Highroad team,
Vinokourov retires after breaking leg MONTPELLIER, France — Alexandre Vinokourov has announced his retirement from cycling a week after breaking his right leg in a crash on the Tour de France. The 37-year-old Kazakh star told French television on Sunday that “I will stop there,” and he is looking for a new role within the Astana team. He was expected to retire at the end of the season. Vinokourov was one of about 30 riders caught up in a pileup midway through the Tour’s ninth stage. The Astana team leader flew off his bike and had to be helped up by teammates. He was flown to Paris for surgery. Vinokourov, who was third at the 2003 Tour, served a twoyear doping suspension after twice testing positive for banned blood transfusions during the 2007 race. — The Associated Press
barreled ahead before the intermediate sprint with 46 kilometers left to ride and narrowed the gap on the breakaway. In that sprint, Cavendish went on to win the most points among contenders for the best sprinter’s green jersey by nosing out Jose Joaquin Rojas, of Spain, and Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert. Nicki Terpstra, of the Netherlands, was among the breakaway riders but was caught with only one and a half miles left. “Today was brutal,” said George Hincapie, an American teammate of Evans’ on BMC. “For a transition day it was harder than a lot of the mountain stages we did, it was full-on all day, fighting for position.” “You couldn’t let your guard down for one second.” In 2009, the last time a Tour stage finished in Montpellier, Armstrong’s Astana team won the team time trial. The seventime Tour champion came within a split second of gaining the yellow jersey one final time before he retired last year. Today is the second and final rest day before cyclists head into the foothills of the Alps for Stage 16 on Tuesday.
MINI BIKES: Six-week program introduces off-road cycling to youths ages 6 to 8; 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, July 26-Sept. 1; enrollment options include one, two or three days per week; $95-$260, depending on number of days; www. bendenduranceacademy.org; 541-335-1346. MIGHTY BIKES: Six-week off-road cycling program for youths ages 8 to 12; 9 to 11 a.m. or 4 to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays, July 26-Sept. 1; enrollment options include one, two or three days per week; $95-$260, depending on number of days; www. bendenduranceacademy.org; 541-335-1346.
RACES CENTRAL OREGON CRIT SERIES: Weeknight criterium series held on the roads surrounding
Summit High School in Bend; Wednesdays, July 20, Aug. 3, 10; races start at 5:40 p.m.; registration starts at 5 p.m. and closes 10 minutes before each race; $10 for adults, $5 for students; 541385-7413; www.centraloregonracing.net. CASCADE CYCLING CLASSIC: National-level pro and elite men’s and women’s teams compete in six-stage bike race; July 19-24; throughout Central Oregon; www.cascade-classic.org. JUNIOR CRITERIUM: Four criterium races for boys and girls ages 13-18 held in conjunction with the Cascade Cycling Classic’s Downtown Criterium in Bend; noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, July 23; $10; register Saturday at the corner of Wall and Minnesota streets; Oregon Bicycle Racing Association license required; one-day license available for purchase for $5 at registration; www.mbsef.org; 541-388-0002. CASCADE STAGE RACE: Three-day, four-stage bike race for amateur men; July 22-24; throughout Central Oregon; divisions for Category 2, 3 and 4 riders, and Masters riders 35 and older; $120-$135 through July 11; www.cascade-classic.org. HIGH CASCADES 100: 100-mile mountain bike race on singletrack staged at Wanoga complex; Saturday; registration is full; www.mudslingerevents.com. CENTRAL OREGON TIME TRIAL SERIES: Weeknight individual time trial held on 9.5-mile uphill course on Century Drive; 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 27; registration available from 5:15 to 6 p.m. only at race site, on Century Drive near Entrada Lodge; $10 for adults; $5 for students; 541-385-7413; www.centraloregonracing.net.
RIDES DIRT DIVAS GROUP RIDE: Women-only guided group mountain bike ride leaves from Pine Mountain Sports in Bend at 5:30 p.m., Monday, July 25; free; rental and demo bikes available at no charge (be at the shop by 5 p.m.); 255 S.W. Century Drive, Bend; 541-385-8080; www.pinemountainsports.com.
OUT OF TOWN JACKSON’S RIDE THE GORGE: Fundraiser bike tour of 25, 50 or 100 miles along Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge starts and finishes in Hood River; Saturday, July 23; $60 by July 21 and $90 on day of ride; includes aid stations and post-ride meal; proceeds benefit the Jackson Hill Foundation; www.jacksonsridethegorge.org. WASHINGTON BIKE RIDE: Multiday supported bicycle tour along the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge; July 23-29; $870, includes gear transport, support vehicles, most meals and campsite fees; registration and information at www.oregonbikeride.com.
CYCLING SCOREBOARD CRITERIUM Central Oregon Criterium Series Summit High School, Bend Wednesday, July 13 Women/Juniors — 1, Jake Perrin. 2, Mary Ramos. 3, Cary Schwarz. 4, Taye Nakamura. Category 3/4/5 — 1, Dillon Caldwell. 2, Tom Pastor. 3, Cliff Cayer. 4, Jake Perrin. 5, Matthew Lasala. 6, Gary Klinger. 7, Mary Ramos. 8, Michelle Bazemore. 9, Chuck Kenlan. 10, Stephen Szufnarowski. 11, Steve Wursta. 12, Brant Rushton. 13, Kevin English. 14, George Wescott. 15, Rob Angelo. 16, Whit Bazemore. 17, Patrick Miller. 18, Aaron Tarnow. 19, Peter Wheary. 20, Darren Smith. 21, Ryan Altman. 22, Steve Porino. 23, Lev
Stryker. 24, Todd Berger. 25, Kevin Chandler. 26, Colin Dunlap. Category 1/2/3 — 1, Eric Martin. 2, Karsten Hagen. 3, Bruce ColeBaker. 4, Dillon Caldwell. 5, Andy Su. 6, Erik Bergstrom.
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