1) The UCI road world championships begin this week in Bergen. The last time the championships were held Scandinavia was 2011, when Mark Cavendish raced through the streets of Copenhagen to become the first British winner of the men’s road race since Tom Simpson in 1965 (footage of that win in a drenched San Sebastian can be found at 4min 53sec here). Chris Froome is in the British squad for the time trial but the route means he will not attempt to win the historic Triple Crown of two grand tours and the world road race title, a feat only twice before achieved in the history of cycling: by Eddy Merckx in Montreal in 1974 and Stephen Roche in Villach, Austria, in 1987.
2) Ivan Perisic shows Manchester United what they’re missing with this thunderbolt for Internazionale against Spal. Wahab Khazri shows Sunderland what they never really got to see at the Stadium of Light with this cheeky flick for Rennes against Marseille. And Billy Ions’ effort for SJK against VPS wasn’t bad either.
3) A World XI are currently in Pakistan, taking on the hosts in a three-match T20 series but they are far from the first global representative side to take the cricket field. Garry Sobers took England apart in 1970 (with a little help from Graeme Pollock); in 1971-72 Sobers was again to the fore against Australia with a blistering 254 at the MCG; in 1979 a WSC World XI featuring Imran Khan and Barry Richards were well beaten by Australia in the semi-finals of an ODI tournament; and in 2005 a World XI were also on the receiving end against a brilliant Baggy Green side.
4) In the NRL play-offs, Mitchell Moses produced this moment of genius for Parramatta Eels against Melbourne Storm at the weekend.
5) The NFL returned at the last weekend. Perhaps the play of the weekend was pulled of by Cole Beasley of the Dallas Cowboys, who made this ridiculous behind-the-back-catch against the Giants. Also in Stateside football last weekend: Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield goes all Graeme Souness on Ohio State and Louisiana Tech manage to give themselves a third and goal from their own seven-yard line against Mississippi State.
6) The Belgian Moto3 rider Livio Loi was fortunate to walk away with nothing worse than a broken collarbone after this frightening spill in San Marino.
1) Here at Classic YouTube we regularly feature great home-run saving catches in MLB but here’s the exact opposite – Detroit Tigers’ Mikie Mahtook watches the ball bounce twice – twice! – on top of the wall before attempting to grab the thing … and making a right old pig’s ear of it.
3) With GGG v Canelo just around the corner, here are GGG’s top 20 KOs. And Canelo Álvarez’s top 10.
4) The upcoming documentary on the surfing legend Laird Hamilton looks suitably epic.
5) Kenny from the Block takes on Lewis Hamilton.
6) Indoor Bowls legend David Bryant with possibly greatest bowl ever.
7) An ambulance inexplicably on the track causes chaos in this weekend’s Nascar race in Richmond.
8) Twenty-one years ago this week, George Weah scored his most famous goal – his “coast to coast” goal for Milan against Hellas Verona at San Siro on the opening day of the 1996-97 season.
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