Ivan Basso Gets All Clear

Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso, who withdrew from this year’s Tour de France after revealing he had testicular cancer, has been given the all-clear following treatment, his Tinkoff-Saxo team has said.

The 37-year-old Italian felt pain in his left testicle after crashing in the fifth stage of the Tour and tests later showed he had a small tumour. Basso had surgery in Milan.

“Fabulous news on @ivanbasso! 

Results from final controls show no need for extra treatment. The dark period that started at @letour is over,” Tinkoff-Saxo posted on Twitter.

Basso finished third and second overall in the 2004 and 2005 Tour de France but has won the Giro – his only grand tour titles – thanks to impressive climbing performances.

His career, however, was stained with a two-year ban for his implication in the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal.

Basso admitted to “attempted doping” in 2007 and was hit by a backdated suspension. He won the Giro in 2010, less than two years after his comeback, to add to his 2006 success.

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Nibali Retains Vuelta lead

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Vincenzo Nibali maintained his 50-second lead in the Vuelta a España after Frenchman Alexandre Geniez took a solo victory on stage 15.

The Italian finished alongside his four closest rivals in the overall standings after the second Pyrenean stage.

Geniez, part of a 28-man breakaway, took off 20km from the finish to surge away and finish three minutes clear.

Italian Michele Scarponi was second while Ireland's Nicholas Roche gained 13 seconds on Nibali to finish third.

Roche remains sixth overall, 3:49" behind Nibali after the 224.9 km stage from Andorra la Vella to Peyragudes in France, the most mountainous of the entire race.

Geniez took his maiden Grand Tour win after more than 5,000m of climbing and six hours of riding.

Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez, fourth overall, made several attacks on the final ascent but was unable to shake off Nibali, who finished fourth on the stage.

"It was a very tough day, and Rodriguez pushed as hard as he could on that last climb," said Nibali. "I and my team had to work hard to keep everything under control."

Philippe Gilbert, the world road-race champion, and world time trial champion Tony Martin both pulled out during the stage.

The Road World Championships take place in Florence, Italy from 23-29 September.

Monday's final Pyrenean stage concludes with a summit finish at Sallent de Gallego. The Vuelta finishes next Sunday, 15 September, in Madrid.

Result of stage 15:

1. Alexandre Geniez (France / FDJ.fr) 6:20:12"

2. Michele Scarponi (Italy / Lampre) +3:02"

3. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +3:07"

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) +3:20"

5. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar)

6. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack)

7. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha)

8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy / AG2R)

9. Jose Herrada (Spain / Movistar) +3:23"

10. David Arroyo (Spain / Caja Rural)

Overall standing after 15 stages:

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy / Astana) 60:20:21"

2. Chris Horner (U.S. / RadioShack) +50"

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) +1:42"

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain / Katusha) +2:57"

5. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy / AG2R) +3:43"

6. Nicolas Roche (Ireland / Saxo - Tinkoff) +3:49"

7. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ.fr) +4:59"

8. Leopold Koenig (Czech Republic / NetApp) +6:18"

9. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel) +7:46"

10. Tanel Kangert (Estonia / Astana) +9:11"

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Horner Takes La Vuelta S3

A daring break paid off for Christopher Horner as the RadioShack-Leopard rider claimed victory on stage three of La Vuelta between Vigo and Mirador de Lobeira.

The American pulled away from the peleton with less than a kilometre to go on the 172.5km course, passing leader Ivan Santaromita (BMC) with ease and making a dart for the finish.

Vuelta favourites Alejandro Valverde(Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriguez(Katusha) tried to close Horner down but were unable to catch him and had to settle for second and third place, respectively.

The stage win sees Horner take the lead in the general classification with an eight-second advantage over Vincenzo Nibali.

Nicolas Roche, riding for Team Saxo-Tinkoff, lies third in the Vuelta a España after adding a ninth-placed finish to his stage win on Sunday.

One of La Vuelta's stranger routes, Stage 3 featured an extremely smooth 172.5-kilometre stretch before spiking painfully at the end. This flat section plays host to a sharp ascent and the capacity to burn energy rapidly in the latter moments.

Daniel Martin finished in fifth place in today's stage between Vigo and Mirador de Lobeira.

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