Tour de France favorite Tadej Pogacar crashed near the finish while Norwegian rider Jonas Abrahamsen won the 11th stage on Wednesday.

Pogacar, the three-time champion, crashed with 3.9 kilometers remaining after hitting the wheel of Tobias Johannessen in front. His rivals for the general classification slowed down so he could get back on his bike and rejoin them. Pogacar, who was able to reattach the chain on his otherwise undamaged bike, thanked them for waiting.

“All good, all good,” Pogacar said over the UAE Team Emirates XRG radio. “Respect to the peloton, respect to everybody.”

Johannessen apologized as he felt responsible.

“I think the whole peloton moved to the right and I just followed the movement of Matteo Jorgenson and some other guys. I think Pogacar was on the radio so we just bumped into each other and I think it’s something that happens,” Johannessen said. “But I really didn’t want him to crash and I don’t think any other guy in the peloton wants Pogacar to go down. We just stopped and waited in the group straight away and I hope he’s fine.”

Abrahamsen, who attacked from the start, beat Swiss rider Mauro Schmid in a photo finish.

A pro-Palestinian protester did not distract either rider as they sprinted for the finish, racing each other at the end after they’d worked together to stay ahead of Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel’s late push to catch them.

It was Abrahamsen’s first stage win at the Tour and the first in this race for his team, Uno-X Mobility.

Soccer

Aurora’s Boone wins defender of the year

Minnesota Aurora’s Charley Boone was named the USL W League’s defender of the year on Wednesday. It’s the second year the league has had the award and Boone is the first Aurora player to receiver an honor from the league in the team’s four-year history.

Boone helped Minnesota allow the second-fewest goals (four) in the league this season as they won their fourth straight Heartland Division title.

baseball

Winfield to be honored in St. Paul on Saturday

St. Paul native and baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield will be honored on Saturday at Toni Stone Stadium in St. Paul as the city honors its baseball history.

The event begins at 11 a.m. and Winfield will be present.

Winfield, who went to St. Paul Central High School and later played for the University of Minnesota, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001. The 12-time All-Star outfielder finished his career with 3,110 hits and 465 home runs.

Frazier traded from Pirates to Royals

The Kansas City Royals reacquired veteran utility player Adam Frazier on Wednesday in an All-Star break trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Kansas City sent minor league infielder Cam Devanney to Pittsburgh.

Frazier, 33, has played in 78 games this season split between second base, left field and right field, hitting .255 with 21 RBIs. He spent last season with KC after bouncing around the majors following his start with the Pirates and has played every position except catcher and pitcher during his career since debuting in 2016.

NBA

Beal gets buyout from Suns to join Clippers

Three-time All-Star guard Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns agreed to a buyout on the two years remaining on his contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been officially announced.

The move paves the way for Beal to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that includes a player option after he clears waivers, ESPN reported.

Beal is expected to give back $13.9 million of the $110 million he’s owed from the Suns, which allows Phoenix more flexibility as it tries to rebuild its roster.

College football

Eligibility of Wisconsin’s Fourqurean in question

Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean’s status for this coming season is now unclear after a federal appeals court overturned a preliminary injunction that granted him another year of NCAA eligibility.

Seventh Circuit judges ruled in a 2-1 decision rendered Wednesday to reverse the ruling by a lower court, after the NCAA appealed.

Fourqurean, a fifth-year senior, had argued that his first two college seasons at Division II Grand Valley State should not count toward his eligibility.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is expected to play again after winning his court case last year on the grounds that his two seasons at a junior college do not count. The NCAA is appealing that decision but granted a blanket waiver that will allow Pavia and other athletes who played at non-NCAA Division I schools prior to enrollment an extra year of eligibility if they were going to exhaust their eligibility this year.

The NCAA in a statement said it was “thankful the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals today reversed the district court’s decision. Just as the NCAA and its member schools have always done, we will continue to work together to provide unparalleled opportunities for student-athletes and future generations.”

The path forward for Fourqurean, a projected starter, is less clear with Wisconsin’s season opener on Aug. 28 just over six weeks away.

BRIEFLY

College basketball >> The University of Memphis’ athletic department has been put on probation for two years and fined $30,000 by the NCAA after an investigation found an academic counselor paid two softball players to help a men’s basketball player with schoolwork.

GOLF >> Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark won’t be allowed back at Oakmont Country Club until he pays to fix the locker he damaged and gets counseling for his anger. The incident occurred during last month’s U.S. Open, when Clark smashed up his locker out of frustration.

Motorsports >> Legacy Motor Club on Wednesday sued the broker who helped negotiate its purchase of a charter from Rick Ware Racing, accusing him of tortious interference for now trying to buy Ware’s NASCAR team.

— From news services