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CHRISTOPHEENA—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Britain's Chris Froome, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, is all smiles on the podium of the sixteenth stage of the Tour de France on Monday in Gap, France. ByJohnLeicester The Associated Press GAP, FRANCE Two bright-yellow Tour de France arrows attached to a telephone pole were telling Geraint Thomas to veer sharp right. He rode straight into them. Roadside spectators on the hair- pin bend both froze and scattered as the burly Welshman barreled to- ward them. Braking frantically, one shoe unclipped from his pedals, the right-hand man for race leader Chris Froome tried to shave off speed. No joy. A spectator's folded plastic chair flew as the racer for Team Sky ca- reened into the pole, shoulder and helmeted-head first. Thomas bounced off it like a tossed rag doll and dis- appeared over a drop-off into a dark thicket of woods. "I was all tangled up in the bushes," he said. "A nice Frenchman pulled me out." At least he finished Stage 16 with his sense of humor intact. Asked if he still remembered his name, Thomas jokingly replied: "Chris Froome." Had it really been race leader Froome, not Thomas, who crashed on the stage's hair-raising final de- scent in the foothills of the Alps, their Team Sky bosses wouldn't have seen the funny side. Surviving the tortuous downhill bends raced at speeds of 70 kph (45 mph) or more with his body and race lead still in one piece means that Froome now only has four days of climbing to get through before the British rider sips a flute of champagne Sunday on the Champs-Elysees. Outwitting Peter Sagan, who took heart-in-the-mouth risks on the de- scent, Spanish rider Ruben Plaza Mo- lina rode triumphantly into the finish at Gap as the solo winner. Crossing the line, Plaza sucked his right thumb as a wink to his young son. The Lampre-Merida rider reached the top of the stage's last climb with about a minute's lead on Sagan, who rides for Tinkoff-Saxo. As they both sped down, with Sagan gaining, Pla- za's team kept him updated on the time-gap via his earpiece radio. TOUR DE FRANCE ThrillsandspillsonStage16 Geraint Thomas crashes, Ruben Plaza wins stage By Lynsey Chutel The Associated Press JOHANNESBURG A shark attack- ing a top surfer during a televised competition in South Africa cap- tured the world's attention but the incident is not highly unusual. South Africa has an average of six shark attacks including one death each year. The shark bumped three-time world champion Mick Fanning off his board Sunday as he waited his turn during the finals of the JBay Open world surfing competi- tion and stirred the public's worst fears about sharks. In the video of the event posted on the World Surf League website, Australian Fanning scans the wa- ter before a fin and what could be a tail appear and with a splash he disappears under the surface. He is next seen furiously trying to swim to safety before a rescuer pulls him out of the water. Fanning said at first he swam away but then decided to defend himself and turned to punch the shark in the back. "I saw it taking my board away and I just started cracking it," he told a crowd that gathered around WORLD SURF LEAGUE Surferfighting off shark not so unusual in South Africa By Kristin J. Bender The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Two Spanish racers were killed in a chain-re- action crash on the first lap of a World Superbike race. The deaths occurred Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey County sheriff's spokes- man Cmdr. John Thornburg said. MotoAmerica spokesman Paul Carruthers said there were 28 rid- ers in the race and thousands of spectators in the stands when five competitors collided on the first lap. Riders were tossed into the dirt to the side of the track. The sheriff's office is not in- vestigating the crash at the Mo- toAmerica Superbike/Superstock 1000 race, which appeared to be an accident, he said. The track was dry during the race, Carruthers said. "If there's ever an issue with the track, we don't hold the race," he said. Carruthers declined to com- ment on whether MotoAmerica, MOTOAMERICA Spanish racers killed in first lap of race Ty Lawson was acquired in a trade with the Denver Nuggets on Monday, giving the Rockets needed depth at point guard, though he is currently dealing with off-court issues. NBA NuggetstradePG Lawson to Houston FULLSTORYONPAGEB2 By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND Zach Johnson cradled the silver claret jug in his arms. Jordan Spieth let it slip through his fingers. Spieth was right where he wanted to be in his spirited bid for the Grand Slam — tied for the lead with two holes to go in the British Open, right after making a 50-foot birdie putt that made it feel as though he were destined to win at St. Andrews for his third straight major. And he was still there at the very end Monday, but only as a spectator. The slam gone, Spieth gra- ciously returned to the steps of the Royal & Ancient clubhouse to watch Johnson finish off a ster- ling performance of his own. Johnson rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that got him into a three-man playoff, and he outlasted Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman to win the Brit- ish Open. Johnson described himself as a "normal guy" from Cedar Rap- ids, Iowa, when he won the Mas- ters in 2007. And now? "I'm a normal guy from Cedar Rapids ... with a green jacket that has something that most guys don't get to drink out of right now," Johnson said, smiling as he looked at golf's oldest trophy with his name etched alongside most of the game's greatest players. Spieth was close to having his name on that jug. No one ever came closer to the third leg of the Grand Slam. He fought back from taking four putts for a double bogey on No. 8 with back-to-back bird- ies. He rolled in that long birdie putt on the 16th for a share of the lead. After missing an 8-foot par putt on the tough 17th hole, Spi- eth needed a birdie on the clos- BRITISH OPEN JOHNSON WINS, DENIES SPIETH GRAND SLAM American wins his second major, 12th PGA title overall at the Old Course in St. Andrews ALASTAIR GRANT — ASSOCIATED PRESS Zach Johnson celebrates with members of the public as he holds the trophy a er winning a playoff a er the final round at the British Open on Monday. PETER MORRISON — ASSOCIATED PRESS Zach Johnson kisses the trophy a er winning a playoff a er the final round at the British Open at the Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland on Monday. Online: Be the first to get results from local athletes and teams at REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM. The American Legion Red Bluff Bulls 15U team lost 4-0 and 10-3in a home double header Saturday against Yuba City, despite a strong outing from Fabian Chavez in the early game. AMERICAN LEGION Red Bluff Bulls 15U drops pair to Yuba City Bareback rider Tanner Aus, of Granite Falls, Minn., is riding high at the 119th Cheyenne Frontier Days. Aus is ranked 17th in the world and had his 2014season derailed at Cheyenne. RODEO Minnesota rider makes comeback in Cheyenne Get your puzzles fix with the NEA Crossword, 7Little Words and Celebrity Cipher, start your day off right with your horoscope, and read the latest advice doled out by Amy Dickinson. YOUR DAILY BREAK Fun and games inside today PAGE B3 TOUR PAGE 2 GOLF PAGE 2 SHARK PAGE 2 RACERS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, July 21, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1