The opening stages of the Tour de France will shift 750 miles away from Paris to Denmark in '21. The race will begin on July 2 with a 13km flat run around Copenhagen "followed by two more stages around the country." A 190km stage between Roskilde and Nyborg will follow. The last stage before heading back to France will be in the "hilly" Jutland peninsula between the towns of Vejle and Soenderborg (AP, 2/21).
Six Nations regulations state that the away side "gets the discretion" and has to inform Wales of its decision more than 24 hours before kickoff, and England has "asked for the roof to be left open for the match." Wales' default position is to "always leave the roof closed for home matches," but in this Championship the away side has to state its preference before the match (London DAILY MAIL, 2/21).
Rugby Championship side Widnes Vikings postponed Sunday's game against Sheffield Eagles "with discussions ongoing to ensure the club's survival." A prospective takeover of the club "fell through" on Tuesday and the club was unable to pay staff on Wednesday. Widnes said that the decision to postpone Sunday's game was done "in conjunction" with the Eagles (BBC, 2/21).
Ironman announced that Ironman 70.3 Italy Emilia-Romagna was chosen as the latest race addition to the '19 calendar. The inaugural event will take place on Sept. 22, replacing previous host city Pescara (Ironman).
