Tyler Farrar of Wenatchee wins USA Pro Challenge stage Cycling

Cycling

Farrar wins opening stage

of USA Pro Challenge

Garmin-Sharp rider Tyler Farrar of Wenatchee earned his first victory in more than a year when he took the opening stage of the seven-day USA Pro Challenge.

Farrar covered 125.7 miles from Durango to Telluride in Colorado in 4 hours, 42 minutes, 48 seconds Monday. He had been winless since taking the third stage of the Tour de France in July 2011.

"For me personally, I have had kind of a disaster of a season so this means a whole lot to me to finally get a win," the 28-year-old Farrar said.

Farrar has lived in Belgium for several years and seldom competes in stage races in the United States.

Kiel Reijnen, a Team Type 1-Sanofi rider who grew up on Bainbridge Island, was seventh in the stage.

Armstrong's suit is dismissed

A federal judge in Austin, Texas, threw out Lance Armstrong's lawsuit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a decision that allows the agency's drug case against the seven-time Tour de France winner to move ahead.

Armstrong, who repeatedly has denied doping, claimed in his lawsuit USADA lacked jurisdiction and its arbitration process violates his constitutional rights.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks dismissed the lawsuit as speculative.

Armstrong, 40, can try to overturn Sparks' decision by going to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. He also can agree to proceed with USADA arbitration or accept its sanctions.

Valverde leads Vuelta

Movistar rider Alejandro Valverde took the overall lead at the Spanish Vuelta after edging fellow Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez of the Katusha team to win the third stage.

College football

WAC football is in jeopardy

The commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference said it has become apparent the WAC is "unlikely" to have enough football members to compete in 2013.

Jeff Hurd told The Denver Post the WAC is emphasizing having enough schools to remain a Division I non-football conference. The WAC has seven football members, but five plan to leave before the 2013 season.

The WAC needs to add two to three new members for 2013 in order to have the minimum seven required by the NCAA to be a Division I conference.

Arizona St. picks Kelly as QB

Taylor Kelly, a redshirt sophomore from Eagle, Idaho, will be Arizona State's starting quarterback to open the season.

Tennis

Sharapova invests in sweets

Superstar Maria Sharapova, 25, is going into the candy business.

She launched her Sugarpova brand of 12 types of sweets and has called it "the most exciting project that I've ever done ... because it's my own business, my own investment, my own money."

3 withdraw from U.S. Open

Two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and top-20 players Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and Flavia Pennetta of Italy have pulled out of the U.S. Open, which begins Monday. The U.S. Tennis Association did not give reasons for the withdrawals.

Elsewhere

• The Philadelphia Flyers signed NHL All-Star forward Scott Hartnell to a contract extension, reportedly worth $28.5 million over six years.

Hartnell, 30, scored a career-high 37 goals last season.

• Freshman guard Milton Doyle has left the Kansas basketball program.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Doyle decided to find a program where he has a chance to make an impact early in his career.

• Guards Marcus Jordan and C.J. Reed and center Josh Crittle have decided to leave the Central Florida basketball program. Jordan is the youngest son of Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.

• Marouane Fellaini scored to give Everton a season-opening 1-0 soccer victory over visiting Manchester United in the English Premier League. Man U lost a league opener for the first time since 2004.

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