Tadej Pogacar delivered another crushing defeat to his Tour de France rivals by dominating an uphill time trial and reinforcing his grip on the yellow jersey on Friday.

The brutal effort in the Pyrenees mountains was all about strength and stamina. It was just a painful experience offering no respite after 12 grueling stages of racing. Riders first covered 1.8 miles to reach the bottom of the climb to Peyragudes, a daunting 5-mile ramp with a steep gradient.

On that brutal terrain, Pogacar reigned supreme and killed any suspense. He increased his lead in the general classification to more than 4 minutes.

“I really wanted to go all out from start to finish, smashing the pedals as much as possible,” he said. “I almost blew out in the end but I saw the time on the finish arch and it gave me an extra push because I saw I was going to win.”

It was Pogacar’s 21st stage win at cycling’s biggest race.

Setting off last, the three-time Tour champion was faster than everyone else on the flat section, putting 5 seconds into time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel. Jonas Vingegard was 8 seconds off the pace through the first time check.

Pogacar was even better as soon as the road started to climb and he crossed the finish line at Peyragudes with a lead of 36 seconds over Vingegaard, his closest challenger. Primoz Roglic was third, 1 minute, 20 seconds off the pace.

“I suffered a bit with (less than 2 miles) to go. I took a deep breath and recovered some power because I knew the last kick was super steep and I wanted to have somewhat good legs.”

Evenepoel cracked in the climb and was overtaken by Vingegaard, who started his effort 2 minutes after his Belgian rival.

Overall, Pogacar has a 4:07 lead over Vingegaard. He has been in dominant form since the start of the season and, barring an accident, his current form leaves little doubt about who will be wearing the yellow jersey when the race finishes in Paris on July 27.

“So far, so good,” Pogacar said. “We’re just a bit over halfway now and it’s still a long way to Paris but if we keep riding like this and don’t do any mistake, then we can be satisfied with this margin.”

Evenepoel salvaged his third place overall, 7:24 behind the race leader.

NFL

Lloyd Howell resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Association, citing distractions his leadership has caused in recent weeks.

“Two years ago, I accepted the role of Executive Director of the NFLPA because I believe deeply in the mission of this union and the power of collective action to drive positive change for the players of America’s most popular sport,” Howell said in a statement. Our members deserve a union that will fight relentlessly for their health, safety, financial futures, and long-term well-being. My priority has been to lead that fight by serving this union with focus and dedication.

“It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day. For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.”

Howell has come under scrutiny since ESPN reported he has maintained a part-time consulting job with the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm that holds league approval to seek minority ownership in NFL franchises.

That followed the revelation that the NFLPA and the league had a confidentiality agreement to keep quiet an arbitrator’s ruling about possible collusion by owners over quarterback salaries.

NFL Hall of Fame member Shannon Sharpe resolved a lawsuit that accused him of sexually assaulting a woman during their relationship, her attorney said.

“All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice,” Tony Buzbee said on X, meaning the lawsuit can’t be refiled.

No details were released. The lawsuit had sought $50 million.

The woman first met Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in 2023 when she was 20, and a nearly two-year relationship followed, according to the suit. Sharpe, 57, was accused of raping the woman in October 2024 and in January.

“Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” Buzbee said. “After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution.”

The Las Vegas Raiders placed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who had a significant setback earlier this year in his recovery from a broken foot, on the physically unable to perform list.

Because he was placed on the PUP list before practices began, the Raiders can activate Wilkins at any time during camp once medically cleared.

NHL

The Winnipeg Jets locked up forward Gabriel Vilardi, signing the forward to a six-year extension worth $45 million.

Vilardi, 25, became a restricted free agent July 1 after completing a two-year, $6.88 million deal. He had career highs in 2024-25 with 27 goals, 34 assists, 61 points and 71 games.

The Jets acquired Vilardi in June 2023 in a trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Kings. He has 90 goals and 85 assists in 270 career regular-season games in six seasons with the Kings and Winnipeg.

NBA

New Orleans Pelicans rookie Derik Queen is likely to miss at least the start of training camp after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Queen was hurt while playing in an NBA Summer League game. The Pelicans said he would be evaluated again in approximately 12 weeks, which would be after camps have begun.

SOCCER

Canadian midfielder Florianne Jourde, a USC alum, signed a deal with Paris Saint-Germain’s women’s team until the end of June 2028.

Jourde previously played with AS Monteuil de Laval in Canada before she joined the Trojans. Jourde featured at two U20 World Cups with Canada.

DEATHS

Rex White, who was NASCAR’s oldest living champion and a 2015 inductee into the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 95.

NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame confirmed White’s death. No additional details were provided.

White won the 1960 Cup Series championship and 28 Cup races in a career that spanned 233 starts across nine seasons.