Cycling-Landa joins Movistar from Team Sky

Alejandro Valverde had successful surgery on a broken kneecap after this crash on Saturday's opening day of the Tour de France and will need a few months to recover, his Movistar team said on Sunday.

The nine-time world champion suffered a double fracture in an accident while riding an off-road enduro bike on August 31. IMAGE: Valentino Rossi in action during a free practice session. Photograph: Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Italian great Valentino Rossi has not ruled out a return to MotoGP in Spain this weekend, three weeks after breaking his right leg, after getting back on a bike for some test laps on Monday.Yamaha said the 38-year-old, whose doctors had advised a 30-40 day recovery ...

Gareth Bale responded in style to his critics with a fine finish as Real Madrid got back to winning ways with a 3-1 win at Real Sociedad. Borja Mayoral rewarded a bright start by Real with his first Madrid goal before Sociedad's Kevin Rodrigues scored at both ...

Italian motorcycling star Valentino Rossi vowed to get back on his bike as quickly as possible as he was discharged from hospital today following surgery on a broken leg. The nine-time world champion in all categories was operated on in Ancona, eastern Italy, ...

IMAGE: Alejandro Valverde of Spain.  Photograph: Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images) Reigning champion Chris Froome wasted no time flexing his muscles at the Tour de France as he powered to sixth place in a treacherous opening time trial won superbly by Team Sky colleague Geraint Thomas on Saturday. Heavy rain turned what, on paper, had looked like a regulation 14-km circuit alongside the River Rhine into an incident-packed Grand Depart that could have major consequences in the three-week ...

Chris Froome may look far from his best and might say this year's route does him no favours, but the Briton is the overwhelming favourite to win his fourth Tour de France crown next month.His main rivals - an ageing Alberto Contador, a too-cautious Nairo Quintana and an unreliable Richie Porte - all seem short of the combination of ingredients needed to unsettle Froome's Team Sky machine, and Romain Bardet looks a little green to become France's first Tour champion since 1985. Other contenders ...