Giovanni Visconti claimed his first-ever stage win on the Giro d’Italia after conquering the gruelling conditions that continue to blight this year’s race.

Milne Craig Western qualified for today’s promotion play-offs despite losing 2-0 to Slavia Praha in the final pool match of the European Club Challenge II in Prague yesterday.

Mauro Santambrogio took the victory on stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia but overall leader Vincenzo Nibali was the big winner as the poor weather dominated the day.

Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in the 13th and longest stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday, and favourite Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall lead to boost his chances of a first win in his home country’s biggest cycling race.

French AG2R rider Sylvain Georges’ positive test at the Giro d’Italia occurred because he mistakenly took a performance-enhancing drug, team director Vincent Lavenu said yesterday.

COLOMBIAN rider Rigoberto Uran won the first big mountain stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterdday, and Vincenzo Nibali held on to the overall lead after the tenth leg.

LIZZIE Armitstead, the first home medallist of London 2012, is keen to bid for a road and track double at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics of 2016.

BRITISH Cycling has appointed Professor Tony Purnell as head of technical development for the Great Britain team.

Paul Di Resta has defended Pirelli in the wake of the flak heaped on the tyre maker following the Spanish Grand Prix.

David Haye has pulled out of his heavyweight bout with Manuel Charr after suffering a hand injury in training.

BADMINTON Scotland has confirmed the departure of performance coach John Quinn, who is returning to Badminton England to take up a role of Head of England Performance.

Edinburgh CAPITALS have been dealt a blow with news that Czech international 
defenseman Michal Dobron has turned down an extension to his contract, opting 
instead to sign for French club Morzine-Avoriaz for the 2013-14 ice hockey season.

Bradley Wiggins lost 84 seconds to his closest Giro d’Italia rivals after crashing while Spain’s Benat Intxausti became overall leader as Australian Adam Hansen won stage seven with a 147km breakaway yesterday.

Mark Cavendish grabbed his 99th professional win with a faultless sprint to beat Italy’s Elia Viviani and Australian Matthew Goss in yesterday’s sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia.

Sir Bradley Wiggins remains in sixth place in the Giro d’Italia after Germany’s John Degenkolb won the fifth stage following a dramatic crash in the final kilometre.

Strathallan pupils were in great form at the annual Kilgraston Scottish Schools Equestrian Championships held at Gleneagles.

Alex Dunn (Dalziel High School), the Scottish Under-15 Champion, led the way as Scotland dominated the Home Nations Under-15 Quadrangular in Ireland.

Kirsten Peters, who captained George Watson’s College to a string of indoor and outdoor titles this season, will be aiming for more success this summer as a member of Scotland’s squad for the EuroHockey Under-18 Home Nations Championship in Santander, Spain, in July.

Squash has a brand new venue for next year’s Commonwealth Games – and five Tayside and Fife school pupils were the first to taste success at the Scotstoun Sports Campus in Glasgow, winning the Scottish Junior Inter-Regional Team Tournament.

SKIING: Grantown Grammar School is in the heart of skiing country – and the team of Rebecca Shepherd and brothers Marcus and Jacob Sellars triumphed in style at the Scottish Schools Freestyle Championships at Snow Factor, Braehaed, Glasgow.