After all the feuding and hard words, Andre Greipel finally got what he wanted and it had nothing to do with talk: a winning ride in the Tour de France.
The German sprinter beat Mark Cavendish - his former teammate and sometimes adversary - by the length of a wheel Tuesday to capture the 10th stage at Carmaux, France, of a three-week race that is soon to leave the flatlands for the perilous climbs of the Pyrenees.
Thomas Voeckler of France kept the yellow jersey after nestling safely in the main pack for most of the day. Defending champion Alberto Contador did much the same, and the Spaniard had even more reason to be careful after hurting his right knee during crashes in the fifth and ninth stages.
"At the beginning of the stage, I wasn't sure what to think," said Contador, a three-time champion. "But as the stage progressed my knee was feeling less sore."
Contador, the best climber in the world, trails main rivals Cadel Evans of Australia and Andy Schleck of Luxembourg by 1:41 and 1:30 entering Wednesday's flat run.
Tuesday's 98-mile trip from Aurillac to Carmaux ended with Cavendish applying brutal acceleration and seemingly headed toward his third stage victory in this Tour. Instead, Greipel got on his wheel and surged ahead in the last 20 yards, a winning leg in cycling's showpiece race at last secure.
Oilers deal Cogliano to Ducks
The Edmonton Oilers have traded center Andrew Cogliano to the Anaheim Ducks for a second-round draft pick in 2013.
Cogliano was drafted by Edmonton 25th overall in the 2005 draft and has not missed a game in four NHL seasons.
Last season, the 24-year-old finished with 11 goals and 35 points.
More transactions: The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms with Brad Richardson on a two-year, $2.35 million contract, avoiding arbitration with the forward.
Goalie Jeff Deslauriers has agreed to a two-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Phoenix Coyotes hired former Atlanta Thashers head coach John Anderson as an assistant.
The Chicago Blackhawks have extended vice president Al MacIsaac's contract through the 2013-14 season.
Golfer, 6, aces hole
A 6-year-old golfer sank a hole in one on a course in central Illinois and calmly walked back to her cart.
Why such a quiet reaction? Reagan Kennedy's father had told the Bloomington girl not to make a lot of noise on the course.
But 13-year-old Cheyenne Broquard says she told her younger sister that a hole in one was the one time a golfer could be excused for making a little noise.
The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports that Kennedy made the 85-yard shot on the third hole at The Links at Ireland Grove last week.
Mother Erin Kennedy says her husband started to put a golf club in Reagan's hands when she was only 2.
Reagan Kennedy says she's now working toward her ultimate golf goal - beating her father.
Melzer upset in Germany
Santiago Giraldo of Colombia upset second-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-4, 7-5 on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Mercedes Cup at Stuttgart, Germany.
Giraldo beat Melzer for the first time in three attempts. The Colombian reached the final in Santiago in February, also on clay.
German wild card Cedrik-Marcel Stebe beat sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 for his first victory on the ATP Tour.
Gastein Ladies: Second-seeded Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia was upset by Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round on Tuesday at Bad Gastein, Austria.
Swedish Open: Potito Starace of Italy advanced to the second round by beating Julian Reister of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-3 Tuesday at Bastad, Sweden.
Palermo Open: Fresh off her third title of the year, second-seeded Roberta Vinci beat Kazakh qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva 6-2, 7-5 Tuesday in the first round at Palermo, Sicily.
Vinci's victory in Budapest on Sunday made her the first Italian woman to win three titles in one year. Her ranking is up to a career-best No. 23.
No 2020 bid for France
France has ruled out a bid for the 2020 Olympics following Annecy's defeat for the 2018 Winter Games.
Annecy received only seven votes in last week's IOC vote in Durban, South Africa. The South Korean city of Pyeongchang won on the first round with 63 votes, followed by Munich with 25.
