CYCLING TOUR DE TRUMP : Alcala Gaining Some Ground on Bobrik

East Germany’s Olaf Ludwig claimed his third stage victory and Raul Alcala of Mexico began his assault on surprisingly steady Soviet amateur Viatcheslav Bobrik during Wednesday’s two stages of the Tour de Trump.

Ludwig, one of East Germany’s first professional athletes, won a massive field sprint to take the 71-mile Lehigh Valley Circuit Race in 3 hours 43 seconds Wednesday night in the third and final double stage day of the 1,107-mile bicycling event.

“The second-place finisher (Craig Schommer of San Jose) started the sprint with 800 yards left, and I reacted with 400 yards left,” said Ludwig, who now has eight stage victories since turning pro last January. Italy’s Maxmilian Sciandri finished third in the same time as the top two finishers.

Alcala, eighth last year in the Tour de France, claimed the 16.5-mile Lehigh Valley individual time trial in 32:03.07 several hours earlier in Easton, Pa., to move within 1:37 of Bobrik after nine stages.

Bobrik, 19, placed fifth in 33:09.54.

Bobrik and Alcala finished the evening race in a large pack of riders that included the majority of the field, enabling Bobrik to maintain his lead.