IN BRIEF

CYCLING

Armstrong-led protest disrupts Giro d'Italia

Lance Armstrong already has a tenuous relationship with Tour de France organizers. Now his rapport with the Giro d'Italia appears at risk, too.

Armstrong played an integral role in a protest by riders over concerns about the safety of the ninth stage of the Giro on Sunday in Milan, Italy. As a result, all 190 riders were given the same time as winner Mark Cavendish.

Several riders acknowledged that Armstrong had a hand in organizing the protest, and race director Angelo Zomegnan was livid.

"This circuit required explosive bursts. It required riders to get their butts up off the seats of their bikes, and some riders who are not so young anymore apparently don't feel like doing that," Zomegnan said. "Instead, it seems like their legs have become shorter and their tongues longer."

Cavendish clocked 4 hours, 16 minutes, 13 seconds over the 102.5-mile leg.

Danilo Di Luca holds a 13-second lead over Thomas Lovkvist in the overall standings. Armstrong is 25th overall, 4:39 behind Di Luca.

The mood of the riders grew more cautious after Spanish cyclist Pedro Horillo Munoz ended up in a coma after falling 60 yards off the side of the road on a downhill stretch Saturday.

Horillo Munoz was woken from a 24-hour coma Sunday. He was able to move his legs and speak with doctors at a hospital in Bergamo, race organizers said.

MISCELLANEOUS

51s' offense quieted in loss against Sounds

Brendan Katin hit a two-run homer to help the Nashville Sounds to a 5-1 victory over the 51s in Pacific Coast League play in Nashville, Tenn.

A fifth-inning balk by Las Vegas starter Brad Mills (0-5) broke a 1-1 tie. Mills gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in six innings, striking out seven.

Winning pitcher Mike Burns (6-0) allowed one run on six hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings for Nashville (22-16).

Angel Sanchez went 2-for-4 for the 51s (14-23), driving in the lone run in the second.

Also: Usain Bolt ran the world's fastest 150 meters to win a soggy street sprint in Manchester, England, that marked his return to competition after a car crash left him requiring minor foot surgery.

The triple Olympic champion ran down Manchester's main thoroughfare in windy conditions, finishing in 14.35 seconds to break Donovan Bailey's 12-year-old world best of 14.99 in the rarely run 150.

Michael Phelps was beaten again at the Charlotte UltraSwim, finishing second behind Frederick Bousquet of France in the 100-meter freestyle in Charlotte, N.C.

Phelps was nearly a full second behind Bousquet, the world-record holder in the 50 free, with the Frenchman touching in 48.22 seconds and Phelps in 49.04.

The California State Athletic Commission confiscated a suspicious substance from the corner of Colombian boxer Edison Miranda during his loss to Andre Ward on Saturday in Oakland, Calif., Ward's trainer and the fight's promoter told The Associated Press.

Trainer Virgil Hunter said the substance was in a brown bottle resembling a Vaseline tub, apparently hidden in a bag in Miranda's corner.

Local qualifying for the U.S. Open golf tournament will be held Tuesday at DragonRidge Country Club in Henderson.

Play begins at 7 a.m., with 90 players vying for six spots in the sectional qualifying, to be held May 25 and June 8. This year's Open will be played June 15-21 at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y.